Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.
John Barton
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive election coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population as well as mayoral, city council, and district attorney election coverage in state capitals outside of the 100 largest cities. This board member is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates.
John Barton is the former at-large representative on the Brick Township Public Schools school board in New Jersey. First elected in 2014, Barton lost a re-election campaign in the at-large general election on November 7, 2017.
Biography
Barton's professional experience includes teaching and coaching track in Jackson School District. Barton earned a B.A. in psychology from Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in 1984.[1]
Elections
2017
Two of the seven seats on the Brick Township Public Schools school board in New Jersey were up for at-large general election on November 7, 2017. Newcomers Jessica Clayton and Maria Foster defeated incumbent John Barton to win the seats. Clayton and Foster, along with the additional five board members, will be tasked with hiring a new superintendent.[2]
Results
| Brick Township Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 3-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Jessica Clayton |
37.06% | 8,522 |
| Maria Foster |
36.21% | 8,325 |
| John Barton Incumbent | 25.98% | 5,974 |
| Write-in votes | 0.75% | 173 |
| Total Votes (100) | 22,994 | |
| Source: Ocean County Clerk, "2017 General Election November 7, 2017: Official Report," accessed March 22, 2018 | ||
Funding
Barton did not report campaign contributions or expenditures in this election as of October 17, 2017, according to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission.[3]
2014
Two seats on the Brick Township school board were up for election on November 4, 2014. At-large incumbents Sharon Cantillo and Lawrence K. Reid ran for re-election as a slate. Returning candidates John Barton and David Fischer challenged them in the general election.[4]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Sharon Cantillo Incumbent |
35.1% | 7,053 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Barton |
23.2% | 4,658 | |
| Nonpartisan | David Fischer | 22.4% | 4,505 | |
| Nonpartisan | Lawrence K. Reid Incumbent | 19% | 3,814 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.4% | 87 | |
| Total Votes | 20,117 | |||
| Source: Ocean County Clerk, "General Election Unofficial Results," November 12, 2014 | ||||
Funding
Barton reported no contributions or expenditures to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission. He filed a A-1 form which declared that he did not receive contributions exceeding $4,500 in this election.[5]
Endorsements
Barton did not receive any official endorsements in this election.
2013
Barton ran for election against Karyn Cusanelli, David Fischer, and John Talty on November 5, 2013.
Results
| Brick Township Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 3-year terms, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Karyn Cusanelli Incumbent |
32% | 7,566 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Talty Incumbent |
24.6% | 5,813 | |
| Nonpartisan | David Fischer | 21.5% | 5,078 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Barton | 21.5% | 5,076 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.3% | 76 | |
| Total Votes | 23,609 | |||
| Source: Ocean County Clerk, "Official Results," November 14, 2013 | ||||
Funding
Barton reported no contributions or expenditures to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission in this election.[6]
2012
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Karyn Cusanelli |
35.2% | 6,331 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Barton | 32.8% | 5,894 | |
| Nonpartisan | Brenda J. Calderone | 32% | 5,741 | |
| Total Votes | 17,966 | |||
| Source: Asbury Park Press, "School board election results," November 7, 2012 These results are unofficial. | ||||
2011
| Brick Township Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 3-year terms, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Sharon Kight |
22.4% | 6,410 | |
| Nonpartisan | Lawrence K. Reid |
18.1% | 5,177 | |
| Nonpartisan | Vicky Leone | 15.5% | 4,434 | |
| Nonpartisan | Konstantine Goulas | 13.1% | 3,752 | |
| Nonpartisan | Robert Merola | 13.1% | 3,750 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Barton | 8.9% | 2,540 | |
| Nonpartisan | David Fischer | 8.5% | 2,430 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.5% | 149 | |
| Total Votes | 28,642 | |||
| Source: Ocean County Clerk, "2011 School Election County of Ocean Official Results," accessed September 8, 2014 | ||||
Campaign themes
2012
Barton provided the following responses to questions from Brick Patch:
| “ | Question 1: The issue of school district facilities is frequently on the minds on Brick residents. Please describe your specific priorities in terms of where tax dollars and capital funding should be directed for facilities projects. Do you favor looking into the possibility of holding a referendum for a future capital outlay?
