There were no surprises when the last vote was counted in the East Windsor Regional School District school board election, because none of the four candidates faced any opposition in the Nov. 5 general election.
Incumbent school board members Nicole LaRusso and Ram Ramachandran and former school board member Bertrand Fougnies were elected to three-year terms on the school board.
Incumbent school board member Robert Laverty was elected to fill out a one-year unexpired term. He is a former school board member who served from 2001 to 2016, and was appointed to fill out an unexpired term earlier this year.
Unofficial results released by Mercer County show that Ramachandran was the top vote-getter with 2,340 votes. LaRusso received 2,119 votes and Fougnies got 1,902 votes. Laverty picked up 2,550 votes.
The election results are unofficial until they are certified by the county.
LaRusso, who has lived in East Windsor Township for 17 years, said she sought re-election because she has enjoyed serving on the school board. She said she enjoys meeting parents and residents, and wants to be a voice for the parents and the students.
Since she has four children enrolled in the district, she said she understood first-hand all that the school district has to offer to parents and students. She said she would continue to support the district’s goals and programs to ensure that all students succeed.
Ramachandran is a 13-year resident of East Windsor Township. He has one child enrolled at Hightstown High School and another child who graduated several years ago.
Ramachandran said he wanted to serve another term because he loves the school district. He said that over the next three years, he wants to improve the school district’s ranking, which in turn will increase property values.
Fougnies, the third candidate, could not be reached for comment. He served on the school board from 2014-2017.
Laverty has lived in East Windsor Township for 30 years. His three children are graduates of Hightstown High School.
Laverty said he wants to help evaluate the newest programs that have been added to the school district, such as full-day kindergarten, the consolidation of the grades K-2 and 3-5 schools, and the STEAM initiative in the elementary schools.
