Prior to publishing “No Names, No Budgets: Transparency Continues to Erode Under Feltre,” NJ21st reached out to all members of the Berkeley Heights Board of Education for comment. To date, only Ms. Bhargavi responded. Her full statement is published below.

Thank you for reaching out and expressing your concerns about the Berkeley Heights school district’s OPRA request process.

I’ve seen firsthand how the Berkeley Heights school district has handled recent OPRA requests, and I share your frustration. Delays, vague replies, and the use of anonymous email responses don’t reflect the transparency our community deserves—especially on key topics like police spending and school-level budget data for 2025–26.

The lack of clear identification on responses, the refusal to release budget files under the excuse that they’re still “drafts” months after the budget adopted, and the idea that basic spending records are a “summer project”—none of that is acceptable. This isn’t how open public records should be handled by public taxpayer funded entities.

Your questions are warranted, and I appreciate your diligence in seeking answers. What’s been happening with public records requests doesn’t sit well with me either.

The district’s handling of OPRA requests has been subpar, and I agree that changes are necessary. Specifically, I take issue with the following:

1. Anonymous replies: There’s no justification for not including a name or title in responses from the district’s OPRA account. It undermines trust, and I’ve raised this issue more than once. By law every public entity has a designated OPRA custodian, so all emails should list a name.
2. School-level budget files: These should’ve been finalized and public already. Calling them drafts at this stage doesn’t hold up as the budget has been adopted. I’ve been advocating for their immediate release.
3. Police spending: Most of that data is compiled already—for reporting, monthly bill payments and audit purposes—so treating it like it’s a major lift just delays public access without good reason IMO.
4. Oversight and accountability: I don’t agree with how OPRA is being managed right now. We need better systems in place: clearer timelines, transparency, and real accountability.

I am advocating for improved oversight and accountability, including clearer timelines, transparency, and regular audits. I will continue to push for these changes internally.

Best regards,

Sai Bhargavi

Note: As always these are my thoughts and opinions as an individual and do not represent the opinion of the Berkeley Heights Board of Education.

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