Evesham's newly elected school board member less than two years out of Cherokee High School.

The 19-year-old sophomore at Rutgers University stays busy studying public policy, hosting a campus radio station program about New Jersey politics and learning military matters on the campus ROTC.

But Aiden DeMarsey's calendar soon will begin to fill even more with constituent issues and, beginning in January, he will head south from New Brunswick to his hometown of Evesham to attend the monthly meetings of the Evesham Board of Education.

DeMarsey, who has spent his life in the town and graduated in 2022 from Cherokee High School, was elected on November 7 to the school board with 5,480 votes, or 20.48% of the total. He was one of three winners in a field of five candidates.

If they did not know him before, many Evesham residents know him now: With running mate Anthony Foster, the duo knocked on an estimated 5,000 doors to introduce themselves before the board election. Foster, DeMarsey's high school friend and a Montclair State University student, did not win and came in fourth in the election with 4,706 votes, or 17.59% of the total.

"If people elect you to serve in a position, that is one of your top priorities above all else," DeMarsey told 70and73.com of what will become a feat of multi-tasking. 

Talk to DeMarsey on the telephone and he sounds like a 40-year-old seasoned elected official. Discuss the school district issues at the top of his "to do" list and it quickly becomes obvious that he has spent time deeply thinking about solutions.

"In my view, public service is something you have to be involved with for the right reasons," said DeMarsey, whose family has lived in the Foxcroft and Heritage neighborhoods and now lives in Briarwood, across the street from Cherokee.

His father, Troy DeMarsey, also was born and raised in Evesham and attended St. Joan of Arc School in town and graduated from Holy Cross Academy in Delran. He is a corporate accountant. Mom Kendra DeMarsey is from Massachusetts and is the program coordinator for paramedic and EMT educational services at Rowan College at Burlington County.

Besides being a product of Evesham schools, DeMarsey has two current special interests in the district's success: Sister Makenna DeMarsey is an 11-year-old Marlton Middle School sixth grader and brother Landon DeMarsey is an 8-year-old second grader at Marlton Elementary School.

What issues are at the top of his list as an incoming school board member?

DeMarsey said he was troubled by district busing cuts that left some students as walkers — including his siblings — when they used to get bused.

"It's easy to make a decision on paper...but you also have to understand the human element," DeMarsey told 70and73.com. He that said in a district like Evesham transportation should not be a concern for parents. He wants to explore ways to free up funds to expand busing.

In his campaign rounds, the new board member said he heard from a resident whose children are home-schooled but also eager to get involved in district extracurricular activities. 

"Just because they're home-schooled doesn't mean they should be excluded from these opportunities," said DeMarsey, who added that social involvement can become a mental-health issue for students who learn at home.

A universal concern among those who run school districts is shared by DeMarsey: declines in state funding.

"We're having a hard time sustaining the services that we pride ourselves on," he said. "This policy by Trenton needs to be revisited."

DeMarsey said an estimated one-third of all school districts in New Jersey suffered state funding cuts and he believes if they join together, rather than separately complaining, to lobby for policy change that they would be successful.

When Evesham voters chose new school board members last week they also approved two ballot questions: one authorizes the district to pay for tuition-free, all-day kindergarten. The other provides mental-health services to elementary and middle school students.

The job of the board will be to ensure that there is an efficient and adequate implementation of the two programs and that the "right people" are overseeing each, he said.

"That's a lot of goals," DeMarsey said after going over them.

The new board member's personal goals? 

He wants to stay in public service, but also wants to get a law degree after his public policy undergraduate diploma. After law school, he said, he wants to use his ROTC training and join the military and enter the Judge Advocate General's Corps, which is the military's legal system.

READ MORE: Who won election in 70and73's area? | News | 70and73.com