Our Bureau
Edison, NJ
Biral Patel, who is current President of Edison Board of Education has decided not to seek reelection for another full 3-year Term after 4 years of dedicated service to Edison Board of Education but is committed to continue his work in volunteering and community service. He was first appointed in January 2021 and elected for a Full 3-Year Term in November 2021.
Apart from being a veteran community volunteer with his dedicated service of over 2 decades in volunteering and community service, Patel also received recognition from Edison Township leading a group of volunteers to seek over 1400 Vaccination appointments during the Covid-19 Pandemic. During his tenure, Patel had significant achievements in Board of Education
Immediately after Biral was appointed for 3 years, he worked with BOE Members and Council members to secure vaccination appointments for educators and staff members and formed a volunteer group to secure vaccination appointments for 1400 Edison residents. His efforts were recognized by Township Mayor Tom Lankey and Council members that includes current Edison Mayor Sam Joshi.
Biral who comes from a strong community service and volunteer background was very active during peak of Covid-19 crisis where his efforts were recognized by Middlesex County Government for Covid-19 relief efforts for helping residents in and around Edison with Food, Medications, PPE and several other efforts. Biral holds a master’s degree in computer science with over 30 Professional Certifications and works at a Global Fortune 500 Organization in Information Technology. He has also coached several individuals with Dale Carnegie Effective Communications and Human Relations courses and participated as an active member of Discover Engineering, IBM’s program for Science and Engineering Education for students in New Jersey Middle School. He is former member of Edison Township Zoning Board and Water utility advisory committee. He is recipient of Presidents’ Silver Award for Volunteering and Community Service and received Gold Recognition for the same. He is active in several large and small non-profit community organizations and is a zealous community person and also a member of Board of Trustees of ‘The Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park’ – Edison Tower.
Biral has also earned his Certified Board Member and Master Board Member certifications from NJSBA this year and he is first in the Township of Edison to achieve such feat. His next goal is to receive Certified Board Leader certification which he hopes to achieve soon. Most recently he announced plans and is actively working towards putting air condition in Edison Schools. He also created an Ad-Hoc Culture and Climate committee to handle vaping crisis in schools as well as handling overall cultural and HIB Issues. Ever since Patel’s tenure on the board, the board has achieved Zero Percent Tax Increase for school portion of the taxes four years in a row for which Patel voted on as a Member, Chair of Finance Committee twice and as a Board President. He also worked actively with the team to take steps towards resolving the overcrowding crisis as well as implemented parent and staff feedback for benefit of the school district.
“Biral was always supportive of teachers and support staff, always supported education and was instrumental in supporting Read Across America.” “Every year he would read to at least 3 classes in every elementary school in the district, the teachers and support staff saw his effort and greatly appreciated it.” Said Jeff Bowden who has just retired as a President of Edison Township Education Association after 12 years and service in Edison Public Schools after almost 40 years.
“Thanks to Biral Patel, for his commitment and service to the Edison Community as a member and President of the BOE. His work to support the Edison schools through community conversations, PTO outreach, and the countless hours he gave serving the children and school community resulted in many positive contributions to our community”, said Heather Casey who is a professor at Rider University, an active PTO and Community Parent for 3 Edison Schools and a PTO Executive Team Leader.
“I would really like to thank Mr. Biral Patel for his time and commitment. It is really appreciated not only by me but so many of the parents I got in contact with. All had great things to say about him. I can really understand it must have been so challenging and exhausting for him considering the work started under him like starting preschool, expansion of JPS etc. Further his level of engagement with PTOs and parent community especially by conducting webinars and establishing committees to handle vaping issues and school security is incredible. His outreach to the student and parent community was unparalleled. I understand Mr. Patel is not running for reelection, whoever is the president next year will have pretty big shoes to fill’ says Hena Ziauddin, President of one of Edison’s Elementary School PTA.
He is expecting to continue his volunteer work and community service initiatives, use his skills and experience to positively impact the lives of Edison residents and taxpayers.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve on the Edison Board of Education,” Patel stated. Volunteering for various causes has been a significant part of my life for many years, including my current service as a Board President and Board Member for past four years. Helping others is a core belief of mine, encapsulated in the saying “In the Joy of others, lies our own”. Despite my dedication to doing good and helping people, navigating the financial demands of running for election this year is not feasible for me. Therefore, I will take a break from the Board of Education Election at this time but will continue to contribute to the community and support various causes. It is encouraging to see many candidates running, reflecting the dedication of the residents who want to make a positive difference for our students, parents, staff and taxpayers. For those who know me, I am always reachable and available to try to help them in any way I can. I am proud of the work we have accomplished together. While I will not seek reelection at this point, my commitment to serving Edison remains as strong as ever.”
