Laura’s Notes on the 05/15/2025 BHPSNJ BOE Meeting Agenda
Overview Appointment of Assistant Superintendent Dr. Crystal Marr has been appointed Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction, and Student Achievement, with a salary of $183,500 effective July 1, 2025. Dr. Marr hasn’t been with the District long, but like Dr. Feltre and Dr. Cordero, she’s already made an impression by showing up—at our schools, at student events, and in the community....
BHPSNJ District Opens Search for Business Administrator Ahead of July Transition
On Friday, May 2, Applitrack—the platform used by Berkeley Heights Public Schools to manage job postings—listed an opening for the position of “Business Administrator/Board Secretary,” effective July 1, 2025. The listing follows recent Board of Education meetings during which some residents noted that the current Business Administrator’s contract was not among the recent renewals—making the posting anticipated by many. The...
Laura’s Notes on the 04/24/2025 BHPSNJ BOE Meeting
Budget! The April 24 BOE meeting was primarily scheduled to vote on the final adoption of the 2025–26 budget. However, it opened with a lengthy presentation on the results of the recent referendum survey. The budget passed with minimal discussion. The Business Administrator (BA) gave the exact same presentation he delivered back in March — the one that was largely...
Laura’s Notes on the 04/24/2025 Berkeley Heights BOE Meeting Agenda -Budget and Policies
Let’s hope this meeting stays focused and free of unnecessary theatrics. Many have questioned why the Board scheduled this meeting at Governor Livingston High School to coincide with a GL concert. Whether this was an oversight or an intentional move to suppress attendance remains unclear—but the optics haven’t gone unnoticed. Superintendent’s Report: Referendum Survey Results The Superintendent is expected to...
Private Tour, Public Questions: Does Recreation Department Invite Lead Council & BOE to Violate OPMA?
The New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) 10:4-7 clearly states: Legislative Findings and Declaration: “The Legislature finds and declares that the right of the public to be present at all meetings of public bodies, and to witness in full detail all phases of the deliberation, policy formulation, and decision-making processes of public bodies, is vital to the enhancement and...
Smiles for the Camera, Silence Behind the Scenes
An ongoing crisis of transparency and trust in Berkeley Heights The work of our elected representatives is arguably difficult—and often thankless. But lately, the endless parade of staged photo ops and plastered-on smiles pushed out by the Township feels increasingly out of sync with the outright hostility and dysfunction that rears its head during election season. So what’s real—those smiles...
Council Passes Lease in Special Meeting as Residents Raise Transparency Concerns
The Berkeley Heights Town Council held a Special Meeting over Zoom this past Tuesday at 3:30 PM. The only item on the agenda was the lease agreement with the Board of Education for Lower Columbia property. Councilmember Margaret Illis was absent, and both Council President John Foster and Vice President Susan Poage—who are employees of the school district—recused themselves due...
Laura’s Notes on the 03/18/2025 BOE Meeting Agenda: The Budget
This Board meeting should focus primarily on the Budget. This is the first opportunity the members we elected will deliberate and discuss how to allocate our tax dollars to make the most beneficial impact for our students, their education and for our dedicated staff. REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT AP/SAT/PSAT Presentation REPORT OF THE BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR Preliminary Budget Adoption There are...
Laura Kap Live From the Columbia Tennis Courts- Time For the BOE to Convert the Pickleball Courts?
It appears that the courts the Township converted for pickle-ball are actually on BOE property. If this is the case, perhaps the District can remove these and set up tennis courts for our students. Of course, this is a joke; we would never recommend affecting people that way – because we don’t take pride in power plays for personal or...
Fact vs. Fiction: Exposing the Township’s Misinformation on the Lease Agreement
Let’s compare the Mayor’s recent Op-Ed to the “actual facts”: The Lease Agreement Ultimatum Township’s Statement (1/14/25) “If a signed lease agreement is not received by January 31, 2025, the BoE and Township will no longer have a partnership in maintaining the fields… As a result, an alternate location will need to be found for tennis practices and matches.” —Email...
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