Bernards Township School Board Election 2023: Lawrence Rascio

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Bernards Township's general election on Nov. 7 has six candidates running for three open seats for the Board of Education.

Incumbent Lawrence Rascio is running for one of the three, three-year seats along with Deborah Marcus and Erin Weber. Opposing candidates include Janice Corrado and David Shaw (who are running as a team) and Jennifer White.

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Lawrence Rascio

Age: 51

Town of residence: Bernards Township, NJ

Position sought: Bernards Township Board of Education

Family: Susan (wife) Samantha (Recent Ridge graduate) Jared (currently a junior at Ridge

Education: Syracuse University, B.S. Bio-Chemistry

Occupation: Investment Banking/Portfolio Management

Previous or current elected appointed office: Current Bernards Township Board of Education Member

Campaign website: securingkidseducation.com

Why are you seeking election for the Bernards Township Board of Education?

Originally, I ran for a one-year unexpired term, but soon after joining the Board I realized the issues our district was facing were far worse than I had suspected. I am running because there is far too much work to be done and going backwards isn’t an option. When I joined the Board, our facilities and finances were neglected. All it took to start correcting this was some sound money management and real-world experience, and of course asking the right questions.

Transportation is a statewide issue. Do you feel transportation issues are being handled well by the Board? Why or why not? If not, how do you propose improving it?

Transportation is an exceedingly difficult situation right now. It was made worse during Covid when the prior Board and Administration kept our schools closed longer than necessary, allowing drivers to find more lucrative employment elsewhere. The driver shortage is not just a local problem, it’s across the entire county and has been made worse by companies like UPS and Amazon are offering drivers up to $175,000 a year to drive for them.

Security at schools remains a high priority. Are you happy with the district’s security plan for students and staff? If not, what would be your alternative?

The Board recently approved putting armed officers in every school. I could not have lived with myself if God forbid something tragic happened and I knew that I was in a position to have done something about it and didn’t. The school Principals have done an excellent job of introducing the officers and getting them involved with the children in a positive way. I feel good knowing that I helped put our kids in a much safer position than they’ve ever been. This is something that should’ve been done back in 2018 by prior Boards when it was first recommended by the then Chief of Police, but nonetheless, it’s a very positive thing for the district. We were also able to do this without having to increase the school budget or raising taxes.

Censorship of books and curriculum has recently risen as a topic of discussion on the Board. How do you feel about how the Board is handling this?

It’s important to understand that NJ law requires that all curriculum books be approved by the Boards Of Education. It’s the Board's responsibility to make sure that schools offer material that is factual, free from inherent biases and position our children to be successful long after graduation.

Trust and transparency are a high priority for voters. Do you feel the Board is transparent or how would you like the Board to improve this?

I think the Board has made tremendous strides this past year in promoting transparency by openly debating and discussing topics in public as is its duty. We also put in place making all Committee meeting minutes online prior to BOE meetings for the public to review. I don’t think one single policy can improve transparency, but I am a firm believer that Board members should promote an environment where they are approachable regardless.

What other issues do you feel need to be tackled on the school board?

The only issues that should be tackled on any school board are issues that promote better outcomes for our students not just during their school years but well beyond. That includes making sure the district is on a solid fiscally conservative path where the needs of students and taxpayers are acutely balanced.

What sets you apart from the challenging candidates?

Right now, some of the most pressing issues facing the district are financial and operational. My background in high level finance makes me uniquely qualified to navigate what lies ahead. We are entering an environment of limited growth and high inflation. Limited growth has the potential to shrink the districts tax base while inflation means everything, including essential services will cost more. On top of all that, we have roughly $50 million dollars in debt running off over the next 8 years so my specific background in bond portfolio management makes me the right candidate to help ensure our district can navigate this uncertainty and come out stronger in the end.

What else would you like to share about yourself or your campaign?

The platform I’m running on, Securing Kids Education, is by far and away the most qualified to serve on the Board. Debbie Marcus, who has a mechanical engineering degree from Yale University and a PhD. in education from the University of Pennsylvania brings is a pragmatic thinker with the expertise in areas the district is need of such as Administration realignment and refocusing on academic success for all learners. There’s nobody better qualified than Erin Weber to help guide the district through the difficult tasks of repairing our degraded infrastructure after years of neglect. Erin is a manager at one of the largest phone carriers in the world and oversees the construction and budgeting for every one of the company’s cell phone towers in the region. I consider the group I’m running with to be “the adults in the room” capable of putting us back
on the path to becoming a top 10 school district in the state again.