Meet The Candidate: Barry Nathanson For South Brunswick BOE

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — Barry Nathanson needs no introduction. A South Brunswick Board of Education member for around 19 years, Nathanson believes that experience counts, especially at a time when schools are deals with the pandemic.

With many students facing learning loss, Nathanson told Patch it's important to work with everyone in the district to ensure “the education of all students is put back on track.”

A former member of the township’s zoning board and a current member of the planning board, students' success continues to be the driving force for him to seek re-election.

This year, nine candidates are running for three open seats on the South Brunswick Board of Education.

Read below to learn more about Nathanson and his platform for the upcoming election in South Brunswick.

Name: Barry Nathanson

Position Sought: Member, South Brunswick Board of Education

Age (as of Election Day): 63

Party Affiliation: Non-partisan

Family: Wife Marcia; son, Evan graduated 2008; daughter, Blaire graduated 2011 from SBHS

Education: BS Economics and BFA in Creative and the Performing Arts, Franklin Pierce University, NH

Occupation: State Police Operations, NJ Turnpike Authority

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: South Brunswick Board of Education member since 2002, Former member and Chair of the Zoning Board of South Brunswick from 1996-2005, Current member of the South Brunswick Planning Board, from 2006 to Present.

Why are you seeking elective office?

As the most experienced Board member currently serving, I think it was important to run again especially during COVID. Experience does count. Being on the Board is more than just two meetings a month. Student success continues to be a driving factor for me to continue my passion for running for the Board. This starts with solid foundations, incredible opportunities, and the support to achieve anything. Of course, schools by themselves are not nearly as effective as when they have outstanding parent partnerships. My role as a Board member has been to provide insight of the community to administration, infuse the thoughts of the community into decision making and provide oversight on policy implementation.

The single most pressing issue facing our board, the district is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

For the past 18 months, we have faced the most challenging time in public education history due to the pandemic and the constant changing landscape associated with schools. Our most important challenge is going to be to ensure that the education of all students is put back on track and that all students who may have suffered academically or mentally are given the support they need to be successful and brought back to a solid place. In short, my response would be that we must do all we can for both the mental health of our students and families as well as ensure that the academic challenges faced by students are addressed. The schools must be a safe haven for our students and families, and we must face the challenges of mental health and lost academics.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I have more than 19 years of experience as a South Brunswick Board of Education member, including three years as an officer and six years as the chairperson of the Facilities Committee and at some point, been a member of every board committee. I’m a Certified Board Member, Master Board Member and Certified Board Leader from the NJ School Boards Association

My professional background includes over 30 years of Government Experience in Legislative, Finance and Police Operations. I’m also one of the original founding members of the Education Foundation South Brunswick Township, Inc. as its Board Liaison.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

• COVID-19: Managing the disruption that comes with managing COVID and balancing with the need for high-level education. Understanding gaps caused by the pandemic and how to best build up our students and our systems.
• Understanding impact: The impact of the pandemic on staffing in the immediate and the future, for example nursing and transportation.
• School Funding: How will South Brunswick be impacted by S2 in the future, how will things rebound once the federal stimulus is gone in two years?

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

We have lowered taxes over the last four years while maintaining the best school in Middlesex County and one of the top in the state.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart." —Eleanor Roosevelt

In anticipation of the upcoming election, Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns. We will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Thank you for reading. Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com

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