Meet The Candidate: Imran Bukhari For South Brunswick BOE

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — At 20, Imran Bukhari is the youngest candidate running for a seat on the South Brunswick Board of Education.

A student at Rutgers Business School, Bukhari said he understands the challenges faced by students as he “was sitting in the classroom in South Brunswick from elementary school to high school.”

His goal is to make the school Board more accessible to the community, bringing awareness to local politics and the mental health of students.

Nine candidates are vying for three open seats in the upcoming Nov. 2 elections. Read More Here: 9 Candidates Are Vying For 3 Seats On South Brunswick BOE

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

Name: Imran Bukhari

Position Sought: South Brunswick Board of Education

Age (as of Election Day): 20

Party Affiliation: None

Family: My household includes my parents, my older sister who is a high school math teacher at New Brunswick High School and our cat Kiwi. My eldest sister and her husband live in Jersey City with their cat Sooji. All my grandparents live close by and I have several aunts and uncles that live in the area.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?: No

Education: I am a 2019 South Brunswick High School graduate and I am currently a Rutgers Business School junior (Class of 2023), double majoring in Finance and Political Science.

Occupation: Student

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: None

Campaign website: https://www.voteimran.org

Why are you seeking elective office?

I believe it is important to have a diverse board with youth representation because I am aware of many problems facing our students. I was sitting in the classroom in South Brunswick from elementary school to high school. I understand the challenges of getting in touch with guidance counselors to talk about mental health and I understand the difficulties of staying engaged in the classroom because I lived it. Also, I have experienced online learning during COVID, so I understand the mental toll it takes on us students. I am currently a junior at Rutgers Business School double majoring in finance and political science and it was an NJ politics course that I took at Rutgers that inspired me to run for this position. I wish I had that same opportunity in South Brunswick to have a civics education that included local politics. Taking that civics course motivated me to serve the community that has given me so much. One of my goals is to bring awareness to our local politics so that students will be inspired to get involved.

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

The most pressing issue is mental health. We simply need to hire more guidance counselors. According to the District website, there are less than 30 counselors for the student population of about 8500. This counselor-to-student ratio is unacceptable because it makes it difficult to form meaningful relationships between students and counselors when there are not many interactions. From my experience in the school system, there were not many planned meetings throughout the year with my counselor. I never felt comfortable talking about mental health issues affecting me in school or out of school with my counselor because I did not have a close relationship with my counselor.

We need to also provide training for counselors and teachers. This includes incorporating targeted Social/Emotional Learning (SEL) to support students and teachers affected by COVID. This includes providing trauma training for counselors and teachers to assist students affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a current student at Rutgers University, I understand the mental toll the pandemic has taken on us students. I want to make sure that mental health is addressed in our educational system so students have options for different resources to assist them.

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

As a 2019 alumnus of South Brunswick High School, I have a very recent student perspective and first-hand experience of learning in the South Brunswick educational system. This is a unique perspective compared to the other candidates.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

The work of the Board of Education must be more accessible. When I researched our Board of Education, the website was hard to navigate. Also, the Board of Education is not active on social media. The Board should provide summaries of its meetings on social media. It would be helpful to summarize and break down its financial documents into digestible forms such as graphics. How can the community assess the work of the Board of Education and understand how its property taxes are being spent when it issues a 200-page budget that requires an expert to interpret?

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Another important challenge is engaging students in the classroom. Incorporating practical skills into the curriculum is one way of doing that. I believe there needs to be more emphasis on learning personal finance beyond the one required course and more emphasis on career exploration. These skills do not necessarily need to have their own course, instead, they could be integrated into different disciplines throughout a student's education. Incorporating a strong civics education curriculum is necessary, with a particular emphasis on State and local politics. We need to teach students how to be well-informed active citizens in their community. New Jersey is incredibly diverse which requires that our District integrate Culturally Relevant Teaching. We should develop a community of cultural competency and incorporate culture into the classroom by adjusting teaching to better accommodate student populations and incorporate the study of relevant topics in our society.

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

As I mentioned above, I am a full-time student. At my last internship during the summer, I learned professionalism. That meant waking up, dressing up, and getting to work prepared. I also learned how to communicate with my team and management. While I have had internship experiences, my past accomplishments are that I am hard-working, motivated and I am a dedicated person. This is evidenced by my educational career and my ambitions to double major. I am diligently and honestly conducting this campaign and if I am elected, I will take my responsibilities as a Board of Education member seriously.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Despite the odds, never give up.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

The purpose of the Board of Education is not only to listen to the parents, but its ultimate goal is to serve the students of South Brunswick. I want to build the bridge between the students of South Brunswick and the Board of Education so students feel comfortable with voicing their concerns.

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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