Election 2022: Laura Hernandez For South Brunswick Board Of Education

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — Six candidates are running for three seats on the South Brunswick Board of Education.

Educator Laura Hernandez hopes to address pandemic-related learning loss and mental health of students.

Below is her candidate profile.

(All candidates were given the same questions. Answers are candidates' own.)

Editor's Note: Patch sent out the questionnaire to each candidate's email address provided by the County clerk's office. All responses received will be published between now and Nov. 8 general election. Local candidates who did not receive the questionnaire from Patch can contact sarah.salvadore@patch.com.

Name: Laura Weber Hernandez

Age: 62

Town of residence: Kendall Park, South Brunswick

Position sought: Board of Education

Family: Husband, Martin, and three grown children, all SBHS graduates

Education: MA, in Educational Administration, BA in Elementary Education both from Rider University

Occupation: Educator

Previous or current elected appointed office: None

Why are you seeking to run for School Board?

I have been a proud resident of South Brunswick my entire life and have attended Constable, Crossroads and South Brunswick High School as did my three children. My grandchildren are now continuing in the tradition as they are attending the same schools. The district has and continues to provide an amazing educational experience and having gained a plethora of experience in education, it is now time for me to give back to my community and share my educational knowledge with the people of my hometown.

South Brunswick saw its funding cut by more than $1.7 million in 2022-23. What do you plan to do to ensure no services are affected?

In my position as a public school principal, developing and implementing a large budget was one facet of my job. Upon getting elected, I would familiarize myself with all the line items of our school budget to gain first-hand knowledge and meet with Superintendent Feder to gain an understanding of what the newly formed Community Budget Committee has reviewed and what recommendations have been put forth. It’s important to have shared discussions and brainstorming sessions with my fellow board members and work collaboratively with them on how to best allocate the monies we currently have. And, of course, gaining knowledge from our Business Administrator would help ensure that the most appropriate, effective and logical decision(s) would be made to best serve our students. Once I become properly educated with the finances of our district, I would be able to make an educated, informed decision as to how best to serve our students without affecting current service and to ensure each child receives a thorough and efficient education as stated in U.S. law.

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

There’s the right time and right place for everything. Certain aspects of sexual education have a place in our schools, and certain aspects do not. In my opinion, this is a very sensitive topic and unfortunately has become a political one. I do believe that certain portions of sex education should be taught in schools but at an acceptable grade level. For example, driver's education is appropriate to be taught in school but not until the proper time. The same holds true for sex education. With that being said: A mandate from the state makes it a non-negotiable item for all public school districts. South Brunswick has implemented the state sexual education mandate using caution and transparency. In fact, our Superintendent realizes the concerns of parents and all stakeholders and has chosen to hold an open forum in November to answer all questions and concerns. It is also vital for parents to know that there has always been an “opt-out” option for areas within the Sex Ed curriculum.

What according to you is the biggest issue facing the school district currently?

South Brunswick has done a good job with the adjustment of returning to in-person school as we have seen from the data presented by Superintendent Feder at many of the Board of Education meetings. Yet some of our students may be lagging, in both academics and mental health. Mental health issues amongst our students is a topic that needs to be carefully monitored. We need to ensure that our middle and high school guidance counselors are addressing needs beyond ensuring student schedules are on target. On an elementary level, there is pressure that some of our elementary teachers are facing with trying to teach grade-level materials to students who have missed much of their foundational skills due to COVID-19. Some parents had no choice but to have their six-year-olds sit alone in front of a computer for 5 hours a day while they worked from their home office. As hard as our teachers worked, you can’t control a roaming child in their own living room while you’re teaching through a computer screen. Teachers were actually building the planes as they were flying them. Now we are all faced with ensuring the mechanisms are in place to ensure each child lands safely by addressing all their needs.

What sets you apart from the other candidates?

As I stated in the previous question, I am a lifelong resident of South Brunswick. After being raised and educated here and choosing the same for my three children, 16 members of my immediate and extended family have, and are doing the same. My heart is in South Brunswick! I believe that it is vital that a board consist of members that have experience in multiple fields; however, having an individual with experience in education and administration provides a perspective on the challenges both students and teachers face. The combination of my strong lifelong family ties to South Brunswick and my background and experience in education enables me to distinguish myself from the other candidates. Having received my BA in Elementary Education and American Studies from Rider University, I became an elementary school teacher, followed by a middle school teacher for 12 years. I then received my MA in Educational Administration from Rider and then served in Randolph, NJ as a public school Principal, Vice-Principal, Director of Testing and Assessment and Supervisor of World Language and ESL. I worked for Rutgers University in Newark supervising student teachers who were obtaining their teaching certificates in Social Studies. This is followed by my employment at Thomas Edison State University where I trained teachers on the issues of diversity. It was through this avenue that I am currently employed at Trenton Board of Education.

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

While employed with the Randolph School District, I Developed and managed budgets for a staff of 80 teachers and 700 students Worked with the NJ Department of Education as the Morris County Representative to implement a Service-Learning Graduation requirement. Created an annual Veteran’s Day celebration attended by 700 students, parents, 165 veterans and their families, Mayor and Town Council members and Military Officers from McGuire Airforce Base. Director of Service Learning. Liaison to the State of New Jersey as the Director of Testing when PARCC was implemented Collaborated with Columbia University to implement Readers and Writers Workshop in four elementary schools Kean University Diversity Council President Consultant for Ellis Island K-2 Curriculum Former Small Business Owner for 12 years.

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