Bridgewater-Raritan School Board Election 2024: Ashish 'AJ' Joshi

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Bridgewater Township's general election on Nov. 5 has five candidates running for three open seats for the Board of Education.

Incumbent Ashish 'AJ' Joshi is running for one of the three, three-year seats. Opposing candidates include incumbent Jennifer Loughran and newcomers Jeremy Li, Philip Jones and William Atkins.

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Ashish 'AJ' Joshi

• Age: 54
• Town of residence: Bridgewater
• Position sought: Re-Election for a three-year term to Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education (BOE)
• Family: Married. Daughter just graduated from BRHS and attending college and son currently attending BRHS
• Education: Master's Degree in Environmental Science – Rutgers University and New Jersey Institute of Technology
• Occupation: Environmental Scientist at New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
• Previous elected/appointed office: I am running for re-election for the Bridgewater-Raritan BOE (I was first election in 2018 and again in 2022). I have served on a BOE in a town we previously lived in (7 Years service)
• Campaign website: N/A

Why are you seeking election for the Board of Education?

One of the most important reasons I am running for re-election this year is that I believe our district needs experience more than ever. Our Township residents supported and approved a very important and necessary referendum. This referendum will see, for the first time, full-day kindergarten, enhancement to school security and the addition of a new sixth-grade wing among many other improvements throughout the district. Experienced BOE members are needed to see that the projects are accomplished on time and within the approved budget. Education is near and dear to my heart as I come from a family of teachers. Furthermore, I was invited to be an adjunct faculty member at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) (for five years) and my first job was at the Hackensack Meadowlands Environmental Center in Lyndhurst as an Environmental Educator! I have more than 13 years of BOE experience and as a result I have learned that by being on the BOE I can help the children, as well as teachers and school personnel. Throughout my tenure on not only the Bridgewater-Raritan BOE but other BOEs, I have supported and approved many programs via the budget. I have advocated for our teachers by approving necessary resources needed in the classrooms. I strongly believe that by providing needed resources to the staff, the learning experience of the students is enhanced. Furthermore, I am a firm believer in retaining excellent teachers with excellent compensation. Finally, I believe I bring a calm demeanor to the decision making process of the BOE that utilizes my experience and integrity. Being on the BOE is a huge commitment I have upheld and taken to heart. I completely understand my role as a BOE member, and I bring experience and integrity to Board. I look forward to serving another three years on the Bridgewater-Raritan BOE.

This past summer the Board made enhancements to its security at schools in the district. How do you feel about the changes and do you feel enough was done?

During these challenging times, school security is of upmost importance. The Administration and the BOE worked diligently to ensure that all schools throughout the district have robust security protocols. One of the most important referendum project was the security improvements throughout the district. Installation of secure vestibules was one of the most important additions. These vestibules are designed to stop every visitor at the front entrance, they must provide identification through a window and ensures that they wait before they are let into the schools. There are mechanisms in place with multiple layers of security including swipes, cameras and doors. Furthermore, these security features are enhanced by our own security personnel at every school. The district is also in collaboration with Bridgewater Police Department and works closely with all levels of communications. The security enhancements have drastically improved our school security making our schools safer.

With the referendum passed, work is beginning to upgrade facilities in preparation for full-day kindergarten. How do you feel about the progress being made?

The upgrades to all facilities are moving along and are on schedule. The Middle School bathrooms look great and the Basilone field improvements look tremendous! The full-day kindergarten should be on schedule to be begin in September 2026. The groundbreaking and construction of new sixth-grade wing at the middle school should begin this fall. Thanks to the passing of the referendum by the citizens of Bridgewater and Raritan, the much-needed improvements to our schools will have a lasting positive impact on our students and communities. I am very happy with the progress being made to this point.

What other issues would you like to tackle if elected to the Board of Ed?

I was fortunate to give this year’s commencement speech on behalf of the BOE at the high school graduation in June. In this speech I urged the young high school graduates to be kind to one another and to their fellow human beings. I urged them to reject divisiveness, prejudice and hatred. If re-elected, I will encourage the same to all the students and the larger Bridgewater and Raritan community. This can be done by showing our kids that tolerance and acceptance is all we need to get along with each other. Our school administration and faculty continue to advocate for the same by adopting various programs and I will continue to support them in this endeavor.

What sets you apart from the challenging candidates?

In one word – Experience. I am an experienced board member and have built an excellent rapport with our school family. I understand our district’s needs as was evidenced by my full support for the (now approved) district-wide referendum. The approval of the referendum will have a positive impact on not only the district but communities of Bridgewater and Raritan for years to come. I am looking forward to approving futures budgets that may include new program enhancements that will help our students. As we continue to see the referendum projects progress going into next year, our school district will need an experienced and fair-minded BOE member. I believe I am that candidate.

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

My family and I moved to Bridgewater in 2016 because of the excellent schools! Once we became familiar with the surroundings, I immediately got involved in the schools by volunteering to be on several committees. In 2018, I ran for the BOE position for the first time with no preconceived notions or agenda. My second term was dedicated to improving all our schools via the passage of the referendum. My goal as a BOE member has been, and always will be, educating our children. We have an outstanding school district with excellent staff, and this is evident when every year Bridgewater Township is ranked highly on the most desirable places to live in New Jersey. In fact, our school district has been consistently recognized as one of the Best Communities for Music Education. If re-elected, I will advocate that we protect all existing programs, and I will support new programs that will benefit our students.