Meet The Candidate: James Lavan For South Brunswick BOE

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ – A high school teacher in New York City schools, James Lavan is running for a seat on the South Brunswick Board of Education this November.

As a public school teacher, Lavan says he is well-acquainted with the challenges faced by students and staff. If elected, he hopes to promote mental health and provide a message of “optimism and resilience in the curriculum.”

Nine candidates are vying for three open seats in the upcoming Nov. 2 elections- Stephen G. Parker, James Lavan, Julie M. Ferrara, Imran Bukhari, Deepa Karthik, Erin Popolo, Jayesh Patel, Barry Nathanson, and Lisa M. Rodgers.

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

Name: James Lavan

Position Sought: South Brunswick Board of Education

Age (as of Election Day): 41

Party Affiliation: Non-partisan

Family: Wife, Brenda, who is a school nurse, and my 4th-grade son, Kevin, who attends Indian Fields

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

Education: Masters in Education from Pace University, Bachelors in Management Economics from Ohio Wesleyan University, and Minor in History

Occupation: I have spent the past 15 years as a high school teacher of Math and Computer Science in New York City schools

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: None

Campaign website: James Lavan- Candidate for SBSD School Board

Why are you seeking elective office?

The most important job a parent has is raising their children. Part of that is putting our children in the hands of our public education system. Our children are the future leaders of our nation and we owe them the best foundation possible to ensure they can preserve and advance the cause of freedom, equality, individual liberty, prosperity and opportunity for their children as well. In order to do that we must educate our children in sound principles that recognize character over skin color, individual rights over group identities and how to develop mental toughness and resilience.

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

I think the most important challenges facing our schools are the mental health of our children and parental trust in the system. As a father of a 4th grader with special needs I have seen how hard children were hit by being out of school. As a teacher I have also seen the struggle with my own students. Many have become depressed, scared, and in need of positive messaging to help them bounce back. As a Board member I will address these challenges head on.

First, in regards to parents losing faith in the system, I would push for all lessons, materials, videos, and resources used inside the classroom to be openly shared and easily accessible for parents. I believe parents have a right and responsibility to know what their children are learning. Transparency and honesty in the curriculum will go a long way in helping parents again trust that their children are being properly educated.

Second, I would push for South Brunswick Schools to teach and reinforce the message of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to our children that they should judge each other based on the content of their character. Through the South Brunswick Parent series, I have observed South Brunswick School District openly push hyper-racialized messages promoting victimhood that are divisive, create resentment, anger, and are harmful to students.

Third, I would replace this negativity and push for messages of optimism and resilience to be deliberately infused into our curriculum to support the mental health of our children. As a school board, our first priority must be the welfare of our students rather than pushing a political agenda and I will do everything I can to keep our students as the board’s priority.

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

Experience. I taught through lockdowns, I taught virtually, and am currently teaching in person every day. I am a 15-year teacher and Dean in NYC public schools and I teach in the trenches with thousands of students daily. By currently being in a public school, I am acutely aware of the challenges facing children, parents, teachers and administrators on a daily basis. These experiences make me a uniquely qualified candidate to advocate for and understand the different perspectives from the viewpoint of each stakeholder in the education of our children.

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

Aftercare: I am disappointed with our board’s decision to use Champions aftercare for children with working parents. Not only have prices gone up for parents but the quality has also gone down. My own son, who is in the LLD program at Indian Fields, was in aftercare before the Pandemic and South Brunswick was able to accommodate his IEP needs. This year I called Champions and I was told in no uncertain terms that they could not accommodate my child with special needs. I was also made aware that another family last spring had to remove their child with special needs because Champions could not properly care for him. As a board member I would fight to correct the poor decisions our current administration has made to abandon working families, children with special needs and be an advocate for all children and families.

Inclusion for Special Ed Students: I have seen first-hand how there are very few inclusive activities for Special Ed students to participate in. My wife was told by a now-retired principal that "we failed the students and dropped the ball" when it comes to having special needs kindergarten students participate in Kindergarten Orientation and the Jump Start into Kindergarten program. Again, I would be a champion for many parents who feel forgotten and left behind when it comes to their children.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Transparency and Honesty: Parents should have easy access to all lessons, articles, videos, and materials shared with their children in class. Parents have the right and responsibility to know what is taught to their children inside the classroom. As a teacher, I have seen firsthand too many colleagues abuse their position and push their own personal agendas at the expense of educating children.

Content of Character Education: We must reinforce to our children that true justice comes when you judge each other based on the content of their character. As a board member, I would push the administration to reaffirm the message of Martin Luther King Jr and the Civil Rights movement. Unfortunately, South Brunswick schools are currently teaching our children to look at the world primarily based on skin color which is a betrayal of MLK and the Civil Rights Movements’ values.

Promote Mental Health: Providing messages of optimism and resilience in the curriculum. Many students are depressed, scared, and wary of what is going to come next. I want to take positive messages of overcoming adversity and specifically make them part of the curriculum as models and examples to teach children that they can overcome their current circumstances and life will get better. One such resource is ‘1776 Unites’ by Civil Rights icon Bob Woodson. The 1776 Unites curriculum offers authentic, inspiring stories from American history that show what is best in our national character and what our freedom makes possible even in the most difficult circumstances. While academics are obviously highly important, good mental health and a positive outlook are a prerequisite to success in life and school. As a board member, I would push to provide our kids with the skills and message of optimism and resilience they need.

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

As a 15-year teacher and dean of students I am intimately involved in the daily operations of schools, the needs of students, staff, and parents. Also, I’m a parent of a current student which means I share a common experience with parents and understand the struggles of families with young children in South Brunswick that empty nesters may no longer understand and relate to. Before becoming a teacher, I was a commodities trader in NYC (think of the movie Trading Places) and a restaurant manager. In each of these positions, I had to manage budgets, hire, train and maintain staff, maintain physical properties, and work with vendors. I have both the skills and vision to understand the bigger picture of setting long-term goals for the school district while also being able to contribute and help maintain the daily operations to ensure our children have the best and most opportunities for success that we can provide.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.

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

It’s time for new leadership on the South Brunswick Board of Education. If you want each child to receive equality of opportunity and a focus on providing the individual supports that each student needs, then vote for me. Our current Board wants to teach our children to abandon that ideal and look at equity (equality of outcome based on skin color requirements). I believe this idea is harmful to children and will only cause more racism, more division, and harm our children’s futures.

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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