Bridgewater-Raritan School Board Election 2026: Eugene Tawiah

Why are you seeking election for the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education?

Before anything else, I am a father. Like most parents, I want my children to be challenged, supported, and given every opportunity to succeed.

My decision to run really started at home. One of the reasons my family chose Bridgewater was the educational opportunities available here, including the district's advanced learning program. My son was thriving in that program. When we learned it was going away, my children started asking me questions about why, and I realized I couldn't give them good answers.

So I started asking questions myself.

I went to meetings. I listened to other parents. I tried to understand how the decision was madeand why so many families felt like they had not been part of the conversation. When the Board ultimately approved the budget containing the change despite parents asking for the program to be continued or reconsidered, I decided I needed to do more than complain about it from the sidelines.

That is really why I am running.

I have spent more than 30 years working in technology and cybersecurity, where a big part of my job is asking hard questions, looking at facts, understanding risk, and making sure important decisions can stand up to scrutiny. I have also served my community as a volunteer EMT and auxiliary police officer. In very different ways, those experiences have taught me the same thing: when people are counting on you, you show up, you listen, and you take responsibility for the decisions you make.

I don't expect everyone in Bridgewater and Raritan to agree on every issue. I certainly don't expect every Board member to agree with me. What I do expect is that parents should understand what is happening in their schools, important decisions should be made transparently, and academic opportunities should not be taken away without a very good reason and a thoughtful discussion with the families affected.

I am running because I believe I can bring that kind of common-sense, independent approach to the Board while keeping the focus where it belongs: on our kids.

I'm running as an independent advocate for action and transparency.

Transparency in government is important for the community. Do you feel the BOE is transparent, and how would you increase transparency?

No. Right now, parents are treated like obstacles to manage rather than partners in education. When it comes to transparency, this election is a choice between transparent and secretive government, and our opponents have consistently chosen secrecy. They voted twice to reduce the number of public board meetings.

They voted against measures to expand parental notification and opt-outs. They voted against expanding public participation in the budget process. And they eliminated a successful forty-year program behind closed doors, setting aside the recommendations of the district's own hired consultant, with no parent survey and no town hall.

Here is how we will change that:

• Restore bi-weekly public meetings so parents and taxpayers always have a regular venue to be heard.
• Expand parental notification and direct communication, and make it simple for families to access and exercise opt-out choices. We believe parents know best and involved, informed parents boost student achievement and outcomes. Parents should have the final say.
• Publish all budget documents well in advance, with annual budget surveys and public workshops so residents can weigh in before a final vote.
• Require sixty days of written notice to parents and the board before any major restructuring of advanced academic programs can be considered.
• Report publicly on outcomes. When the district invests in new programs or curricula, the community deserves regular reporting on whether student results are actually improving.

With rising healthcare costs and inflation, how do you propose keeping tax increases to a minimum?

I approach the school district budget the same way I approach my own family budget, because every single dollar comes directly from the hard-working taxpayers of Bridgewater.

For many local families, property taxes already feel like a runaway expense. While rising healthcare and operational costs are real challenges across the state, it is the school board's fundamental duty to provide independent oversight, ask tough questions, and ensure every dollar is directed into classrooms and student instruction rather than central office bloat.

Protecting your household budget while funding excellent schools requires genuine discipline, transparency, and independent leadership.

What other issues do you feel need to be tackled in the BOE?

The other issues all come down to action versus the status quo. Our opponents voted to defund advanced academic pathways for different grades and voted to reduce transportation services jeopardizing our kids safety. We will change that.

