Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
Alapakkam Manikandan
Alapakkam Manikandan is the former Plainsboro member on the West Windsor-Plainsboro Board of Education in New Jersey. He was first elected to the chamber in 2010. Manikandan sought re-election on November 5, 2013 and was defeated by challenger Yu Taylor Zhong.
Biography
Manikandan earned a B.E. in Electronics and Communication from Bangalore University in 1991. He has worked in the IT industry since graduation and served as QA practice head at Appirio at the time of his tenure. Manikandan and his wife, Vasudha, have two children.[1]
Elections
2013
Incumbent Manikandan sought re-election for the Plainsboro seat against challenger Yu Taylor Zhong. The race for two seats from West Windsor includes incumbent Louisa Ho and challengers Rakesh Kak, Scott Powell and Yingchao Zhang. Incumbent Hemant Marathe ran for Mayor of West Windsor after serving for nine years on the board.[2]
Results
| West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School School Board, Plainsboro District, 3-year term, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Yu Taylor Zhong |
52.2% | 1,484 | |
| Nonpartisan | Alapakkam Manikandan Incumbent | 47.8% | 1,360 | |
| Total Votes | 2,844 | |||
| Source: Middlesex County, "Election Results," November 12, 2013 | ||||
Funding
Manikandan reported $585.91 in contributions and $585.91 in expenditures to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, which left his campaign with no cash on hand.[3]
Campaign themes
2013
In an interview with the League of Women Voters of the Princeton Area, Manikandan explained his views on major issues facing the district:[4]
District growth
|
"We need to continuously review and evaluate the programs being offered, and look for potential consolidation, or elimination, wherever possible. We should plan all expansions, contracts etc., considering future needs of the district. For example: We have proactively accounted for some growth opportunities while planning the current expansion at Village School. We should keep in close contact with the two townships to become familiar with their expansion plans so we can plan better for potential future students. Proactive planning is the best way to handle any growth in the district." |
Financial challenges
|
"We need to continue our process of careful financial budgeting. We have to continuously review our contracts, processes, operations etc., to find areas for improving efficiency, reducing cost etc. We also need to work with the state and federal governments to explore any innovative ways of getting addition funding/aid. For example – Installation of solar panels using government rebates, Using special grants for security infrastructure etc. As an incumbent board member I am proud of our achievement in decreasing our per pupil cost to $1000 below state average." |
School safety
|
"We need to ensure that we come-up with a practical, sustainable and balanced plan for improving the safety in our schools. This has to be a continuous process that involves all the stake holders including local police, fire department, administration, parents, township, county, state etc. The plan has to include appropriate technology security, while supporting some of the 21st century needs like social media, own devices etc. I am happy with the success of the pilot program at Village and Millstone which this year was expanded to Grover and Community. Based on the results, I will support expansion of this program to all schools." |
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Alapakkam + Manikandan + West + Windsor + Schools"
See also
- New Jersey
- West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, New Jersey
- West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District elections (2013)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, "Alapakkam Manikandan," accessed October 23, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ NJ.com, "West Windsor-Plainsboro school board president to challenge mayor in November election," June 24, 2013
- ↑ New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, "Standard Search," accessed December 27, 2013
- ↑ League of Women Voters of the Princeton Area, "Plainsboro Candidates for WW-P School Board 2013," accessed October 23, 2013
| ||||||||||
