Bridgewater Board Of Education General Election 2025: Steven Singer

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Bridgewater's general election on Nov. 4 has seven candidates running for three open seats on the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional Board of Education.

Board President Steven Singer, Board Vice President Emily Calistri, and Board member Lanfang "Lucy" Li are all running for re-election to the board.

The candidate field includes four challengers: James Maloney, Kim Fajardo, Deanna Nye, and Ketrin Maxwell.

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

Steven Singer

Age: 49

Town of residence: Bridgewater

Position sought: Reelection to Board of Education

Family: Married 21 years with 2 children

Education:

• Bachelors in Economics- Rutgers College, 1998
• Masters in Business Administration - Graduate School of Management, Rutgers University, 1999
• Juris Doctorate - Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, 2002

Occupation: Attorney

Previous or current elected appointed office: Board of Education (2019 and 2022 elections)

Campaign website: facebook.com/SingerForBrrsd

Why are you seeking election for Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education?

First and foremost, I have a calling to serve the community in which I have established roots and raised my children. I am a parent in the district and care deeply about the education and well being of the students in our schools. I began attending Board of Education meetings around 2014 as the Adamsville School PTO liaison to the Board, reporting back on district news at PTO meetings. I have served on this Board of Education since 2019 and am currently in my third term as Board President. It is my honor and duty to represent all of the families of Bridgewater as a Board member. I have learned a great deal about district operations and programming as the chair of the Finance, Facilities, and Transportation Committee and as President of the Board. As a parent of a current student, as well as a recent graduate, I fully understand the concerns and expectations that parents have as their children navigate the many different school levels. I feel that it is my duty to put the experience and knowledge I have gained, both as a Board member and parent, to work, ensuring that our students and our wonderful staff receive the support necessary to provide a quality education for years to come.

School finances have been continuously discussed in the district. The district recently approved a budget where 33 staff positions were cut and a 2.46 percent tax increase. Do you have any comments or suggestions on how the district could handle its budget?

I truly believe that the district has done an incredible job maintaining the budget in light of statutory limits on budget increases coupled with rising costs all around. New Jersey residents saw towns around the state imposing double digit tax increases in order to deal with rising healthcare costs, continued transportation shortages, and other challenges. While other towns faced 5 - 20% increases in school taxes, the district administration was able to propose one of the lowest tax increases in the area at 2.49%.

It is also important to comment on how transparent the administration was in the budgeting process this year. The Board began discussing budgetary challenges in January 2025, with Superintendent Beers informing the public about unprecedented healthcare cost increases and what that meant for the district. Over the following months, the administration worked tirelessly to reduce the budgetary impact to both our schools and the residents of Bridgewater and Raritan. Our Board takes very seriously the toll that taxes take on our residents and I believe that the prudent fiscal decisions made in this budgetary cycle speak to that.

Finally, as for staff reductions, it is worth noting that no staff were let go to make room in the budget. Enrollment numbers in the district have been falling for a number of years. The district was able to keep the tax rate increase low due in part to staff reductions through attrition - when staff leave the district and it is deemed unnecessary to fill their role.

The district is looking at adjusting its school start times, possibly later for high school students, and transportation options. What do you think about this?

I am an advocate for later high school start times, having attended presentations from experts in pediatrics who have explained the benefits of later start times. The decision years ago to start high school at 7:20 a.m. was not one driven by curriculum, but by the number of available buses and the costs of transportation. Particularly at the age when our students are in high school, starting the school day so early has shown to be detrimental to their academic achievement as well as their mental wellness. For these reasons, I am in favor of moving high school to a later start time. As a large district with 11 different schools, the prospect of revising start times is not without its challenges. There would be an adjustment period for both families and staff, but I am confident that our administration has taken and will continue to take into consideration the impacts of this change and will make recommendation to the Board that is in the best interest of our overall student body.

What other issues do you feel need to be tackled in the school district?

Next year is going to be a year of incredible change. With the passage of the referendum by the residents of Bridgewater and Raritan, our schools are receiving once-in-a-generation renovations and the district will finally be able to offer full day kindergarten to all families in the district. With the addition of full day kindergarten in each of the 7 elementary schools, 4th and 6th graders will be transitioned into new schools, which will also involve curricular changes and staffing adjustments. Added to that is the previously mentioned adjustments to transportation, which would be necessary due to the grade transitioning even if it did not also meet the desire to change the high school start times. Any one of these changes would be an immense undertaking on its own. Our excellent administration and staff have already started preparing for these changes and will find creative solutions to any challenges that arise. This is an exciting time for our district. One of revitalization and building for the future. I look forward to seeing what our students can accomplish with these refreshed and expanded facilities at their disposal.

What sets you apart from the challenging candidates?

Experience. I have been a member of the Board of Education for 6 years, having been elected in 2019 and reelected in 2022. I have been appointed as chair of the Finance, Facilities, and Transportation committee twice and unanimously elected Board President three times. I have received my Master Board Member certification and am working on Master Board Leader certification. And I have been a parent in this district even longer, as my children have moved their way through every level of school. I have been an involved PTO member since my oldest daughter was in 1st grade, well over a decade ago. All of these experiences add up to institutional knowledge which helps inform my decision making. I know where the district has been, played a role in guiding the district to where we are, and am immensely excited about the future of BRRSD.

Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself or your campaign?

I was raised to value service to the community and that has led me to volunteering in many different capacities over the years. Whether it is as PTO liaison to the Board of Education, PTO treasurer, member of the Camp Cromwell committee, trustee of my local congregation, member of the Board of Education, or simply a photographer at school events, I find purpose in helping others. I strongly believe that service on the Board of Education was always intended to be, and should continue to be, apolitical. As such, I have never sought political endorsements or received funds or donations from political organizations. I have not served on the Board of Education for the past 6 years in the pursuit of political aspirations, but to help further the goal of providing a quality education for the children of Bridgewater and Raritan.