Longest-Serving Woodbridge BOE Member Brian Molnar: What I'm Proud Of

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — This March, Woodbridge school board president Brian Molnar announced that after 18 years of serving on the school board, he will not seek re-election this year.

Molnar, 58, has served the longest on the Woodbridge school board and is a lifetime fixture in the tight-knit Woodbridge community. He is also the Director of Recreation for Woodbridge Township. He is not resigning as Rec Director, he said.

Molnar made the announcement March 9 and this week, he elaborated to Patch why he's stepping down.

"I just feel I've done my service, let someone else step up. It's their turn," he said. "I've had the opportunity to serve 18 wonderful years on this board, worked with a lot of superintendents, a lot of people. This experience really changed my life."

Molnar said his biggest accomplishments in 18 years overseeing the Woodbridge school district are the following:

Increased parent and community involvement: "When I first came on the board, in 2005, the public had to vote every year to pass a school board budget(the rules of have since changed). Barely anybody voted, nobody care. The change to the way it is now has been really good. Now we have parents coming and speaking at meetings, residents engaged. It's really good."

Getting more state aid for Woodbridge schools: "Again, when I first came on the board, Woodbridge and other suburban districts our size, like Hamilton Township, were so underfunded. We saw then-called Abbott districts like Jersey City getting all the money from the state. I, and other people in Woodbridge, so many past superintendents, met for years with state officials and state representatives, basically asking over and over again for our fair share. We continued doing this for years, we just kept asking for more money. And now we are receiving it." Woodbridge Gets $19 Million More In State Aid For '23-24 School Year (March 6)

Seeing Woodbridge school buildings improve: "When you have a light that goes out or an old building, it really takes a toll on a student's education. Today, we are starting so much school construction and making school improvements." He's referring to Woodbridge residents approving this week the district spending $32 million to make major renovations to School 4 and 5/Avenel Elementary. Also, for the first time in the district's history, all Woodbridge classrooms are now air conditioned.

Let someone else have a turn, is Molnar's message. Any resident of Woodbridge can run for the open school board seat. You have to submit a petition of names backing you by July 24 and the election will be this November.