West Orange School Board Candidate Profile: Larry Weintraub

WEST ORANGE, NJ — West Orange has a big choice to make in November: who will serve on the board of education?

West Orange is among the New Jersey towns holding a school board contest as part of the 2026 general election. A three-year term on the board is available. Three candidates filed petitions to run, including Larry Weintraub.

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Weintraub recently shared some background about his qualifications and plans if elected with Patch. Learn more about his campaign here.

PATCH: What qualifications and background make you a good fit for the position?

LARRY WEINTRAUB: First, and most importantly, I am a parent, a community member, and someone who values education. Professionally, I work as a physicist, researching and solving difficult problems, analyzing data and, most importantly, effectively communicating my findings to others. The ability to analyze information, research new topics and then communicate to others what I’ve learned and why I am making decisions is the true essence of community leadership. The job of a local Board of Education is not to administer the day to day operation of the district. It is to supervise the superintendent, set strategic direction, communicate long term plans to the community, and ensure that important choices represent the best interests of our children and the values of our community. Communication is the foundation of that job.

For the last two years I have been active as a leader in West Orange Parents for Education (WOPE). I have worked to build an active coalition of parents to make our voices heard both locally and in Trenton. I have educated the community on how school finance works in New Jersey. I built a model of the state’s educational finance structure in order to understand why West Orange is struggling to maintain the educational services we have provided in the past. I have spoken with reporters, written multiple white papers on improvements to the School Funding Reform Act (SFRA), discussed those suggestions with legislators and the NJDOE, and built relationships with educational leaders across the state and with advocacy groups like the Education Law Center and the Garden State Coalition of Schools.

PATCH: What are your plans if elected?

LARRY WEINTRAUB: I will outline a three-year plan for the financial and educational resources in West Orange, to be published and shared with the public. This must precede this upcoming budget cycle so that the community can provide feedback. With financial resources strained and costs rising, one-year plans are not enough.

I will advocate for effective and comprehensive reform of New Jersey’s educational funding structure in Trenton. The funding structure for public schools in NJ is on the brink of collapse. The Sherrill administration has announced they will be reforming the formula and studying changes this Fall. I will work to ensure West Orange is a leader in this effort. I am already in contact with those doing this work in the Sherill administration, and as an elected leader in West Orange I will have the community support to make that push more effective. Ensuring that EVERY child in West Orange receives a high-quality education is a moral obligation and that is the goal of my service.

Finally, I will work with the mayor and town council to change the way the BOE and municipal government interact. Development decisions, PILOTs, municipal spending and potential shared services are major opportunities to collaborate. This has not happened while I have lived in West Orange, and it needs to change. Development decisions affect the schools in many ways: how many students are in the district, what bussing must be provided, how much funding the state provides our district, and more. The BOE must be at the table when these development decisions are made, when tax agreements are negotiated and when town planning is done. I will demand that from our municipal representatives.

PATCH: What is one thing about the West Orange school district that always makes you smile?

LARRY WEINTRAUB: The connection that our students, teachers, and parents have. Whenever I see one of my son’s teachers or one of his friends’ parents anywhere in town, it always leads to a joyful conversation about what’s happening in school and in life. Those relationships are the thing that makes this a community, and that is what I strive to support.

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