This week’s newsletter starts with two budget focused articles intended to better equip New Jersey residents as we approach the 2026 budget season. The first is another installment in our Know Your NJ Government series, which explains School District and Municipal budgets and the different documents associated with each. We also published the second article in our 7-District Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports (ACFR) Dashboard series, which drills down on how residents can determine how much of each per-pupil dollar goes to instruction.
We then turn to yet another New Jersey School Boards Association mishmash, breaking down what we refer to as “Edu-Slop” in their attempt to facilitate Berkeley Heights’ strategic plan. So far, the initial product appears to be little more than a slap in the face to a community that has been demanding academic accountability for the last five years.
At the local level, the Berkeley Heights Town Council used its last meeting of the year to inform voters that it did not actually vote to support a turf field, or even a field at all. Instead, residents are now staring down a newly described “Sports Complex,” a development sure to benefit Scutari and Bollwage donor Harbor Consultants. The scope of the project, the firm’s involvement, and Township payments are already growing before any real work has begun. All of this leaves residents wondering what this project will ultimately look like and how much it will cost.
Laura breaks down the Town Council meeting where residents not only asked questions about this development, but also raised concerns about who the Mayor plans to install in the Recreation Director position. Her article includes proposals connected to Harbor Consultants obtained through OPRA, which the Township did not attach to either resolution tied to the project, and presents a timeline that one reader described as “devastating for accountability.”
We also cover other items of concern from the meeting agenda, including salary range increases, pricey rock salt contracts, and yet another increase tied to sewage plant issues with Rapid Pump and Meter.
We close with Laura’s coverage of the BHPSNJ Board of Education meeting, which included the Audit presentation and a walk-on resolution involving a settlement in the 2023 case against the former Superintendent.
The Socials….
Evan Scott – NJ Education Report on the 40 Billion Dollar NJ Education machine.
Top Three Articles in November….
Understanding Your NJ Government: OPRA| New Jersey’s Public Records Law
Open Letter to NJ State Senator Nicholas Scutari Requesting the Immediate Withdrawal of S-4924
From ‘Street Cop’ to State Oversight- NJ Launches Centralized Police Training Institute
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The Week at NJ21st: Watch Dogs, Education Data, Referendum and Chickens…yes Chickens
