David Levine: Scotch Plains School Board Candidate

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ — The Scotch Plains School Board has six candidates vying for three seats in the upcoming election on Nov. 2.

David Levine is one of the candidates running. The other candidates include:

• Timothy J. Mehl, Jr. - running under the slogan "For Our Kids"
• Karen Kulikowski - incumbent
• Tonya Y. Williams - incumbent
• Debora Brody - incumbent
• Michael R. Gromek - running under the slogan "Achievement, Community, Tradition"

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

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

David Levine

Name: David Levine MD

Age: 44

Town of residence: Scotch Plains

Position sought: BOE

Family: Wife and 2 kids, 8 and 4

Education: Rutgers College undergrad, NYU med, Yale residency

Occupation: Pediatrician

Previous or current elected appointed office: None

Why are you seeking to run for school board? Now more than ever we need someone on the board who understands the healthcare needs of our children and cut through the noise.

What is your stance on masks in schools? Mandatory, as per AAP and now CDC recommendations, knowing that this may change once children can be vaccinated (and depending on uptake of the vaccine in our community). They will significantly reduce the risk of classroom spread and allow our kids to be with one another and learn in person. Our kids proved that this worked in the winter and spring, and with delta being more contagious, they are necessary again. This is not the same exact virus we dealt with last year.

Should schools offer a virtual option? Not for everyone, but one may need to be considered for children that will have to be home quarantining or in isolation since that will take them out of school for at least a week.

What other issues do you feel must be tackled in the school district? Later start times for high school students, mental health and making sure our public school education is preparing our students for an independent future with practical courses and critical thinking.

What sets you apart from the challenging candidates? My background.

What else would you like to share about yourself or your campaign? After the last year, change is needed on the board. The other challengers and I for the open BOE seats represent fresh perspectives that are needed to help get things back on track and renew the transparency and trust in the BOE that are needed for our community to continue to prosper.