Council liaison decries ‘Wake Up Call New Jersey’ campaign, defends West Windsor‑Plainsboro schools

At the Oct. 14 council meeting, Council member Dan, who serves as the council’s board of education liaison, criticized a political campaign called Wake Up Call New Jersey that he said is running a multimillion‑dollar effort to cast West Windsor‑Plainsboro and other districts as failures.

“As a council liaison, I attend all those meetings, and it’s an issue that I think we all really need to dive into,” Dan said, adding the campaign presents itself as nonpartisan but in his view is part of a national effort to push privatization and to undermine public confidence in public education. He called the campaign “deliberately misleading” and “deeply insulting.”

Dan cited the district’s academic record in urging residents to review the superintendent’s detailed response: “The West Windsor‑Plainsboro School District is, as we all know, one of the top performing school districts in the entire state of New Jersey. Ninety‑seven percent of our students are graduation ready in English, 93 percent are ready in math. Our SAT scores far exceed state and national averages. Ninety percent of our AP [students] score three or higher… these are not marks of a failing education system.”

He urged residents to read Superintendent David Adderholt’s 14‑page response posted on the district website and to watch the recorded statement that is also available on YouTube. Several council members and the mayor expressed support for the district and noted broad community concern about the advertising campaign’s local impact.

No formal council action was taken; Dan’s remarks were made during the council reports section and were presented as a call for civic engagement and public review of the district’s materials.