SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — Mike Mitchell is running for a third term on the South Brunswick Board of Education in the Nov. 3 general election.
Mitchell was first elected to the board in 2020. He works as a paraeducator and says he has spent 30 years in education. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of South Carolina Aiken.
He says the most pressing issue for the district is building and maintaining a solid budget each year. He supports the approach the board took with the $180.35 million 2026-27 budget, which kept the tax levy increase at 1.76 percent, below the 2 percent cap.
Four candidates are running for three open seats on the board.
Patch asked each candidate to answer the same set of questions. Mitchell's responses are below:
1. Why are you seeking a seat on the South Brunswick Board of Education, and what personal or professional experience prepares you for it?
I am seeking re-election for my third term on the BOE because I have learned valuable lessons since being elected in 2020. Thirty years of experience in the realm of education somewhat qualifies me to serve our students and staff, which is what I would like to continue doing. I am able to give back to the very community that I live in, as well as the one that I work in professionally.
2. "The single most pressing issue facing South Brunswick Schools is _____, and this is what I intend to do about it."
The single most pressing issue in all districts (some more than others) is establishing and maintaining a robust budget each year. It's important to understand that one single board member has no power, but the collective nine who participate in all decision-making at the board level in consultation with the superintendent and the central administration.
3. South Brunswick was subject to another state aid cut as announced earlier this year. Beyond lobbying Trenton, what would you do locally to protect classrooms if aid keeps falling?
The district's priority would remain protecting classroom instruction and minimizing the impact on students while continuing to identify opportunities for greater operational efficiency. This includes evaluating staffing needs through attrition, reviewing contracts and purchasing practices, exploring shared services, pursuing available grants, and identifying alternative revenue sources wherever practical.
Ultimately, the state's funding approach has increasingly shifted the responsibility for maintaining educational programs onto local taxpayers and boards of education. These are intricate decisions that neither administrators nor volunteer board members want to make, particularly when the alternative may involve reductions in staffing, programs or services.
In closing, every effort will be made to control and operate efficiently and responsibly. However, operational efficiencies alone cannot indefinitely compensate for declining state aid and rising costs. There needs to be a more transparent, predictable, and sustainable funding model that recognizes the actual cost of providing a quality education without continuously shifting the burden to local communities.
4. The $180.35 million budget for 2026-27 closed a $3.3 million gap with a 1.76 percent tax increase, staff reductions through attrition, operating cuts, $2 million in revised health care projections, and banked $1.34 million in unused levy capacity for later years. Do you support that approach? With salaries and benefits at 80 percent of spending, what would you do differently next year?
I am supportive of the overall approach taken in developing the 2026-27 budget. We were faced with difficult financial circumstances and worked to develop a responsible spending plan that balanced protecting educational programming, maintaining essential operations, and limiting the financial impact on our taxpayers. The decision to limit the tax levy increase to 1.76 percent, rather than utilizing the full 2 percent allowable increase, reflects that commitment. Preserving unused levy capacity also provides some additional flexibility to address future financial challenges, although it is important to recognize that banked cap is a temporary budgeting tool rather than a long-term solution to structural funding concerns.
With salaries and benefits representing nearly 80 percent of our budget, it is simply not realistic to expect that reductions in supplies, utilities, or other operating costs alone can offset significant increases in personnel-related costs. At the same time, staffing decisions must be driven by educational needs, enrollment trends, and the impact on students rather than solely by financial considerations. Please understand that the most responsible local planning cannot fully overcome a funding structure in which revenue growth is restricted while major expenditures continue to rise at significantly higher rates.
5. New housing is expected to add more than 1,600 students, much of it near Brooks Crossing, while some elementary grades are already at capacity. How should the board balance redistricting, neighborhood schools, and keeping families together through boundary changes?
The district and the board are well aware of possible enrollment increases and have been working feverishly to prepare for that possibility over the last almost two years since learning of the current construction of new homes. Please be assured the district is doing everything possible to keep families together and to bring as little disruption to the educational programs as possible. The community should understand that redistricting takes place any time there are shifts such as this and happens in every district, not just South Brunswick. Any questions or concerns should be directed to your child's teacher or a building administrator.
6. Developers' affordable housing obligations are set by the township, not the school board. How would you work with the township to plan school capacity before new units open?
As a current member of the board, my colleagues and I have already been working with central administration to deal with school capacity through our shared services committee. Conversations would have to continue between the district and the township discussing the possibilities and the direction that's needed. In addition, a committee was formed made up of all shareholders, including the superintendent and his cabinet, other key staff members, and other members of the educational community.
7. South Brunswick's student body includes many first-generation and multilingual families. How would you make sure board decisions and communications reach all parents, not just those who attend meetings?
Our families have the opportunity to be fully involved and aware of all decisions and communications handed down from the board and administration through weekly newsletters that are published weekly and monthly board meetings, which are widely advertised on the district website as well as other publications. Parents are encouraged to reach out to their child's school for any information regarding them. This is how you keep the lines of communication open between the school and families.
8. How should the district handle growing special education and mental health needs while state aid keeps shrinking?
I'm very happy to report that our district has a very competent and capable staff of professionals who are more than qualified to handle the needs of a growing special needs population as well as the mental health of our students and staff. They are going through constant changes on a daily basis, for which adaptation is a must.
9. What is your position on the district's cellphone and technology policies, including student use of AI tools?
Our state-mandated cellphone and technology policies are in place because we are required to have them. Each district is charged with tailoring these policies to fit the culture and ways. The newly revised cellphone policy allows students to communicate more with each other like 'old days', according to feedback from some staff and administration. Students are expected to use AI tools responsibly and not to avoid critical thinking and the use of other valuable skills.
10. What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates in this race, and what else would you like voters to know?
Well, the most critical difference between the other candidates and me is the fact that I am in the educational system, so I know all about the expectations and understand the day to day which board members are not privy to. But it is not to say that I can't learn from the other 8 members of the board, since the real power is in the 9 individuals who collaborate to make critical decisions for the good of our district.
It's such a privilege to step outside of meetings to support our students and staff at the science fairs, Robotics competitions, Moving Up and graduation ceremonies and athletic events. We are able to witness firsthand the results of their hard work and commitment to their discipline. That is the most rewarding part of being a board member.
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