Eric Winch: Warren School Board Candidate

WARREN, NJ — The Warren Township School Board has seven candidates vying for three seats in the upcoming election on Nov. 2.

Eric Winch is one of the candidates running. The other candidates include:

• Daniel Croson, Jr. - (is running together with Desai and Virmani)
• Mehul Desai - (is running together with Croson and Virmani)
• Aparna Virmani - (is running together with Croson and Desai)
• Tambudzayi Miranda Chibwe
• Ryan J. Valentino
• William Mayerchak

All of the candidates are running for the three, three-year seats on the board.

Are you running for office in Warren? Contact Alexis Tarrazi at alexis.tarrazi@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Warren Patch.

Eric Winch

Name: Eric Winch

Age: 44

Town of residence: Warren

Position sought: Warren Township School Board

Family:

• Wife: Kelly
• Children
• Eddie, Junior at Rutgers University
• Reese, 2nd Grader at Woodland

Education:

• BS, Administration of Justice, Rutgers University
• JD, Seton Hall University School of Law
• MBA, Information Technology Management, Seton Hall University Stillman School of Business
• ITIL Foundation Certification
• PMI Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Bar Admission, NJ and NY

Occupation: Chief Information Officer at Union County College, Cranford

Previous or current elected appointed office: N/A

Why are you seeking to run for school board? If working in higher education has taught me anything, it’s that education is one of the keys to a better life. We all want the best for our children, and while we can’t control the world around us, what we can do is make sure our children have all the tools they need to be successful and happy.

Today’s world has shown us that we must be able to adjust and adapt to ever-changing and unpredictable circumstances. All the decisions made by our schools now can have lasting impacts on our children in the future. The mission of any educational institution, whether they serve kindergarten or graduate students, is to ensure that those students succeed and that they receive the best education possible. Professionally, I am guided by that mission every day. As a member of the school board, I would be able to apply that directive to our children and ensure that they all, no matter their background or needs, receive the high-quality education they deserve.

What is your stance on masks in schools? Personally, I do not like the idea of our children wearing masks in school. I believe it hinders both social interaction and the learning experience. But that does not mean I am against them because I also believe that we need to ensure that our children are kept safe. Decisions about masks should be made based on data and science. I am not a doctor and my opinions on masks are based on personal preferences. We need to trust doctors and scientists to guide decisions about masks in schools. Those decisions should not be political but rather based on science and safety.

Should schools offer a virtual option? Again, just like for masks, I don’t believe the virtual learning experience is equivalent to in-person option, specifically for the K-12 environment. Also, it is not as easy to offer a virtual option that is not across the board. While it is generally straightforward to wear or take off a mask, planning for and conducting an online option is not as clear-cut. I am not opposed to a virtual option should it be required for safety reasons, but the goal should be to keep our children in classrooms and keep them and school staff safe.

What other issues do you feel must be tackled in the school district? With Covid still wreaking havoc on our community, there will be long-term effects from the decisions being made today. We should be looking at potential long-term issues. Financial, physical, and mental health issues are going to be prevalent moving forward and these future issues should be being discussed now. We may not know what the specific problems are going to be a year from now, but plans should be made to deal with whatever problems can be reasonably predicted. In short, with all the short-term issues we are dealing with in these unprecedented times, we can’t lose sight of the long term.

What sets you apart from the challenging candidates? I have worked in higher education most of my professional life. I began my career as an attorney, but soon after that transitioned into higher education. I have held various positions across 2-year and 4-year institutions, both public and private, and am currently the Chief Information Officer at Union County College.

I have also recently participated in the Warren Township Schools Strategic Plan Voice and Engagement Committee. As part of the Voice and Engagement Committee, I worked along with school staff, board members and other parents, discussing how to create a sustainable change management plan and how best to communicate change to the school community.

Further, at Union County College, I am a member of the COVID-19 Task Force that was formed when the virus in NJ was spreading at exponential rates. We addressed how to offer classes and services remotely, how to help students who have special needs when we can’t see them in person, how to return to “normal”, and now how to deal with Covid variants. We dealt with all these questions and more, developed policies and guides, and then adjusted those policies as situations dictated. We learned to be agile and understood that not all questions had a clear right or wrong answer, so compromise and keeping student needs at the forefront were critical to moving in the right direction. I believe this experience would serve me well as a member of the Board, in today’s troubling times and in the future.

What else would you like to share about yourself or your campaign? Education has been a part of my life for the last two decades. I value the importance of education, and as a parent understand your desire to give your children the best opportunities and to keep them safe. As a higher educational professional, student success has always been my core mission. As a parent, that mission is hyper focused on my children. One of the main reasons my family and I moved to Warren was because of the strong school system and close community. I hope you allow me the opportunity to serve our community knowing that your children’s success and safety will always be my priority.