Hiral Desai: Bridgewater-Raritan School Board Candidate

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — The Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School Board has seven candidates vying for three seats in the upcoming election on Nov. 2.

Hiral Desai is one of the candidates running. The other candidates include:

• Ashish "A.J." Joshi - incumbent
• Jennifer Loughran
• Stacey Friedlander
• Richard Myers
• Kimberly Lucci
• Fabiola Folino

All of the candidates are running for the three, three-year seats on the board.

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.

Hiral Desai

Name: Hiral Desai

Age: 45

Town of residence: Bridgewater, NJ

Position sought: BRRSD- Board of Education

Family: My husband and I moved to Bridgewater only a few weeks before our daughter was born. That was 13 years ago! We have two children (eighth and third grade) and life is definitely not boring. Like many other families in the district, our lives consist of shuttling the kids to their sports games, friends’ homes, playdates in addition to switching off laundry and dish duty and managing our jobs. It’s not easy, but nothing worth having ever is. We wanted a place to put down roots and Bridgewater became home. Our greatest asset is our village of friends, teachers, administrators, coaches, nurses, secretaries, I can keep going. Each person that enters my family’s lives makes an impact. This community is filled with incredible people and is what we enjoy most about living here.

Education: I graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology with an Engineering degree and yet took a completely different career path - anything is possible.

Occupation: My entire professional career, over 23 years, is in financial services — a very traditional and historically male-dominated industry. My curiosity and natural instinct to push the envelope has led me to a successful career. I have held leadership positions in a wide range of areas in business including product management, operations, sales, and marketing. I believe in disrupting the status quo to get better results and my work ethic and strategic planning skills are reflective of that. What I’ve concluded over the years is that my ability to be resilient in the face of adversity is my biggest strength and what I teach to my children every day. This is what will make me a strong member of the Board of Education.

Previous or current elected appointed office: None.

Why are you seeking to run for school board? I am a parent of two in the school district (eighth and third grade) and my professional career, along with my husband’s, has been in financial services for over 23 years. Our children’s school and our work experiences have been consistent and routine since we started our family. The pandemic rocked our world as we navigated the abrupt changes it brought to our lives and the threat it brought to our health and the health of our community members and loved ones. I would be naive to think that my experience is unique. We are all facing a new set of challenges that we have never seen before, even a year later. This is our new normal and we must continue to adapt.

For years I have watched and commented from the sidelines. It is time for me to get involved and take action to effect change. I want to be a part of the decision-making and bring my perspective to the table.

What is your stance on masks in schools? I am relieved to see children back in school, safely, five days a week. Being back in school with their friends, neighbors and teachers has brought back a sense of comfort and stability that they knew before the pandemic. I, like many other parents in the district, struggle with my younger one wearing a mask for so many hours a day. It pains me to ask him to put it on. We “debate” regularly on making sure his mask is clean and that he wears it properly. It is a constant personal battle as a mom. Until there is a safer way forward, and we can make a different decision in the district, I want to focus on giving children breaks during the day from their masks. Masks are a mandate that we have to adhere to so I want to focus on creating an experience in which our children can continue to succeed and thrive.

Should schools offer a virtual option? Yes, schools should offer a virtual option. This isn’t a challenge for us (Bridgewater-Raritan) to solve alone but it is an opportunity for us to lead the change for the state of New Jersey. There are students, teachers and administrators that will benefit from a remote or “work from home” model and it is time we implement a choice for these members. To be clear, virtual does not mean “hybrid.” It’s unrealistic to expect a teacher to manage a classroom of students and virtual at the same time. Our teachers did a tremendous job navigating “hybrid” when it was necessary, but that was an exception and cannot be the norm.

It is also unrealistic to think we can do it with our existing budget and infrastructure. I believe that every parent should have a choice of sending their child to school virtually or in person, but also know that realistically, without support from the state, we can’t move forward.

What other issues do you feel must be tackled in the school district?

• Infrastructure / Facilities - Teachers, aides, nurses, school staff are on the front lines with our children. They need the proper tools to help them help the kids. I always reference the airline safety protocol — put your own oxygen mask on first before you assist others. It is imperative that our teachers, administrators, and support staff are empowered and supported to help our children. As much as our children need the proper place and resources, so do their support teams. What can we do in our buildings to make the environment easier to work in? What do teachers need to empower them to do their best? This also ties into the first priority - the budget. We (together) need to make some crucial decisions on how money gets spent and where.
• Fiscal Responsibility - My dad used to say “we left the money tree in India”. It is critical to ensure that we balance a budget responsibly, while continuing to serve the educational needs of all students in the district. This requires hard decisions, a strong compass and the ability to weigh the facts. It is imperative to me that we not only make the best, most appropriate decision but we also create more transparency around how those decisions are made, why and how.

What sets you apart from the challenging candidates? My early years were spent in India, as I was born and raised there. My family immigrated to the United States when my sister and I were in third grade — I was only a little older than my son is now, which has helped shape my perspective on education today. My parents moved across the world to give us a shot at achieving the “American Dream” and I am forever grateful for their braveness. Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved to learn. Starting the third grade in the U.S. was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. I had to learn how to speak and understand English while continuing my education as an elementary school student. I remember the day I was told I did not have to go to ESL (English as a Second Language) classes anymore. It was like I had won first place in a contest. What an achievement!

Fast forward to today and the desire to continue learning has not subsided. Access to quality education is a basic necessity that every child deserves. The power of education is truly limitless.

What else would you like to share about yourself or your campaign? Kids, teachers, and staff need to be and feel safe — physically, mentally, emotionally. The past few years have been the hardest of our lives. A divided nation, a pandemic, a difficult economic state. These environmental challenges have led to uncertainty. I want to be a part of creating an environment that works together to ensure that we can thrive. Success is only the first step — thriving is the world I want to create. The quote I have been using to share my position is by Helen Keller, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”.