Johns Notes on the 01/07/2025 BHPSNJ BOE Meeting
Last night’s BOE meeting made it abundantly clear that the board remains deeply divided into two factions: one that seeks to advance change through evidence-based reasoning and thoughtful debate, and another that seems more intent on politicizing every. single. issue. The evening featured the Business Administrator’s perplexing defense of sending documents—already publicly released—for yet another attorney review to determine if...
Response from District on Budget Survey Concerns
Dipti Khanna, BOE Finance Chair and BHPSNJ Superintendent Dr. Feltre responded to our concerns regarding the BHPSNJ Budget Survey. Initial Email: Hi Dipti, I have concerns about the budget survey going out during winter break; prior to the new superintendent taking office and prior to this year’s Audit being publicly presented. This is such a strange decision. Can you provide...
The Sensational Six, 2024: People and Organizations Who Make a Difference in New Jersey
In No Particular Order Kevin Walsh – NJ State Comptroller, Open Government Jedi Master, and Prince of 0 Ducks (but with an “F”) Given Kevin Walsh has been unwavering in his commitment to improving New Jersey’s government. He has fiercely advocated for transparency through OPRA, taken on systemic issues within law enforcement, and stood up to entrenched party bosses across...
Don’t Fill Out the BHPSNJ Budget Survey Just Yet
The timing of the BHPSNJ Budget Survey raises concerns. It was released in the middle of a holiday break and before the Audit report was made available. The Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), a critical document produced from the District’s audit, is submitted to the State and made public. Unlike last year’s budget document, which serves as a plan, the...
Analysis: How Are New Jersey Urban Districts Really Holding Up?
I wrote an article comparing seven urban districts for NJ Education Report: [embedpress prefix_nftcreator=’false’ prefix_nftprice=’false’ prefix_nftlastsale=’false’ label_nftbutton=’false’ loadmorelabel=’false’ label_nftrank=’false’ label_nftdetails=’false’ instafeedFollowBtnLabel=’false’ instafeedPostsCountText=’false’ instafeedFollowersCountText=’false’ instafeedPopupFollowBtnLabel=’false’ instafeedLoadmoreLabel=’false’ cPopupButtonText=’false’ adWidth=’false’ adHeight=’false’ adStart=’false’ adSkipButtonAfter=’false’ embedpress_lock_content_error_message=’false’ embedpress_password_placeholder=’false’ embedpress_submit_button_text=’false’ embedpress_submit_Unlocking_text=’false’ embedpress_lock_content_heading=’false’ embedpress_lock_content_sub_heading=’false’ embedpress_lock_content_footer_message=’false’ embedpress_pro_embeded_source=’default’ instafeedFeedType=’false’ instafeedAccountType=’false’ embedpress_pro_embeded_nft_type=’false’ embedpress_embeded_link=’false’ embedpress_audio_video_auto_pause=’false’ spotify_theme=’false’ emberpress_custom_player=’false’ custom_payer_preset=’false’ embedpress_pro_video_start_time=’false’ embedpress_pro_youtube_end_time=’false’ embedpress_player_color=’false’ embedpress_pro_vimeo_auto_play=’false’ embedpress_pro_vimeo_autopause=’false’ embedpress_pro_vimeo_dnt=’false’ embedpress_pro_youtube_auto_play=’false’ embedpress_pro_youtube_display_controls=’false’ embedpress_pro_youtube_enable_fullscreen_button=’false’ embedpress_pro_youtube_display_video_annotations=’false’ embedpress_pro_youtube_progress_bar_color=’false’ embedpress_pro_youtube_force_closed_captions=’false’ embedpress_pro_youtube_modest_branding=’false’ embepress_player_restart=’false’...
A Tale of Two BOE Meetings: Policy, Hypocrisy and Professionalism
Notes on the 12/12/2024 BOE Meeting Let’s take a trip down BOE memory lane to gain some much-needed perspective on the hypocrisy surrounding the outburst by incoming Berkeley Heights BOE member Terrero during the December 12, 2024, Board of Education (BOE) meeting. Reflecting on the December 15, 2023, BOE Meeting One year ago, at the December 15, 2023, BOE meeting,...
Political Machines Strike Again: New Bill Protects Party Control Over Fair Elections
The New Jersey Working Families Party has raised alarms over a new bill aimed at addressing the state’s long-standing ballot design issues. Instead of solving the problem, this legislation entrenches party control, creating even bigger challenges for voters and candidates alike. Recent events paint a troubling picture: after gutting campaign finance laws and undermining the Open Public Records Act, both...
Insights Into Contributions Made by Individuals to Political Action and County Committees in NJ (2019-2023)
81% of contributors to County Level PAC’s and Political Committees disclosed their employer, with 5% identifying as self-employed. Contributions from those listing an employer accounted for 76% of the total funds donated to non-individual county political entities. Major Contributors: The top 50 donors with employer disclosures contributed close to $3 million to county PACs or political committees. Among these,...
NJ Business Contributions to County Political Action and Party Committees: 2019 through 2023
Between 2019 and 2023, businesses donated nearly $1 million to County PACs and Political Committees. The data below and prior articles on this topic do not include donations to individual candidates or contributions to state and national political campaigns. The top five contributing business sectors, ranked by total dollars donated, are: Engineering (primarily related to property development and civil engineering)...
Continuing the Gray Money Chase
A Look at Top Non-Individual Contributors and Recipients – NJ County PACs and Committees (2019–2023) Our first article on campaign spending used Berkeley Heights, NJ, as a case study to illustrate the challenges residents across New Jersey face in understanding how campaign contributions influence their local governments. In our second article, we expanded the focus to a county-by-county analysis of...
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