Five candidates, including three incumbent school board members, turned in nominating petitions to run for four open seats on the East Windsor Regional School District Board of Education by the July 29 deadline.
Incumbent school board members Paula Calia, Jenna Drake and Christina “Tina” Lands are seeking re-election. School board member Colleen Murphy did not file a nominating petition and is not seeking re-election.
Kavitha Madhuri Velagapudi and Robert Laverty also turned in petitions.
Up for grabs are three seats that carry three-year terms and one seat for an unexpired, one-year term.
Of the nine seats on the school board, seven are set aside for East Windsor Township residents and two are for Hightstown Borough residents.
Lands, who is an incumbent, and Velagapudi are running unopposed for two seats representing East Windsor Township. The term is for three years.
Velagapudi has lived in East Windsor Township for 19 years. Her children graduated from Hightstown High School.
Velagapudi said she wants to serve on the school board because she has always been passionate about proposing positive changes. She is taking the initiative to run for the school board to implement necessary improvements.
“My top priorities are ensuring student and school safety, securing proper funding for school facilities and bringing in innovative ideas to improve our school’s ranking,” she said.
Lands could not be reached for comment.
Drake is running unopposed for a third open seat on the school board. It carries a three-year term and is earmarked for a resident of Hightstown Borough.
Drake could not be reached for comment.
Calia, who is seeking re-election for the one-year unexpired term to represent East Windsor Township, was appointed in January to fill the unexpired term of Bernard Fouignes, who resigned.
Calia is being challenged by Laverty, who is a former school board member.
Calia has two children who have attended the East Windsor Regional School District. One child graduated from Hightstown High School in 2021 and her younger child will be a sophomore at the high school.
She said she is seeking re-election because students deserve leadership that values integrity and that drives meaningful progress.
During the time that she has served on the school board, she has prioritized updating outdated policies and ensuring the curriculum is ready for the 2024-25 school year, Calia said.
“The positive changes we have seen are just the beginning. I am committed to building on this momentum, focusing on integrity and putting our students’ success first,” Calia said.
Laverty is a 35-year resident of East Windsor Township. His three children are graduates of Hightstown High School.
Laverty joined the school board in 2001 and served for more than 20 years, with some breaks in between his service on the board. Those years of service have provided him with a wealth of experience in labor issues, board ethics, finance and management, he said.
“I understand what it takes to build and support the management team, teaching staff and other district employees who have taken us through some challenging times,” he said.
Laverty said he understands the role of a school board member as a team player and how the board collectively evaluates the performance of the superintendent of schools. He said he is looking forward to rejoining the board with the support of the community.
