At the recent forum, the moderator asked a pressing question that should be on everyone’s mind: How would you attract and retain the high-quality staff that East Brunswick deserves? How would you address low staff morale?
Many candidates gave varying responses, but the contrast between Jeff Winston and Board of Education President Heather Guas could not have been more striking.
Identifying the Real Problem
Jeff Winston didn’t hesitate to address what so many teachers have been saying for years.
“People don’t quit their jobs. They typically quit their bosses,” Winston said.
He pointed to decisions that undermined morale, such as when the business administrator made the rounds removing coffee makers and fans from classrooms. “I think we’ve lost our way,” Winston added.
He shared the story of one teacher who left East Brunswick after years of service, not because of traffic or pay, but due to the anxiety created by the leadership.
“Every time she got an email from HR, the superintendent, or the business administrator, she would have a panic attack, leave the phone on the kitchen table, and her husband would have to open it and then come upstairs to tell her what it said.”
This isn’t a traffic issue. It’s a leadership issue. And Winston’s point was clear: before you can fix a problem, you have to correctly identify it.
The Importance of Listening
Winston emphasized that to retain great teachers, you need to create an environment where they feel respected, supported, and heard. That means more than just talking about culture — it means actually measuring it.
He spoke about the “pulse survey” idea that he and Neal Shah had drafted, urging the district to implement it immediately. A real survey, designed to capture honest staff feedback, would provide insight into what teachers are struggling with and what support they need.
Without data, leaders are guessing. And, in fact, thinking is precisely how we end up with superficial answers that overlook the real problems. If you want to stop attrition, you don’t look at traffic patterns. You examine your own practices, leadership decisions, and the daily climate in your schools.
As Winston put it:
“You can’t come to work scared. Kids can’t come to school with mental health issues and expect to learn. We have to find hope, folks. We’re human beings trying to produce a product of educated children. We have a job to do, not beat people up to get that accomplished.”
The Tone-Deaf Response
And then came the answer from President Heather Guas. Instead of talking about leadership or culture, she shifted the blame to the highway.
“Something that we don’t seem to have any control over is Route 18, which keeps being cited as an actual difficulty for our staff as to why they don’t want to stay here,” Guas said. “So we can’t fix that. Route 18 is what it is. Someday the state will finish with it.”
It’s tone-deaf to suggest that teachers are leaving East Brunswick because of Route 18. Teachers leave when they feel unsupported. Teachers leave when leadership decisions cause stress and hostility. Teachers leave when their morale is ignored.
What makes Guas’s answer even more concerning is that she isn’t just a candidate — she is the current board president and has previously held the same role. If the top leader on the BOE can’t even identify the problem, how can the community expect real solutions?
Blaming a congested roadway instead of addressing the leadership at the top not only misses the mark, but it also reveals a refusal even to acknowledge the real problem.
Leadership vs. Excuses
The difference between the two answers speaks for itself. Winston spoke directly about morale, leadership, and the need to create an environment where teachers feel valued and safe. He identified the problem.
Guas, the president of the Board of Education, pointed to traffic.
The takeaway is simple: until the leadership of East Brunswick stops making excuses and starts identifying and addressing the real problems, teachers will continue to leave. And if we keep losing great teachers, our students — and the community — pay the price.
