Your NJ Government – Civic Education Hub

A clean, student-friendly starting point for understanding how New Jersey government actually works. The hub pulls together our full civic series on local forms of government, county and state roles, OPRA, OPMA, and how public bodies make decisions.

yourNJgov

Berkeley Heights School Referendum – Coverage Hub

All referendum explainers, cost breakdowns, Q&A responses, agenda notes and community perspectives in one place. Updated as new documents and questions emerge.

referendum

NJEdReport Highlights NJ21st’s Analysis of Testing Overhaul

Our coverage of New Jersey’s proposed testing and accountability changes continues to ripple statewide. The piece examines missing comparability studies, baseline shifts, and what the Department of Education has not yet released to the public.

NJ Education Report Highlights Concerns Connected to New Jersey’s Testing and Accountability Overhaul

Video: Will New Tests Conceal Declining Performance?

A video walk-through of how the new scoring system could make year-to-year comparisons harder and what parents should be watching for when State reports are released.

Video: New NJ School Tests + New Scoring System: Will This Hide Declining Performance?

DOE Affirms That School Boards Are Responsible for Instruction

This piece breaks down a key clarification from the Department of Education: local Boards of Education are not just budget bodies. They have responsibility for instructional oversight, grading policy, and the conditions that shape student learning.

DOE Affirms Boards Are Responsible for Instruction

New Centralized Police Training Institute

From “street cop” style trainings to a centralized, state-supervised institute, New Jersey is reshaping how officers are prepared for the job. We explain what is changing, what remains unclear, and what this means for local departments.

From ‘Street Cop’ to State Oversight- NJ Launches Centralized Police Training Institute

Legislative Preview: University Merger, PFAS Bans and Consumer Protections

A look ahead at major bills moving through Trenton this week, including a proposed university merger, PFAS-related environmental protections, and new consumer protection measures affecting residents across the state.

This Week’s NJ Legislative Preview – University Merger, PFAS Bans and Consumer Protections

OPMA: New Jersey’s Public Meeting Law Explained

Part of our civic education series, this guide explains what counts as a public meeting, how quorum works, the nine reasons a body can go into closed session, and what residents can do when OPMA is violated.

Understanding Your NJ Government: OPMA| New Jersey’s Public Meeting Law

The full civic series, including OPRA and New Jersey’s different forms of local government, is collected in the Your NJ Government hub:

yourNJgov

The Berkeley Heights Referendum Explained – Part One

A foundational overview of what is in the proposal: project categories, tax assumptions, timelines, and how the structure of the questions sets up the vote.

The Berkeley Heights Public School Referendum Explained -Part One

The Berkeley Heights Referendum Explained – Part Two

A closer look at Question 1 and Question 2, how capital projects are grouped, and how the proposal lines up with what residents identified as priorities in the District’s own survey.

The Berkeley Heights Public School Referendum Explained -Part Two

Referendum Hub

The full set of referendum articles, documents and tools is available in the referendum hub:

referendum

BHPSNJ BOE Responses and Agenda Analysis

Community Voices

Viswa Reddy Joins NJ21st

Viswa Reddy is the former Board of Education President in Millburn and an experienced technology leader. He writes about technology, education and public governance, with a focus on how local decision-making shapes daily life in New Jersey communities.