Our week started with the state moving closer to something we’ve been expressing concerns about for close to a year – a transition to adaptive testing without backup documentation now leading to a change in scoring scales that could leave NJ families in the dark on how well our schools are actually performing,
The next big story involves six former and current Berkeley Heights BOE members reaching their final administrative appeal on a four year long ethics case that affirmed prior findings they violated multiple provisions of the school ethics act. All of them are headed to public censure unless they decide to appeal the decision in Superior Court.
On the economic front, NJ’s Aspire tax credit program hit the brakes hard and is set for a fall retool as the NJEDA discovered much of the money was being swallowed in transaction costs while BeOne Medicine got $33.9M in tax credits through the Next New Jersey program for a $300M facility in Hopewell that’s expected to create 120 jobs.
To the Locals…..
The 07/21/2026 Berkeley Heights Town Council Meeting was another packed agenda loaded with controversy surrounding phantom police positions, PILOT agreements, free speech concerns and anonymous reports. Even after seven articles covering the agenda and meeting, we still aren’t done.
Candidate Edmund Maciejewski reviews nearly three hours of Berkeley Heights Council meeting videos and breaks down how each Berkeley Heights Council Member uses their floor time.
In New Providence we review a highly problematic school surveillance MOU that reveals a concerning recipe that includes broad police access rights, significant gaps in public auditing, camera scope and data retention rules.
Staying in NP, we find yet another BOE Agenda with big implications and very little detail for the public to review before the meeting that occurred this week.
We end in Randolph as Eliza demonstrates what happens when a superintendent sticks her nose into Board member fights.
On the Socials…
Andrea’s Story – How a Kidney Transplant Would Change Her Life
Top Five Articles in June
OPINION: The School Ethics Complaint That Exposed More Than It Intended To
With Little Warning, Berkeley Heights Council Moves to Dissolve Volunteer Recreation Commission
Op-Ed: Reserved Seats, Diplomas and the Problem With Special Privileges
The Paper Trail Behind Ordinance 2026-15: Paid Evaluations, Political Ties, and Omitted Minutes
Related Articles
This Week at NJ21st: No Impact Statements, No Backup Docs: The High Cost of Governance in the Dark
This Week at nj21st: State Budgets, Family Leave Expansion and the Berkeley Heights Way
