Everyone is Learning From Berkeley Height’s Mistakes…Except for Berkeley Heights
Quick Note on Tomorrow’s Meeting Back in 2021, as BHCW was sort of getting started, I wrote the following in a Tap-Into Op-ed regarding the District’s de-facto settlement with the Union County Prosecutors office on an OPMA violation: I’m looking to dissuade future BOE’s and Superintendents from trampling over the rights of parents and children by making what this BOE and...
Update to the Controversy Surrounding Dr. Varley’s Salary Increase
Answers Lead to More Questions I am still waiting for a response from the Board on what should be simple questions about the Superintendent’s Salary Increase. The Board did approve the 2% raise with a vote on June 5th 2023- so let me set the record straight on that issue. So to answer the question I asked in a prior article: Did...
Did Dr. Varley Get a Raise Without a Board Vote?
And why weren’t Berkeley Heights Residents Aware of it? Update on 01/14/2023: The BOE DID Vote on this Increase but there is more to the Story. It appears Dr. Varley got a 2% raise without a vote by the Board of Education. To walk through this, we need to first walk through her contract. If you recall, Dr. Varley...
“Pay The Teachers!”
It was an interesting weekend. Since the controversial Reorganization Meeting, BOE Member Pamela Stanley made several posts on social media outlets with this simple line, claiming that four BOE Members voted down payroll. This connects to a chain of events started by Dr. Varley almost immediately after the meeting that created a great deal of confusion and concern among members of...
What’s Important to Know About NJ This Week -01/06/2023
Affordable Housing Reform Pushed Back, Infertility Treatment & Insurance Coverage, Grief Instruction in Schools, Liquor License Reform and Legislative Pay Raises Affordable Housing Bill Pushed to Next Legislative Session From the New Jersey Monitor The Senate won’t consider legislation making sweeping changes to the state’s affordable housing system before the Legislature’s session ends Tuesday, though the proposal is likely to...
“Only the Policies I Agree with Matter & Only the People I Like Are Allowed to Vote”
Berkeley Heights BOE Attorney, Business Administrator, and The Penna Bloc’s Display of Cognitive Dissonance During the 01/04/2023 Re-Org Meeting Several emails were sent to the Business Administrator and Board of Education on how the Agenda violated Board Policies and By-Laws. Despite this prior notice and stated objections to policy violations the Agenda represented, the Business Administrator, Attorney, and the Penna...
The Community Voted For Change & BHPSNJ Administration Can’t Seem to Let Go
With A Split Board, The former Majority May Be Resorting to Desperate Tactics on Day One The Board Agenda for the Re-Organization Meeting has been the same for decades. However, it appears the District is attempting to change the rules to prevent the change the community has voted for in the past three years. Multiple individuals have emailed and called the...
Designed To Fail: Last Year’s BOE Majority Created Conditions For Chaos
Berkeley Heights Residents should pay close attention to this Thursday’s BOE Re-Org Meeting Yesterday, Laura wrote about the BOE Agenda and pointed out some concerning facts surrounding the differences between this year’s and last year’s reorganization meeting. The most notable changes, in my opinion, were the removal of appointments and new business. The Board Attorney has been a significant sticking...
Transparency in NJ Had a Near Death Experience – What Now?
Now that there has been a pause to overhauling OPRA and OPMA – let’s take the opportunity to make both laws better. I would argue that one of BHCW’s most significant accomplishments is the normalization of OPRA requests in our community. It wasn’t too long ago that neighbors would post the OPRA requests of other neighbors in some weird attempt...
A Key Moment During the 12/19/2023 Berkeley Heights Town Council Meeting
The annoying and potentially dangerous “don’t get in the way of progress argument” reveals itself yet again. The clip below is, in my opinion, one of the more important exchanges during the 12/19/2023 Town Council Meeting. Town Council Member-Elect Margaret Illis asked the Council whether the Council considered recommendations by the Planning Board. This is a question she asked the...
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