Meet Carl Von Stetten, Running For Old Bridge School Board

OLD BRIDGE, NJ — Six people are running for three seats on the Old Bridge school board. Patch asked all six candidates the same set of questions. All six candidates got back to us, and these are their answers:

Provide a brief bio on yourself. Age, education, occupation.

My name is Carl Von Stetten and I am 41 years old. I went to Rutgers University for music education and switched to IT. After leaving Rutgers, I went to Arthur Mcneil Institute for my IT certifications. Currently, I am an associate director at Rutgers University and the position I'm running for is Old Bridge BOE.

Do you have children in the district or formerly in the district?

Yes, I have three children in the district.

What experience do you have that would make you a good BOE member?

I have many years of IT, management and operations experience. At my job I have worn many hats, such as personnel manager, project manager and process improvement. I have also been involved with instructing students. I have worked as a marching band instructor for years with bands such as Carteret, Perth Amboy and Southern Regional, to name a few.

For current school board members, what is some of the work you're proudest of that the Board has done?

N/A

Where do you think the Old Bridge school board needs to improve?

I believe the Board needs to continue to address learning loss from COVID. While the district has made strides in this, I believe we can do better. Another thing I believe needs to improve is that the BOE needs to work together to solve the issues. When I am at meetings or watching from home, I see a lot of arguing and attacking other members in public. If I'm elected, I will work with all members in a professional way, even the members that I don't agree with. We are there for our students, not for us.

Looking ahead, what are some of the biggest challenges facing the Old Bridge school district in the next 2 -5 years, and how do you plan to confront them?

One of the biggest issues will be increased enrollment of students in our schools. There has been a lot of recent residential development in town and a lot of young families moving here. The board will need to look at enrollment numbers to see if an additional school(s) will need to be built. That comes with a cost to taxpayers but if done responsibly will benefit our students.

Who's running for Old Bridge school board in 2024. Voters will be asked to choose three:

• Brooke Richards-Patterson — Transparent, Intentional, Accountable
• Jay Slade - Rational, Not Radical - current Old Bridge school board member, seeks re-election
• Kiran Venkatesan - Transforming Education Together
• Carl Von Stetten - More Student Opportunity
• Mireille Cameau-Wicks - Ensuring Education Integrity
• Richard J. Dunn - Old Bridge Education

• Salvatore DiPrima - Kids First (He dropped out of the race.)
• Kyler Dineen - Old Bridge Alum (He dropped out of the race.)

All six candidates answered our questions:

Meet Brooke Richards-Patterson, Running For Old Bridge School Board

Meet Kiran Venkatesan, Running For Old Bridge School Board

Meet Jay Slade, Running For Re-Election On Old Bridge School Board

Meet Mireille Cameau-Wicks, Running For Old Bridge School Board

The election will be Nov. 5, but you can vote early in person at the Old Bridge Public Library from Oct. 26 - Nov. 3. Hours will be Monday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. and Sunday, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. No appointment is necessary. There is also mail-in voting.