South Brunswick Board Of Education Election Results For 2020

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ - The polls have closed, and tallies have begun. The hotly contested race for the South Brunswick School District Board of Education will be decided soon.

This election cycle, six candidates were vying for three open seats on the school board.

Incumbents Arthur L. Robinson, Deven Patel and Patrick Del Piano running for reelection on the same slate. They are being challenged by Raja Krishna, Mike Mitchell and Smitha Raj.

New Jersey Election Updates: Don't miss local, county and statewide announcements about the general election. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.

Patel believes he should be reelected because stability is what the school district needs at a time when it is adapting to remote and hybrid learning models. "All board members have knowledge, and established communication channels with the legislators or Department of Education, which helps to resolve issues faster," he said. Having been on the board for nine years, Patel said he brings with him experience, trust and transparency.

What sets Arthur L. Robinson apart from other candidates is that he is a sitting board member with 12 years of experience. He said he has the ability to handle a variety of policy-making decisions and has prepared several annual school budgets. If reelected, he said he will work towards providing "quality education with adequate funding from the state to ensure that each and every kid succeed in any career path they have chosen in life."

Robinson and Patel said that the upcoming housing developments around town could bring about overcrowding and financial hardships for the school district. "If that happens, we will need more schools and more funding to support new student populations," said Patel. "I will ensure that the district's Sending Map is balanced across the district, if this happens due to a potential increase in student population," said Robinson.

Raja Krishna, Smitha Raj and Mike Mitchell - who are running together on the same slate - believe the time has come for change in leadership.

Krishan, a South Brunswick resident, is a veteran. He said his military training instilled in him qualities like leadership, focus, dedication and passion. If elected, he wants to introduce an advanced curriculum so that students in the school district can "reach their highest potential."

"Currently, the proficiency in math is 40 percent, and the proficiency in English reading is 56 percent, and the overall testing is ranking at 50 percent. This indicates to us that change is needed to have a more advance and well-rounded curriculum for students to perform better," he said.

Mitchell has been an educator for the past 23 years. He said his experience has helped him in identifying educational gaps that exists in district schools. His platform is one of cooperation and communication. "I will be a staunch support system for our staff and students," he said. "Visibility and open communication with our administrators, staff and students is what I intend on establishing in my first few months on the board and of course maintaining that status throughout my time in office."

His running mate Raj is troubled by the school district's falling ranking. "While the decline in our school performance is troubling, this also has a broader impact on our community as people find South Brunswick a less desirable community to raise their children," she said. Raj hopes to leverage her academic and professional experience to find solutions to better the school district's performance.

All three candidates - Krishna, Mitchell and Raj - believe that COVID-19 is the biggest concern for the school district. "The best thing I could do as board member is to support our central administration as they continue to guide our district through this situation," said Mitchell.

You can find the candidate profiles below:

• Arthur L. Robinson
• Deven Patel
• Raja Krishna
• Mike Mitchell
• Smitha Raj

Since the change to this year's election was announced by Gov. Phil Murphy because of the coronavirus, there have been many questions about how the process will work.

Every the ballot sent through the mail had to be postmarked by Nov. 3. It must be received by your county's election boards by 8 p.m. on Nov. 10.

"Every vote should be safe. Every vote should be secure. Every vote should be counted," Murphy said of the process.

For full coverage of the 2020 election in New Jersey, go here: New Jersey Elections 2020