South Brunswick Board Of Education Profile: Raja Krishna

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — Raja Krishna, a South Brunswick resident hopes to introduce an advanced curriculum so that students in the school district can “reach their highest potential.” Krishna is running alongside Mike Mitchell and Smitha Raj for a seat in the Board of Education.

Read below to learn more about Krishna and his platform for the upcoming elections in South Brunswick.

Name – Raja Krishna

Age (as of Election Day) – 51

Position Sought – South Brunswick Board of Education

Family – Sadhna (wife), Love (son) and Kusha (daughter). Both My kids have studied in the South Brunswick school district from Kindergarten and graduated from High School in 2017 and 2018.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? – No

Education – Bachelor’s of commerce, certified in initiating and planning projects, Certified SAFe 5 Agile Scrum Master, Certified Salesforce Administrator. Occupation – Present Occupation: Supply chain Management Professional. 16 Years of experience Previously an Army officer for 14 Years.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office – No

Campaign website –

https://m.facebook.com/Raja.Smitha.Mike/posts

Why are you seeking elective office?

Our South Brunswick community needs new members on the board who bring in new zeal, passion, commitment, diversity, inclusion, involvement, sensitivity and enthusiasm. To make a difference and contribute with complete honesty and transparency and most importantly being reachable to every member of the community. The time for change has arrived. I am standing for the BoE to be the voice of the children, parents, teachers, staff and the community. We, with the present COVID-19 situation, have to keep our schools safe and secure. The needs of our special need children require to be constantly addressed. And we have to work tirelessly towards our resolve of preparing our children to identify their strengths and passion and navigate them to achieve their goals. To help them being accepted in top schools, without any additional tax burden. I think, this is possible. Being a veteran army officer I bring in leadership, focus, dedication and the passion. I am confident I will add great value to the community and the board of education.

Story continues

The single most pressing issue facing our community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue facing our community is COVID-19. We as a community know much more about the virus than what we knew six months back. There is COVID-19 fatigue setting in, but we must not let out guard down, we need to remind every member of our family, our friends, children, community and township that the only way we can sustain in these very difficult times is by three rules: wear your mask, social distancing and washing hands regularly.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

One thing that sets me apart from other candidates is my background. I am Veteran. I identify critical issues and find solutions and set achievable milestone. I am coming in with a 3-point plan to try and achieve with the cooperation of the students, teachers, parents and other BoE staff.

• Keep schools and student safe and secure.

• Get children with special needs the best support and assistance they need.

• Create an environment with the help of advance curriculum to allow children to reach their highest potential and get accepted into the best universities and colleges without increasing the tax burden on the residence of South Brunswick.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

There is always room for improvement. The current Board, I am sure has been doing a great job. But we must make sure every child has the opportunity of an advanced curriculum to use their highest potential. There are 2900 students in South Brunswick High School and around 750 graduate every year. 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. We cannot be doing the same thing and expecting result to be different. we as a community need to facilitate change and the results will follow.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

The other issue defines my campaign is honesty, transparency, commitment and open communication with parents, teachers and students. We are in the Board of Education for the future of our students and to be the voice of the community.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

A former army officer with 14 Years of service, leadership, discipline, punctuality, planning have been party of my life. I am a supply chain management professional for the last 16 years, where precision and being detail oriented is of paramount importance. I volunteered as a USA Swimming Official for 3 Years. Have been affiliated with Princeton University swimming clubs. I have been the Secretary of the Steering committee of Defense Services Officers Institute New Jersey for 10 Years serving the tristate area I have been part of the New Jersey Edison cultural Organizing committee for 8 Years.

The best advice ever shared with me was.

If you believe in what you are doing, be committed, success is not far.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

We, as a community, have to take care of our children who are our future and the future of this country. We have to nurture them, guide them and give them the support and environment to have confidence in themselves and perform to the best of their ability. A lot has been done by our Board in this direction, but we have a lot of catching up. We need to stand up to the reputation our township has, we cannot be contended with the status quo that has been for the last few year. New ideas, new zeal and commitment has to be given a chance. We need change and the only thing that is constant is change. We need to do something different to give success and achievement a chance. Accountability is key. We need to do this for the faith and trust that our children, teachers and parents have in us. we can to it together being your voice, being transparent, being reachable and without increasing the tax burden.

This article originally appeared on the South Brunswick Patch