Suggested Use of Candidate Pages & Project Disclaimer
Note: There are a few ways to use this page. It mixes objective source material with light analysis and first-hand reporting so voters can choose their depth.
How to get the most out of this candidate page
- Start with the Quick Summary. Click the Quick Summary button underneath the websites section. It gives you the fast take: what we know from sources + brief analysis from a “data collector / local reporter” point of view.
- Scan the objective sources. If you want more data, jump into the source material we’ve collected:
- Official campaign website (if available)
- Social media pages and posts (if available)
- Interviews (video/audio) and transcripts (if available)
- Check the agenda & positions. Look for the candidate’s stated agenda and issue stances. We try to group them plainly so you can compare across candidates quickly.
- Read the Transparency/Accessibility rating. For a deeper look at how transparent the candidate has been (web presence, interviews, follow-ups, meet n greets) and how communicative they've been in response to outreach, see the rating and its short explanation. This helps you understand what’s easy to find and who is easy to contact.
- Use the page as a multi-layered hub. If you 'just want the facts', stick to the source documents. If you want opinions about transparency, accessibility, and communication, check the transparency meter. If you want coverage somewhere in between, like interviews that range from introductory to moderately pressing, watch the interviews. Choose your own adventure.
Where we add context or opinion, it’s to help busy voters make sense of gaps in local information. Not everyone has time to be a volunteer politico.
Faustino J. Sbrana
Websites
Quick Summary
John Sbrana is a lifelong Vineland resident, Vineland High School graduate (’68), and veteran educator–communicator who spent two decades leading the district’s public information and broadcast operations before joining the Board of Education. Now serving as Vice President and chair of the Personnel & Policy Committee, Sbrana brings extensive institutional knowledge and a reputation for steady, detail-driven leadership.
His agenda centers on reducing absenteeism through engaging curriculum, parent partnerships, and strong staff morale. He emphasizes career pathways such as trades, auto tech, and the revitalized Future Farmers of America program, alongside core academic excellence and life-skills instruction.
Key issue priorities include maintaining safe schools with well-trained SROs, protecting and modernizing facilities, and ensuring clear advancement paths for educators and staff to retain local talent. Guided by a communications-based “truth-first” philosophy, Sbrana values practical transparency, long-term planning, and keeping Vineland schools competitive, engaging, and community-connected.
This election is on November 4th, 2025
Transparency/Accessibility Rating: A bit above average
Explanation
John Sbrana’s transparency and accessibility reflect the balance of a long-time incumbent with deep community roots and a busy professional record who entered the campaign phase later than some of his challengers. For newer or younger voters—including those who have only recently begun following local elections—Sbrana was not necessarily a familiar name at the start of the race. In a field of eight candidates competing for three school board seats, that unfamiliarity matters—but so does the broader context.
Roughly half of this year’s candidates offered little to no public campaign messaging at all. Against that backdrop, Sbrana’s willingness to respond to outreach, complete the InformTheVoteNJ questionnaire, and participate in a full-length, hour-long interview demonstrates a clear level of openness and accountability. During the interview, he provided detailed, experience-based insight into absenteeism, curriculum, staffing, and safety—showing that he not only understands the system, but has helped shape it over multiple decades.
Any speculation that he could have done more to campaign publicly can reasonably be attributed to the status quo of Cumberland County elections, where candidate forums, centralized meet-and-greets, and county-facilitated outreach are still not routine. In that environment, legacy and credibility can substitute for visibility, and Sbrana’s long-term involvement, committee leadership, and responsiveness place him a bit above average for transparency and accessibility this election cycle.
Videos
John Sbrana on Vineland BOE: Absenteeism, SROs, Trades & Curriculum, Facilities, Staffing
📋 Click here for full interview summary 📋
Interview Context: In this InformTheVoteNJ Radio Hour conversation, John Sbrana—long-time Vineland Public Schools employee (communications/broadcasting), current BOE member and vice president—discusses what he’s learned on the board and his priorities going forward.
Incumbency & Approach: Despite decades filming and following meetings, Sbrana says serving on the board had a steep learning curve; most real work happens in committee sessions. His media background shapes a truth-first ethos—he resists narrative “spin” and prioritizes clear communication.
Student Engagement & Attendance: “Kids can’t learn if they’re not in their seats.” He links absenteeism to engaging curriculum, passionate teachers, and parent involvement (including practical touches like food at events). He supports strengthening the home-school connection while ensuring breakfast/lunch access for students in need.
Curriculum & Pathways: Double down on fundamentals (reading, writing, math), expand life-skills/financial literacy, and grow trades pathways. He highlights the revival of FFA with a new greenhouse and a planned farm site, plus auto tech and related hands-on programs.
Safety & SROs: Proud to have helped implement school resource officers; hiring/training continues under program leadership, with prevention and coordination alongside juvenile officers.
Facilities: Vineland leveraged significant state capital funds for new buildings and now focuses on maintenance (HVAC, roofs, windows) and decisions on older facilities (e.g., Cunningham), balancing renovation vs. disposition.
Staffing & Retention: Create clear growth paths so “homegrown” talent stays; prefer local hires when candidates are close, but always choose the best qualified. He pushes against practices that drive strong educators elsewhere.
Differentiators: Recent service on the Personnel & Policy committee, near-perfect meeting attendance, and spearheading a third-generation broadcast truck that functions as a mobile lab integrated with classroom programs.
Closing: Encourages all voters to participate; frames the work as meaningful and worth continuing.
