Scotch Plains-Fanwood Board Of Education Profile: David Levine

Alexis Tarrazi
·2 min read

SCOTCH PLAINS/FANWOOD, NJ — Scotch Plains-Fanwood Regional School Board has three candidates vying for two seats in the upcoming election on Nov. 3.

Dr. David Levine is one of the candidates running for the two, three-year seats on the board. The other two candidates include Evan Murray and Karen Mitchell.

Are you running for office in Scotch Plains-Fanwood? Contact Alexis Tarrazi at alexis.tarrazi@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Scotch Plains-Fanwood Patch.

David Levine

1. Why are running for Board of Education?

I want to be involved in what happens in my district, and as a pediatrician during a pandemic, I believe my unique skill set will be beneficial to my community.

2. What are your qualifications for this position?

I am a pediatrician with two children, one in the school system already, the other in preschool. I have worked in large and small practices and know how to work with others for a common goal.

3. The single most pressing issue facing our school district is ____ and this is what I intend to do about it:

The pandemic and its effect on our kids' education and mental health, as well as the effect on our families. Unfortunately, this is number one right now. What I can do is try to get more transparency in the information being disseminated to families of the health effects and numbers of COVID in our schools/town. I can help to guide the messaging of this information to our families and answer their concerns with honesty based on the best available information right now, knowing that this may change. I would push for our kids to get back into the classroom, which our surrounding communities are currently doing. I believe that our youngest kids can and should be in school, whereas the older grades may not be able to. There is no perfect solution right now, and we need to be open to lots of outside the box thoughts for our kids well being. Everyone will not be satisfied. I believe we need a medical voice on the board for just that reason.

4. What are other issues you would like to see addressed in the school district?

Mental health of our children (worsened by the pandemic), school start times in high school, racism and bigotry in our schools.

This article originally appeared on the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Patch