I am in favor of allowing the public to voice their opinions as to what the district’s facilities needs may be. Currently, the BOE has spent over ten million dollars without a referendum, and none of the facility improvements that are currently in the works has anything to do with curriculum that is tested on the state level. I do believe that money should be spent to improve facilities so that the environment in Math and English classes are more conducive to learning. Question 2: Some members of the community have voiced concern over the rigor of the district’s academic program, as well as the availability of honors and advanced placement courses at the high school level. What specific policy steps do you feel the district should be taking to ensure students receive a rigorous and competitive college preparatory education in our public school system? This is goal #3, # 4 and #5 of the Superintendent’s Merit and Compensation Goals for 2012-2013 so consider it already done. Goal #3: By May 1, 2013, the Superintendent will develop a plan for early identification of and early intervention with children who may be at risk for not passing the third grade NJASK reading levels. The plan will be based on proven strategies and be implemented and monitored. In the 2012-2013 year, with the goal of increasing the number of third grade students passing Language Arts from 69.5% to 73.5% in 2013, a 4% increase for general education will be realized as evidenced by the 2012-2013 NJASK Spring assessment. 'Goal #4: Increase the number of AP classes offered at both high schools by a total of three (3) classes in each school.' 'Goal #5: Increase the total number of students taking AP classes by 8% for the 2012-2013 school year.' These are my thoughts of what the policy should be like that would work to improve academics in Brick Schools. All last year, I opposed the technology chair’s position on having laptops purchased solely for high school students. I voiced my opinion that advancements in using technology in elementary and middle school levels would help to increase the numbers, and advance proficient scores in the lower grades. I even contacted all of the school’s PTA groups to tell everyone what was going on and to encourage more involvement from the community. The millions of dollars being spent on laptops should be divided more equally around the district’s lower grades too. Technology is not the only area that is lacking in Brick Schools. Comparing Brick to other schools , I notice a much lower rate of Advance Proficient Score on the NJASK. If you don’t make academic improvements in lower grades first, there is more of a need to offer, C level classes at the HS’s to take the students in Honors and AP classes that are not doing their homework out of those programs and moving them back to regular A and B or C level classes. You have to start at the elementary level to make use of High School Honor and AP classes because right now most of the students in the Honor and AP classes have a false sense of their ability to be academically competitive with others their own age. Question 3: Full day kindergarten is becoming more common in public school districts, and there is the possibility that the state could mandate its availability in the coming years. Describe your support for, or opposition to, such a program in Brick. If it becomes a mandate, what approach would you take towards implementing a cost effective full-day kindergarten program for the Brick district? You have already been informed from the Superintendent that there will be full day kindergarten. The district is also, presently, undergoing a state mandated evaluation too. At meetings during that start of the school year it was publically announced that there will be full day kindergarten next year. For a few years there has been cost analysis, discussed publically, to show the expenses and the savings of utilizing all of the building but expanding the kindergarten program to full day. A certain Board member has already been a proponent of full day kindergarten for a few years now, but that doesn’t prove public outcry. Again, the community should be given an opportunity to voice their opinions, goal #2 of the superintendents Merit and Compensation Goals; 'Goal #2: Implement a communication plan that actively informs and involves the home, community and schools as partners.' Question 4: It is no secret that New Jersey – specifically, its suburban communities – has the nation’s highest property taxes. What specific ideas do you have to generate revenue or realize savings in order to stabilize the tax rate, while maintaining a proper scholastic program for students? The schools should be inviting to the community and the residents should feel proud to have ownership in the decisions made by the school board. The Board of Education should work on making compromised decisions with the public , at public committee meetings, that will benefit the students to the fullest without overspending or careless spending.[7] |
” |
| —Brick Patch candidate profile on John Barton, (2012)[8] | ||
See also
- Brick Township Public Schools, New Jersey
- Brick Township Public Schools elections (2017)
- Brick Township Public Schools elections (2014)
- Brick Township Public Schools elections (2013)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ LinkedIn, "John Barton," accessed November 19, 2013
- ↑ Ocean County New Jersey, "2017 General Election November 7, 2017, Unofficial Results," accessed November 8, 2017
- ↑ New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, "Filings," accessed October 17, 2017
- ↑ Ocean County Clerk's Office, "2014 SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES LIST," accessed September 8, 2014
- ↑ New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, "View a Candidate or Election Related Committee Report," accessed October 14, 2014
- ↑ New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, "Standard Search," accessed December 27, 2013
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Brick Patch, "BOE Candidate profile: John Barton," October 22, 2012
| Brick Township Public Schools elections in 2017 | |
| Ocean County, New Jersey | |
| Election date: | November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-Large: Incumbent, John Barton • Jessica Clayton • Maria Foster |
| Important information: | What was at stake? |