⏳ Click to view timestamps, topics, and takeaways ⏳
Interview Summary – John Sbrana
This table highlights the key moments and takeaways from the radio interview.
| Timestamp | Topic | Key Takeaways |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00 | Intro report & context | Steven frames the voter-first purpose; notes crowded field and why engagement/transparency matter. |
| 06:20 | Background & media ethos | Family emphasis on education; media career informed a truth-first stance and caution toward narrative control. |
| 12:45 | Early internet & first website | Brought the district online in the ’90s; device-control policies have swung toward classroom integration. |
| 16:35 | Incumbency & committees | Steep learning curve; most substantive work occurs in committee sessions rather than full meetings. |
| 21:10 | Absenteeism & engagement | “Kids can’t learn if they’re not in their seats.” Engage via curriculum + passionate staff + parent involvement (food at events helps). |
| 27:20 | Curriculum & pathways | Reinforce basics; expand trades/FFA (greenhouse, planned farm site), auto tech, and life-skills/financial literacy. |
| 33:50 | Safety & SROs | SRO program implemented; hiring/training on track; prevention focus with strong coordination. |
| 36:45 | Facilities & maintenance | Capitalize on prior state funding; proactive HVAC/roof/window work; evaluate options for older sites like Cunningham. |
| 40:15 | Staff recruitment & retention | Build clear growth paths; prefer local when close but hire the best; keep trained talent from leaving. |
| 45:30 | Party affiliation & lens | Registered Republican with independent evaluation; fiscally conservative tendencies (taxes, jobs, growth). |
| 47:00 | Differentiators | Personnel & Policy committee work; third-gen broadcast truck/mobile lab; near-perfect attendance. |
| 53:50 | Closing | Encourages voting; reiterates commitment to students and steady follow-through. |
Agenda
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Attendance, Engagement & Parent Partnership
Reduce absenteeism by making school worth showing up for: engaging curriculum, passionate teachers, and practical parent involvement. Sbrana favors meet-ups that mix short info sessions with food to boost turnout and strengthen the home–school connection. He also supports ensuring breakfast and lunch access so students’ basic needs don’t block learning.
He stresses that strong, intact home support correlates with achievement; the district can help by bridging schools and families through welcoming events and clear, regular communication.
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Curriculum & Career Pathways
Double down on fundamentals—reading, writing, math—while expanding practical pathways: life-skills/financial literacy, trades, and hands-on programs. Highlights include the revitalized Future Farmers of America (greenhouse now; planned farm site next) and auto tech, with an eye toward making coursework relevant and job-ready.
As engagement rises, attendance follows; Sbrana links these themes directly to his absenteeism strategy.
Issues
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Safety & Security (SRO Program)
Continue the rollout of School Resource Officers with proper hiring and training, coordinated with the district’s security team and local juvenile officers. The focus is prevention and readiness—protecting students while maintaining a calm, supportive environment.
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Facilities & Infrastructure
Maintain newer buildings proactively (HVAC, roofs, windows) and make careful decisions on older facilities such as Cunningham (renovate, repurpose, or sell). Vineland previously leveraged substantial state capital funding for schools; current plans emphasize stewardship and preventative maintenance.
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Recruit, Retain & Develop Staff
Recruit, hire, train, and promote the best possible educators and support staff, with a clear path to advancement so people can “get there from here” rather than become rock stars elsewhere. Preference for local talent when candidates are close—while always hiring the most qualified.
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Communication Ethos & Transparency
Bring a truth-first communications mindset from decades in media: be candid, avoid spin, and keep the public informed. Sbrana notes that much of the substantive work happens in committee sessions; he values steady follow-through and clear public updates.
Background and Experience
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Vineland Roots & Education
Lifelong Vineland resident; graduate of Vineland High School (1968). Studied at Cumberland County College and Rutgers; earned a B.A. in Communications (Thomas Edison State) based on college-level study and professional work.
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Communications & Broadcasting Leadership
From 1995–2015, served as the district’s first communications coordinator and later executive director/public information/broadcast television—a role created in the wake of crises like Columbine and Tylenol. He brought the district online at the dawn of the information age (first internet connection; authored early district website), built out a wide area network over time, and produced extensive programming for Comcast/Verizon channels.
Directed live-to-tape BOE telecasts for ~20 years with only a handful missed due to illness; mentored hundreds of students through VPS TV.
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Board Service & Committee Work
Current BOE Vice President. Chair: Personnel & Policy (priority on merit-based hiring and growth paths). Member: Curriculum & Instruction and Facilities; Chair of the ad hoc Communications committee. Notes a near-unblemished attendance record over 10 years—including flying back from Florida at his own expense to avoid missing meetings.
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Student Programs & Technology
Helped drive a third-generation broadcast truck—a mobile lab integrated with classroom programs—supporting live events (games, parades, board meetings) and giving students marketable production skills connected to broader communications/tech careers.
Party Affiliation
Party Affiliation
Though school boards are non-partisan, Sbrana clarifies his outlook: an independent-minded voter who has often supported Republicans, favoring holding the line on taxes and a robust economy through job growth and development.
Distinguishing Yourself from Opponents
How He Differs
20+ years as a Vineland Public Schools employee/manager in communications and broadcasting; 10 years on the board (Vice President) with leadership on Personnel & Policy. Emphasizes merit-based hiring, clear staff growth paths, and practical communication with the public.
Nearly unblemished attendance at BOE meetings; integrated a broadcast truck/mobile lab with classroom learning; ties absenteeism solutions directly to engaging curriculum, parent partnership, and staff excellence.