Election 2022: Haddonfield School Board Candidate Mike Nuckols

HADDONFIELD, NJ — In the 2022 general election, residents of South Jersey will be voting for state and local officials. Patch has asked candidates in contested races to answer profiles about their campaigns.

Here is the candidate profile of Mike Nuckols, running for a one-year term on the Haddonfield Board of Education.

Editor's Note: Patch sent out emails to all candidates to the email addresses listed for their campaign provided to the office of the clerk. The responses received will be published between now and the Nov. 8 general election. Local candidates who would like to participate but did not receive one (for whatever reason) can contact Michelle.Rotuno-Johnson@patch.com.

Name: Mike Nuckols

Age: 51

Town of residence: Haddonfield

Position sought: Board of Education, 1 year term

Family: Wife Shani and sons Alex and Jack.

Education: BA in English, SUNY Fredonia

Occupation: SVP, Creative Director, McCann Health New Jersey

What previous or current elected/appointed offices have you held? None.

Why are you seeking to run for the school board?

My mother was the President of the Board of Education in the town where I was raised. Once a week someone would come to our door looking for help. Bus drivers, teachers, usually parents. And my mom would go to bat for every single one of them. I grew up seeing the incredible impact she had on the people in our community. She is the reason I’m running.

I’ve wanted to serve on the Haddonfield board for years, but I’ve always had a commute that was an hour plus. With the pandemic, I now work from home, so I’m ready and eager to dive in and serve.
As a long-time resident of Haddonfield whose kids have gone through the district from K-12, I’m excited about the possibility of doing my part for our community as a member of the Board.

What sets you apart from the other candidates?

I think the board could use some help with communication – and that’s what I do for a living. They are doing amazing work, but that message is getting diluted by social media, by rumors, and even by some blatant disinformation being fed to our community. As a skilled communications professional, I’d like to help make sure the community is hearing from the board and the board is hearing from the community. Together we can tune out the noise and move forward as one Haddonfield.

What is your stance on the sexual education curriculum that Gov. Murphy put forth earlier this year?

Totally support. Overwhelming data shows that the more you talk to kids about sex, the less likely they are to be sexually abused or have traumatic sexual experiences.

I also support parents’ right to have their kids opt out, but I hope most of them don’t.

What is your stance on the bond referendum?

My priorities are simple: classroom space and athletic fields.

If we don’t act, we’re going to have classes taught in trailers and dozens of kids told they can’t participate in sports. And that’s the last thing we want. That will compromise our national rankings, our ability to recruit teachers, and the quality of the education we provide.

Which brings me back to community engagement. The past referendum with the Bancroft property did not have community buy-in and it failed. That’s where I can bring essential value to the board: Communication.

As a skilled communications professional, I’d like to help make sure communication and engagement is strong for every step of the referendum. I’d like everyone to feel invested in the direction we choose – that’s the best route to success.

How should those who vandalized the football field on graduation night be punished?

This is outside the purview of a school board member. Because these students were graduates, police were notified immediately, and any recourse should takes place through the Haddonfield Police Department.

What is the most important issue in your district and how do you intend to address it?

We need to find common ground.

Haddonfield parents are not looking for controversy when their kids’ education is at stake. They want talented teachers, vibrant classrooms, and continued excellence. You can count on me to listen, to collaborate, and to always engage in the important dialogue that is necessary to finding the best path forward.

What other issues do you feel must be tackled in your school district that have not been discussed already and how would you tackle these?

HIB (Harassment/Intimidation/Bullying) has spiked dramatically since we’ve returned from remote learning. This needs to be the top priority of our administrators.

I will give it my full attention to ensure that Haddonfield schools are a model of inclusivity. We need to come together and build a school system which recognizes that all our students are worthy of acceptance, worthy of empathy, and worthy of an outstanding education.

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

This campaign has been an amazing experience filled with rich conversations and lots of opportunities to connect with community members. As a writer, I’ve been blogging the experience – so you can read about it at NuckolBall.com!