• Supporting special education families: No parent of a child with special needs should walk into an annual review meeting unprepared while six district staff members have already reviewed the file. We will mandate that draft support plans, evaluation reports, and proposed goals reach parents at least five business days before any meeting, and we will protect a parent's right to audio-record those meetings.
• Investing in the basics and the middle: We will invest heavily in basic skills interventions, special education services, and the students in the middle who are so often overlooked.
• Removing roadblocks for driven students: If a motivated student is ready for Honors or Advanced Placement coursework, an arbitrary administrative cap should not stand in their way. We will eliminate enrollment caps and cut the red tape around advancedsummer c ourses and testing. Our opponents voted against removing these roadblocks, choosing to defend the status quo instead of supporting student ambition.
• Restoring advanced academic pathways through grades 1 to 12: Schools should help every child reach their full potential, not dismantle pathways that work. We will take action to restore advanced learning opportunities for our children and protect rigorous instruction. We will also guarantee that no student is removed from an advanced course without prior written notice and a structured intervention plan lasting at least one full marking period.

What is your favorite thing about being a part of Bridgewater-Raritan Schools?

My favorite thing about being part of Bridgewater-Raritan Schools is watching my kids find their own interests and become part of the community in different ways.

My daughter plays baritone in the marching band, and it has been great watching her be part of something that takes discipline, teamwork, and a real commitment to the group. My son plays viola, and he also enjoys soccer when he gets the opportunity to play. Outside of school, both of them participate in karate and local 4-H activities.

As a parent, I enjoy seeing all of those different pieces come together. You get to know teachers, other parents, coaches, and families, and you see how much of a child's experience is shaped not just by what happens in the classroom, but by the relationships and opportunities around them.

What I appreciate most is watching my children discover what they enjoy, challenge themselves, and feel like they are part of something. Those are the experiences that make a school district feel like a community rather than just a collection of schools.

Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself or your campaign?

Inderpreet and I stepped forward because we saw something happening in our children's schools that concerned us, and we realized that many other parents had the same questions we did.

For me, this became very personal. My son has always looked up to his older sister, and she had educational opportunities that helped challenge her academically. It has been difficult watching him wonder whether he will have those same opportunities.

What stayed with me most throughout the debate over the AI program was watching the kids themselves become involved. I saw students trying to save something that mattered to them, including children willing to stand up at a public meeting and speak directly to the adults making decisions about their education. Whatever someone's position on the program itself, I think we should listen when our students care enough to do that.

My career in cybersecurity has taught me to approach difficult problems by asking questions, getting the facts, listening to the people affected, understanding the risks and being accountable for the decisions that follow. That is the same approach I would bring to the Board.

I am running because I believe parents deserve transparency, our schools should continue to pursue academic excellence, and the Board should never lose sight of who all of these decisions ultimately affect: our children.

Families deserve independent advocates who will take action to restore transparency.

Inderpreet and I will do that.

The contrast in this election is straightforward, and it is a matter of public record: Barry Walker is currently under an ethics investigation for aggressive behavior and threats directed at board members and their families. Our community deserves respectful, honest leadership.

• Advocates vs. Indifference: We are running to replace indifference with genuine advocacy, and to treat families as partners rather than obstacles.
• Independent vs. Followers: We will question administrative proposals, demand fiscal discipline, and make certain tax dollars reach classrooms rather than central office growth. Our opponents have blindly supported budgets and voted against expanding public participation in the budget process.
• Action vs. Status Quo: We will take immediate action to restore advanced learning opportunities for every child and remove numerical caps on Honors and AP classes. Our opponents voted to defund advanced academic pathways and voted against removing barriers for high-achieving students in all grades.
• Transparent vs. Secretive: We will restore bi-weekly public board meetings, deliver draft support plans to special education families five business days before meetings, and expand parental notification. Our opponents voted twice to reduce public board meetings and voted against policies to expand parental opt-out choices and notifications. We believe an elected official's votes must match their public promises. Rebecca Hassouna publicly claimed to support parental opt-out choices, but then voted against the exact amendment that would have protected those rights for families.

We will own every vote we cast and explain our reasoning in public. We will respect your household budget, keep you informed, and always treat parents as true partners in education. We are asking for your vote because together, we will put BR Kids First and be the independent advocates for action and transparency our community deserves. If you want to join our movement, sign up to volunteer at brkidsfirst.org/volunteer and donate here at donorbox.org/br-kids-first every voter contact and dollar goes a long way.