New OPRA Tool Available from NJ21st
In light of recent changes to New Jersey’s OPRA law, we’ve made it easier for residents of the 21st District to request public records from their Municipalities, School Districts, County Government, and State Departments. These user-friendly online forms are fully compliant with the updated law. Every municipality—including Westfield, Scotch Plains, Summit, New Providence, Berkeley Heights, and Warren—is included. A copy...
2025-2026 BHPSNJ Budget – Full Detail and Snapshots
We received a version of the 2025-2026 BHPSNJ Detailed budget from the District yesterday. We cleaned up the formatting and added a tab menu. You can download it here. Some quick snapshots from the spreadsheet are below but before we get started on that it might be good to point out a slide from the New Providence BOE Budget Meeting....
More Notes on Security Spending – 25-26 BHPSNJ Budget
Over the last three school years, security spending in the Berkeley Heights Public Schools has ballooned — far exceeding original budget estimates while state aid has remained flat. What the Numbers Show 2023–2024: The District budgeted $214,000 for school security but ended up spending $260,396, according to the official ACFR (Annual Comprehensive Financial Report). That’s a 22% overrun in a...
Budget Withheld, Questions Unanswered
A prior version of this article incorrectly indicated that the year to year increase on security spending was 62%, this is incorrect- that actual percentage is 42% from the 2023-2024 actual amount. (04/24/2025) How budget opacity, inflated security costs, and stalled academic progress are failing our students. In both 2023 and 2024, I was able to secure the line item...
Turf Fields and Tutoring: Who Gets What in NJ’s Broken System?
The real tax issue in New Jersey isn’t about funding critical services for underserved communities—it’s about the relentless churn of money between politicians and special interests. Take Berkeley Heights as an example: the Township received a $250,000 grant for a turf field, pays $30,000 annually to a public relations firm, and brought in over $2 million in PILOT payments—with not...
A Look at the Interests Behind $8.5 Million in NJ Campaign Contributions
When campaign finance reports are filed in New Jersey, contributors often list their employer—shedding light not only on who’s giving, but why. A review of the top contributors by employer, as reported to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC), reveals a familiar pattern: law firms, engineering contractors, real estate developers, and public sector employees dominate the donor rolls....
A Tale of Two Systems: Comparing City and Suburban School Districts in New Jersey
In New Jersey, public education is shaped not only by state standards and funding formulas, but by local context — especially the economic and demographic makeup of each district. This report compares two distinct groups of school districts: seven suburban districts serving some of the state’s wealthiest communities, and seven city districts serving some of its most economically disadvantaged. While...
Out-of-School Placement Rates in NJ Special Education: By Year and Subgroup
This report presents a multi-year overview of special education placement patterns in New Jersey from 2020 to 2024, focusing on students with disabilities ages 5–21. Using publicly available data from the New Jersey Department of Education, it tracks the percentage of students placed in out-of-school settings—such as separate schools, residential facilities, and home/hospital instruction—across a range of demographic groups. The...
Devanney’s Campaign, PR Spending, and Public Wellness Initiatives
Mayor Angie Devanney has already raised over $6,000 for a potential re-election bid— despite that election being more than a year away. A substantial portion of her contributions so far comes from Senator Vin Gopal, who raised more than $1.6 million in 2023 for his re-election campaign in Legislative District 11, a Central Jersey district with some overlap into the...
2025 NJ21st 7-District Interactive School Performance Dashboard
We are pleased to announce the launch of NJ21st’s interactive dashboard, developed to help users explore school performance data for each of the seven districts in our region (Berkeley Heights, New Providence, Westfield, Millburn, Chatham,Madison and Summit) . Based on data from the New Jersey School Performance Reports, this tool provides a clear snapshot of academic outcomes and school climate...
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