Election 2024: Barbara Reiss For East Brunswick Board Of Education

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — Incumbent Barbara Reiss is seeking another term on the East Brunswick Board of Education.

In a Q&A with Patch, Reiss talks about her work as a Board member and what her plans for the district’s future.

The election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Patch has sent out a questionnaire to all BOE candidates. They will be published as we receive them. If you are a candidate and haven’t heard from us, please contact Sarah Salvadore at sarah.salvadore@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements.

Name: Barbara Reiss

Age: 54

Town of residence: East Brunswick

Education: NYU - Master’s in Education - New York, NY; Brooklyn College - Bachelor of Arts; Member of Scholars Program

Occupation: Religious School Director and Teacher

1. Why are you seeking a seat on the BOE?

My name is Barbara Reiss. I have lived in East Brunswick for 22 years with my husband Larry, a USAF veteran, and our two children, who both proudly graduated from East Brunswick High School. I am running for re-election to the school board because I hope to continue to serve the East Brunswick educational system that provides our children access to the tools they need to live successful and rewarding professional lives.

My family and I strongly believe in the power of volunteerism to make positive changes in our community. I co-founded and ran the EB area chapter of the MOMS Club (Moms Offering Moms Support). As President of the Frost PTA, I worked together with our principal, PTA Liaison teacher and TAG teacher to initiate a highly successful after-school enrichment coding class. I have also proudly served as a member of the EB Human Relations Council, the Community Programs Advisory Committee, as a Girl Scout leader, and as a producer/reporter for EBTV.

During my time on the Board, I have served on a variety of committees and have held multiple committee chairmanships, including community programs, technology, student services and policy. As a school board member, I strive to be balanced and open-minded when considering proposals. I value research and look to hearing from a variety of voices.

If re-elected, I will continue to advocate for programs that promote a positive and inclusive school environment. I will work with my fellow board members to continue to update our curricula, technology and facilities so that our students, teachers and staff have the best resources available.

2. What sets you apart from the other candidates?

During my tenure, I have taken the lead in supporting various student quality-of-life initiatives, including later school start times, enhanced mental health programming, coding classes, and an inclusive school calendar.

For example, while chair of the school board technology committee, I worked with my fellow board members and the administration to expand our coding offerings to our elementary classrooms and after-school programs. Our teachers do an excellent job incorporating technology into our children’s day-to-day assignments. Our students are learning how to use various programs and present their findings using top-notch computers and software. Our district continues to add age-appropriate coding activities and projects that will help prepare our children for the jobs of the 21st century.

3. What according to you is the biggest issue facing the school district?

Making sure that all our learners have access to the tools they need to succeed in academics, athletics and the arts is the driving force behind my efforts as a board member. If re-elected, I will continue to advocate for programs that promote a positive and inclusive school environment which features opportunities for all our learners.

I have been a strong supporter of our dual enrollment program which offers our high school students the opportunity to take classes in which they earn college credits at a fraction of the usual cost. I have also been a long-time advocate of later school start times for our upper-grade students as well as courses that offer career, technical training and internship opportunities for our high schoolers.

I have also supported the district’s social-emotional programming, ranging from mental health counseling to support for our special needs students as well as numerous multicultural school events. I will continue to advocate for additional anti-bias programming and outreach opportunities to our school community.

For example, I am currently working with the district to establish a new board committee whose goal is to enhance the quality of life for students attending East Brunswick schools. We will be reaching out to students, teachers, administrators, parents and community members to hear their insights and suggestions. The Student Life committee will be targeting new opportunities for students to feel accomplished, valued and recognized.

4. Are you happy with the way the district has handled state aid cuts? What would be your approach?

This school budget has been an especially difficult one for us, as East Brunswick was among the more than 100 school districts in New Jersey that lost state funding, with only weeks available to adapt to the news.

The Education Law Center calls for a comprehensive review of the state aid formula. Many of the estimated costs used in this formula are sorely outdated. The formula also penalizes municipalities where there is any yearly increase in property tax values rather than looking at a multi-year rolling average.

As a district, we must continue to lobby the state to make the needed changes to create a fair and equitable funding formula for all school districts. I welcome the opportunity to testify before state legislative committees about how the current state formula is unfair to our students, teachers and staff. In addition, I will support our district’s continued participation in shared service agreements with other government entities, grant applications and enterprise efforts so that we can provide key services to our schools at a reduced cost.

I will continue to work with the district to partner with our teachers and staff in our ongoing work to provide our students with innovative academics, as well as robust arts and athletic programs.

5. There were discussions about expanding the high school either by building a new one or renovating the existing one. What are your thoughts on this?

The decision as to whether to renovate or build a new high school will ultimately be made by the public through the referendum process.

The board has asked for an update about the potential cost and tax impacts and can make a recommendation as to this community-wide decision. There needs to be numerous opportunities for the community to provide its input about this issue, as it is key to the future success of our district’s high school student population. The best case scenario, in my opinion, is a new high school that meets the needs of all our students, teachers and staff.

This is a sizable construction project that will not be able to be completed solely during the summer and holiday breaks. Renovation may take a longer period of time and leave our students in an ongoing construction site, which will be disruptive to their learning. In addition, there is the issue that once repairs begin, there is a high probability that other issues will be unearthed in the process, leading to additional costs while being left with the original design issues. New construction avoids many of these pitfalls and offers our students and teachers the opportunity to help design a learning space that is tailored to their learning goals.

The main objective is to bring our ninth graders to the high school and to provide all our high school students with a safe, healthy and up-to-date learning environment.

6. What other aspects need to be improved in the school district?

In our district, we value and support mental health initiatives, creating a positive school climate and teaching social and emotional learning. Our Student Services department offers a wide array of programs ranging from Sources of Strength, a peer led, evidence based program aimed at preventing suicide, violence, bullying and substance abuse to mentor partnerships to individual and group counseling.

These are but a few of the many programs offered to support our students’ mental health at all grade levels. Yet, in today’s often turbulent news cycle, our students are also needing to learn how to have meaningful and respectful conversations that lead to mutual understanding and respect of one another. This includes offering our teachers the training to facilitate these types of conversations, such as through an upcoming professional development program being offered to our educators next month. We must continue this important work so that our students have the tools they need to recognize bias and hate speech, value diversity and foster an inclusive school community for all.

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

My father, who passed away from COVID-19, emigrated from Argentina in the 1950s and learned to speak English at night school. He was a truck driver who also worked long hours in an electrical warehouse for many years. My mom is a retired high school Spanish teacher who taught in Brooklyn for 27 years. My parents always believed that education would be their kids’ ticket to a successful life. It is that strong belief in the importance of making a high-quality education available to all students that continues to motivate me today.

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