Meet The Cherry Hill School Board Candidate: Ben Rood

CHERRY HILL, NJ — Ben Rood is one of seven candidates running for three open seats on the Cherry Hill Public School District Board of Education.

Patch sent questions to all candidates in the race, and is running profiles for each candidate that returned a response. Responses run exactly as they were submitted, with minor edits for grammatical errors.

Read below to learn more about Ben Rood and his platform for the upcoming election, which takes place Nov. 2:

Age (as of Election Day): 44

Town of residence: Cherry Hill, New Jersey

Position sought: Board of Education

Party Affiliation: Democratic

Family: I have two kids, a middle schooler at Rosa and a high schooler at East. My wife is a preschool teacher in Haddonfield.

Does anyone in your family work or attend school in the district?: My two kids have attended our public elementary, middle, and high schools in Cherry Hill.

Education: I earned my Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Massachusetts in 2010, having previously earned my B.S. at Bates College.

Occupation: I work as an educator and academic research scientist at Rowan’s School of Osteopathic Medicine. My relevant experience includes having led classrooms, screened applicants for advanced degrees, and managed operational budgets.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: This is my first time running for office.

Why are you seeking elective office?

I’m running for Board of Education because I want to make things better for my two kids, Aiden and Sophie, and their peers in our schools. We need leaders who will work transparently with our community to make progressive change that improves our schools. I’m running because I want to serve as one of those leaders.

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

We need to do more to keep our kids healthy and safe. This starts with working tirelessly to sustainably improve the physical infrastructure of our schools. It continues with initiatives that will better our kids’ mental health and well-being, from investing in better care resources to listening to the science on the issue of school start times. My Platform for Progress at benforboard.com/policy articulates in-depth plans to make progress in a variety of ways around this topic.

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

I am the only candidate who has published detailed proposals to make things better in our schools. From the creation of a five-year environmental sustainability plan to a robust set of investments around student mental health, my platform at benforboard.com/policy outlines a progressive path forward. I’m bringing science- and evidence-based proposals to the table, not just rhetoric. I’m also the only candidate who has made commitments to transparency that include holding monthly constituent town hall events, maintaining a public website detailing my policy positions, and responding to constituent outreach within 24 hours if elected. Even if we don’t agree on every policy issue, you’ll always be able to count on me as a leader who will hear you and work for change.

Experience: I have a unique combination of experiences that prepares me for effective service on the Board of Education. First, I’m an educator. Having led classrooms and screened applicants for advanced degrees, I have the background needed to understand the challenges of this field. Next, I’m a parent of two kids in our schools. I’ve participated in our school system at every level, from hosting an elementary school PTA fundraiser to advocating for my kids’ educational needs in our middle and high schools. Finally, I’m a scientist. As someone who’s spent his career focused on the facts, I’ll bring an evidence-based leadership approach to our schools.

Equality in education: You will not find a stronger supporter of equity in education than me. I fully support the recently created African American studies course requirement. I also believe that we need to build on that great first step and go further in building a curriculum that centers diverse perspectives for our students. From proposing the creation of an elective LGBTQ+ history course in our high schools to pursuing an overall review of our history curriculum, I will be a constant advocate for equity on our Board of Education.

School funding: We need to get our fair share of state funding for our kids. Many members of our Cherry Hill community have worked hard over the years to ensure that this happens. I’m grateful for their work, which has gotten us to a much better place on this issue. The latest formula adjustments from S2 have led to increases in state funding that we’re now beginning to receive. For the 2021-2022 school year, we’re receiving $24,698,590 from the state, an increase of 26.4% from the previous year. This is great to see, and I look forward to its continuation as we begin to reach fair funding levels.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
I want voters to know that I’m doing this — running for Board of Education — because I believe we can make things better for our kids. It won’t always be easy. There are big challenges we’re facing, and I’m sure we won’t always agree on every solution. But by working together and prioritizing Transparency, Integrity, and Progress (my ballot slogan and core values), I believe we can make a difference. I hope you’ll join me in that pursuit with your support at the ballot box on November 2nd.