Incumbents won the three, three-year seats that were uncontested during the Board of Education races in Metuchen and Woodbridge in the election on Nov. 3.
In Metuchen, Hazel-Anne M. Johnson-Marcus received the most votes with 5,501, Brian D. Glassberg received 5,338 votes and Dan Benderly received 4,793 votes. There were 248 write-in votes, according to results certified by the Middlesex County Clerk’s Office on Nov. 20,
Glassberg and Johnson-Marcus ran on the slate Equity and Action.
Glassberg will begin his fourth year in January.
“I’m proud to be able to serve on the Metuchen Board of Education for three more years,” he said. “I know that so many people put their trust in the board to do our best by their children and our community, especially in these challenging times. I take that responsibility seriously in every decision I make. As a lifelong educator, I’m in the trenches every day and know acutely what needs attention. As a parent of a second grader, I know how much of a difference teachers make in our children’s lives.”
Glassberg said he looks forward to establishing a more equitable education for all students.
“This means a world-class education for everyone, starting by offering full-day kindergarten and all through graduation,” he said. “We need to meet the educational and psychological needs of all students, even if we continue in a hybrid learning environment. Curricular changes need to be made to diversify content, and teachers need training to deliver that content effectively. Long-term, our facilities need upgrading to make the learning environment healthier for our students and staff, and to create spaces that will meet our needs for the next 20 years. We can only achieve these necessary goals with a strong partnership between the board, the teachers, staff, administration, parents and the community. We’ve taken positive steps this past year, and I hope to keep that momentum going.”
Benderly has served on the board since 2008. During the election, Benderly said he will continue to ensure students get a high quality general, math and science education, advocate for programs to develop every child to their fullest potential, drive innovation for the benefit of all of our children, encourage appropriate differentiation at all levels, leverage available data and analysis tools to meaningfully measure performance, promote collaboration with teachers and parents and exercise fiscal responsibility.
Johnson-Marcus will begin her first elected term in January. She filled the vacancy seat of former board member Benjamin Small on Aug. 25.
During the election, she said she would like to focus on equity.
“We need to focus on reducing the disparity in learning outcomes and creating an equitable education system that meets the needs of all students in our Metuchen schools,” she said. “Along with my running mate, Mr. Brian Glassberg, we are working to ensure that we have a district staff that is reflective of the diversity of our borough and the State of New Jersey, and that is well trained to ensure inclusive schools. Work has already begun to implement a more inclusive curriculum that diversifies the content presented in our Metuchen schools.”
In Woodbridge, Marie Anderson received the most votes with 28,030, Brian Molnar received 27,035 votes and Frank Della Pietro III received 24,979 votes. There were 1,387 write-in votes, according to results certified by the Middlesex County Clerk’s Office on Nov. 20.