BERKELEY HEIGHTS 2022 BOE ELECTION- CANDIDATE RESPONSES TO QUESTION 2
BOE Candidates were asked to respond to the following question, the second in a series of questions BOE Candidates will be asked from BHCW: “We have heard many teachers speak publicly and to BHCW privately about the continued low morale in our schools stemming from our Superintendent. Last year the head of the BHEA expressed the position that the Superintendent...
THE DISTRICTS WAR ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CONTINUES: THE 2022 LWV BOE DEBATE
The League of Women Voters was born out of the American women’s suffrage movement. For over a century they have maintained an important role in the national discourse of American government by sponsoring debates, working to reform elections to benefit every American (HAVA), launching VOTE411 all while remaining non-partisan. The LWV has been critical in helping our small community learn...
DEI: An Opportunity to Improve Our Schools and Our Strategic Plan
In November of 2021, I met with Dr. Varley and a School Administrator in connection to DEI. I explained that part of the community push-back on DEI connects to a lack of clarity on goals and activities. That the District, community and the initiative would be better served by providing clarity on DEI. After that meeting, the Administrator emailed me...
Berkeley Heights 2022 BOE Election- Candidate responses to Question 1
BOE Candidates were asked to respond to the following question, the first in a series of questions BOE Candidates will be asked from BHCW: “Many residents feel that Dr. Varley did not deserve an early raise or early extension. Many feel the majority of the BOE have not held her accountable for handling of the reconfiguration process, attempt to remove...
The Berkeley HeightS Public School District’s 12-month Path to Less Input and Engagement
This article was originally published on TapInto. Over the past 12 months, residents, especially parents, have witnessed the removal of avenues available to them to communicate with District leadership and influence policy decisions. This article is intended to serve as a timeline of events surrounding the removal of these avenues. After a reconfiguration process (April 2021) that led to an...
R 5530- Missed Opportunity: The recent decision to continue a harmful approach to the Substance Use issue in our Schools
The use of suspensions by schools is evidenced to create more academic problems and legal difficulties without any benefit to context. (https://bit.ly/3PZ2tZU) During the 03/09/2022 BOE Meeting, the District had an opportunity to tackle the very significant issue of Substance Use and Abuse through an evidence-based approach. This policy provided the District with not only an opportunity to effectively tackle...
The Berkeley Heights Public Schools French Controversy of 2022: A Written Record of Events
This article was originally published on Tapinto [https://bit.ly/38Hx25h] On Friday, April 8th, at 11:52 am (a few days before Spring Break), parents with children within the CMS French program received an email from their children’s French Teacher. The email informed parents that the trip planned for Quebec by CMS was in danger of being canceled and that the District was...
The Berkeley Heights Public Schools French Controversy of 2022: A Written Record of Events
On Friday, April 8th, at 11:52 am (a few days before Spring Break), parents with children within the CMS French program received an email from their children’s French Teacher. The email informed parents that the trip planned for Quebec by CMS was in danger of being canceled and that the District was moving forward with ending French as a language...
The Berkeley Heights Public School 2022 Budget Controversy: Synopsis
The article was originally published by TapInto Berkeley Heights as an Op-Ed on 05/13/2022. It’s been some time since I’ve updated this site with an article. We’ve been trying to provide information to the public while at the same time working to prevent the Superintendent and the BOE from making some unfortunate decisions. As a result, we’ve been more active...
Comments on Recent Data provided by the BH School District on Reconfiguration
Recently, the District presented an infographic that demonstrates that the vast majority of families impacted by the reconfiguration “Strongly Agreed” with the following statement: “The community benefitted from the school district’s reconfiguration to implement a universal full-day program.” What residents need to keep in mind that the survey only went to families who directly benefitted from FDK, which we all...