Barry Nathanson Elected To Fill BOE Vacancy In South Brunswick Schools

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ – Former Board of Education member Barry Nathanson was elected to fill in the vacant seat on the South Brunswick Board of Education.

The seat was left vacant after BOE member Lisa Rodgers resigned from her post recently.

A total of five candidates were interviewed in a public session during the BOE meeting held Thursday. All of them were asked three questions pertaining the district.

Here’s how Nathanson answered:

How would you approach balancing the needs of students, staff, and taxpayers when making decisions about the district budget?

It is very important when you do the budget to think of all those things. But the major part of the budget is that you have to think of how we can best run the district. Finances have changed greatly from when I first got on until last year. Every superintendent had to beg and borrow, kind of thing. I think they've done an excellent job. So, the idea is to make sure our district is the heart of our thinking when we're doing our budget.

How would you ensure that your decisions as a board member align with the district's mission and core values?

Well, so the district and core values have been there throughout the years. I got to learn from some of the legendary board members of all time, and we always put what the district is as a whole, and we worked as a body of the whole, not as an individual.

What do you see as the most significant challenges currently facing South Brunswick schools, and how would you contribute to addressing them?

I've been to every meeting this year after last year when I lost. I think the challenge is to make sure this board starts thinking as one and working together. And I think being someone, probably the only one, who has worked with almost everyone here, I think I can do that. That's a challenge, because there's no change as there is no “Christmas money” this year, and the state has not offered anything. But going over the budget, going above the cap, that's not the way to function. So, I think I offer to bring all that together and bring the board together.

Nathanson served on the BOE for 23 years before losing his reelection bid last year. He will serve out the remaining term of Rodgers, who won reelection last year.

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