Bridgewater-Raritan School Board Election 2024: Philip Jones

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

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

Are you running for office in Bridgewater? Contact Alexis Tarrazi at alexis.tarrazi@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Bridgewater Patch.

Philip 'PJ' Jones

• Age: 44
• Town of residence: Bridgewater
• Position sought: Board of Education
• Family: I moved to the Martinsville section of Bridgewater seven years ago with my wife Bess, our son Owen, and our soon-to-be born daughter Maggie. The township was a perfect place for us to raise our children and convenient for my job as an elementary school teacher in neighboring Warren and my wife’s job as a labor and delivery nurse. Since that time, we have loved being a part of this vibrant community and making friends through volunteering as baseball coach, cub scout den leader, and girl scout co-leader, as well as playing adult kickball and participating in school functions.
• Education: I grew up in nearby Berkeley Heights and graduated from Governor Livingston High School before attending Allegheny College in Pennsylvania. After earning my bachelor’s degree in English Literature, I worked briefly in New York City before taking a job as a paraprofessional aide in the Warren Township Schools. During that first year, I discovered my passion for education and pursued a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from Rutgers University.
• Occupation: Upon graduation from Rutgers, I was hired to teach kindergarten in Warren, and this September I began my 19th year as a general education teacher in the district. In addition to kindergarten, I have taught first grade, third grade, fourth grade, fifth grade, and Gifted and Talented. During that time, my school was named a 2017 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education, and I was awarded the 2021 Governor’s Educator of the Year award, a point of pride for me as we navigated the return to in-person instruction following the COVID-19 pandemic. I also completed a Teacher Leadership program, earning 45 credits beyond my M.Ed. That has helped immensely, as I currently serve as the vice president and negotiations chair of the Warren Township Education Association, advocating for my colleagues and the profession. Since 2020 I have negotiated two fair and successful contracts with the Warren Board of Education, developing positive relationships with board members and administrators along the way.
• Previous elected/appointed office: I have never held elected office (other than my position in the teacher’s association), nor do I plan to, other than volunteering my services as a Board of Education member. I believe that politics and politicians have no place on the school board. I have seen firsthand the damage that can be done when people use a Board of Education position to further their political careers or build their resumes. That is not me. My sole focus is on the quality of our schools.
• Campaign website: Philip Jones for BRRSD Board of Education

Why are you seeking election for the Board of Education?

I am running for the board because I want to ensure the best educational experience for the children of Bridgewater. As a parent of kids in the district, I have a lot to gain if the schools are successful and a lot to lose if they are not. My children’s futures depend on quality public schools. As an educator with two decades of experience, I have in-depth knowledge of curriculum, policy, and the culture of award-winning schools. My leadership role in the teacher’s union has also helped me understand the needs of teachers and staff, and as lead negotiator I have worked closely with a Board of Education to settle multiple fair contracts. Finally, as a taxpayer and homeowner in Bridgewater, I am keenly aware of the tax impact schools have on our community. This is more important than ever, with everything else in life costing more and our dollars not stretching as far as they used to, especially for those of us on a teacher’s salary! I also understand that great public schools increase property values and make real estate more attractive, and that investing in schools benefits everyone in town, even those without children in the schools.

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?

I am very pleased to see the security updates that have been installed in the schools. Secure vestibules are a modern necessity and cameras, swipe-entries, and updated communication systems are all helpful in emergency and day-to-day operations. Voters like me overwhelmingly supported these measures in the 2023 referendum as a way of updating facilities that were in dire need of upgrade. The toughest part of these changes is, of course, balancing a pleasant, welcoming school environment with common-sense safety precautions to mitigate risk. Turning our schools into fortresses achieves little beyond stoking anxiety in our children and barring parents from participating in the educational experiences of their children. Safety is about more than locked doors and cameras. Our students need protection from internal threats as well. The mental health of students in our society is at an all-time low, especially among marginalized student populations, and the Board of Education has a responsibility to support their well-being. I am pleased that the current board has made this a priority, through partnerships with Rutgers Behavioral Health to provide therapy and counseling services to children and families in crisis, robust counseling services provided within the schools, and investment in a new character education program and student code of conduct to explicitly teach our K-8 children about tolerance and respect (a direct response to the recent and unfortunate rise in racism and religious discrimination incidents in our schools). Our wonderful students and teachers have taken on this challenge as well, with the creation of organizations like the Hope Squad at BRHS, a group that focuses on helping those struggling with mental health. I would like to see the board expand projects like these to all of our schools in the near future.

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?

Unfortunately, the implementation of full-day kindergarten will arrive too late for my family to benefit from it, which is frustrating because I personally taught full-day kindergarten in the town next door way back in 2006. We, like many, had to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket for kindergarten programs for our children. Even though my children would not benefit from the program, I supported it wholeheartedly because families like my neighbors will, and part of being a community means that we help each other. Additionally, investments in our schools like full-day kindergarten make our community a more desirable place to live, which increases our home values. The progress that has already been made to upgrade facilities across the district has been tremendous, and I look forward to the changes yet to come.

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

Expanding academic and enrichment programs will be a huge focus of mine as a board member. Bridgewater has phenomenal arts and sports programs, as evidenced by recent statewide awards in visual arts, theater, music, and our state champion baseball team, just to name a few. With curricula determined at the state level and academic expectations standardized, providing enriching opportunities is the difference between average schools and great schools. I would like to see foreign language and instrumental music instruction offered at an earlier age. This could be achieved easily (and at minimal cost) during the upcoming realignment of school grade levels due to implementation of full-day kindergarten. I would also like to see an expansion of after school programs, allowing our amazing staff to share their talents with students in clubs, especially now that the current board has removed fees for these programs. As for expanding academic opportunities, the district is already doing a fantastic job of increasing Gifted and Talented opportunities for elementary students, partnering with the nearby Somerset County Vocational-Technical High School, and offering dual-enrollment courses with RVCC and Seton Hall University, allowing high school students to earn college credits ahead of graduation. I would like these programs to continue to grow and investigate additional, affordable summer programs for our students. The school district I teach in has also applied for and received several grants in recent years to offer free tutoring for at-risk students, provided by our highly-skilled teachers. I would task the administration with seeking out these types of opportunities, to provide support for students who need it most and who potentially suffered the greatest effect of pandemic school closures at a critical time in their development.

What sets you apart from the challenging candidates?

Bridgewater is an amazing town with a wealth of resources, involved families, hardworking students, and dedicated teachers. The school district has been moving steadily in the right direction in the past few years, but there is more to be done. Bridgewater schools should be the best in the state, and I believe that I am the best candidate to see that through. As a teacher and advocate for my profession, I have a passion for public education and a unique perspective that none of my opponents has. As a parent of children in the district, I am a dedicated volunteer, serving as cub scout leader and baseball coach, and decisions made by the school board have a real impact on my family. As a taxpayer and homeowner in town, I am heavily invested in the success of the schools as well as the fiscal responsibility required to achieve that success. I have more invested in the Board of Education than anyone, I am in it for the right reasons, and I am the only candidate who is a teacher, parent, and taxpayer!

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

I will be available and happy to answer any questions that you, the voters, may have on Thursday, Oct. 3, from 3 to 6 p.m. in the lobby meeting room of the Bridgewater Public Library. I can also be reached at philipjones4boe@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing about what is important to you, and what you hope to see from your Bridgewater Board of Education. Don’t forget to vote on Nov. 5 (or early if you are able)!