NORTH BRUNSWICK – A former board member, a newcomer and two incumbents will face off for three three-year seats on the North Brunswick Board of Education.
David Brockman has lived in town for 38 years. His 9-year-old attends Livingston Park Elementary School and his 11-year-old attends Linwood Middle School.
He works as a project manager for a construction management firm. He volunteers for The Hugs for Brady Foundation and is a girls softball coach for the North Brunswick Baseball and Softball Association.
In seeking his second term, Brockman said he is focused on solving overcrowding, especially as the North Brunswick Middle School project is underway.
He also said equal education for all, regardless of where a child is on the educational spectrum, is important.
“Special education students are just as important as the kids who are advanced proficient,” he said.
In addition, he said school security is very important.
“We have worked hard to secure the properties, but slow and steady upgrades will continue to improve the security of our buildings,” he said.
Richard D. Liguori is a lifelong resident of North Brunswick. His wife is an English teacher at South Brunswick High School. They had both attended Judd Elementary School, Linwood Middle School and North Brunswick Township High School. Their three children currently attend the same three schools.
He is a finance manager who previously served on the school board from 2007-15. He was a board president for five years and vice president for one year. He served on all of the board committees and chaired the Business Operations Committee.
Within the community, Liguori has been an executive board member/director of recreation scheduling and coach for the North Brunswick Soccer Club, treasurer of the North Brunswick Foundation of Educational and Community Excellence, lector and choir member at Our Lady of Peace Church, treasurer of the North Brunswick Historical Society, co-chair of the North Brunswick Anniversary Galas, charter member of the Knights of Columbus Council 11378 at Our Lady of Peace Church, a past Grand Knight for the council, and a former member of the North Brunswick Zoning Board of Adjustment.
Liguori said if he were to serve on the school board again, he would work to eliminate the achievement gap.
“I will continue to work with our administrators to pursue avenues for modern, technologically-advanced curriculum accessible to all levels of learners and with a focus on both equity and excellence. I will keep close contact with these administrators as they continue to study student data, and I will work to assess and, if necessary, reallocate resources to ensure that all of North Brunswick’s students are given every opportunity to reach their full potential,” he said.
He also will concentrate on fiscal responsibility.
“According to Trenton’s own funding formula, our school district has been severely underfunded for many years now. Despite this year’s additional funding, I will continue to push legislators in Trenton, side by side with board members and administrators, to understand that North Brunswick deserves the full funding to which it is entitled. Additionally, it is imperative that the new middle school construction schedule needs to be both on time and on budget. In regard to both capital and operating expenses, I will continue to insist on bottoms-up budgeting, clean audits, favorable bond ratings and shared services with the township,” he said.
In addition, he said transparency and open communication are of concern to him.
“The board should consider different and more up-to-date ways to complement current cable broadcasts of public meetings. To this end, I will work together with board members to explore further usage of social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, to deliver timely information from our school district,” he said.
