Another Marathon BOE Meeting Reveals Clear Lines Between Board Factions
Laura’s Notes on the 06/26/2025 BHPSNJ BOE Meeting Another marathon BOE meeting underscored the growing divide between Team Stanley/Bradford and Team Akiri/Foregger, while Khanna, Dillon, Joly, and Terrero continued making efforts to work with everyone—balancing collaboration with accountability. The public portion of the meeting didn’t begin until around 8:45 PM, nearly 75 minutes behind schedule. Mrs. Bradford opened the session...
From Housing to Surveillance: What the Council Is Voting On Thursday
Laura’s Notes on the 06/26/2025 Berkeley Heights Town Council Meeting The Town Council is meeting tomorrow night at 6:30 — Thursday, not Tuesday. And if you’re thinking it’s weird they moved their meeting to the same night as the BOE, you’re not the only one. Maybe it’s a coincidence… but probably not. The BOE has a liaison to the Council....
Missing Ordinance? Berkeley Heights Turf Lease May Violate State Law
Is the Berkeley Heights CMS Lease Agreement Legal? -Laura Kapuscinski This past weekend, while I was opening fan mail, I happened upon an anonymous letter directing me to N.J.S.A. 40A:12-5 and pointing out the possibility that the Town Council did not properly adopt the CMS land lease with the Berkeley Heights Board of Education.* Upon review, the language in N.J.S.A....
From Chatham Classroom to Federal Court: The Lesson That Sparked a Legal Battle
In 2017—well before Zoom links and Google Classrooms gave parents a window into what happens during the school day—most families assumed things were fine. Kids went to school, came home, and the details in between were largely invisible. But COVID changed that. We started paying closer attention. And in doing so, many parents found their voices. Libby Hilsenrath found hers...
Public Only When Convenient? Residents Question Turf Field Transparency
While the Township previously engaged in a highly public campaign that involved press releases and email blasts to promote the CMS lease, recent communication on the project -particularly a scheduled meeting with a turf vendor-raises questions about consistency and transparency. A meeting organized by the Recreation Committee to hear from a turf vendor was not listed on the Township calendar,...
Laura’s Notes on the 06/05/2025 BHPSNJ BOE Meeting
While the June 5 “regular business” portion of the BOE meeting was arguably the shortest in recent memory, it also went the latest—slipping past midnight and potentially violating OPMA by extending into the early hours of Friday morning. The evening began with a lovely reception honoring Educators of the Year, retirees, and student representatives. But immediately after, the Board entered...
Laura’s Notes on the 06/05/2025 Berkeley Heights BOE Meeting
Thursday’s Board of Education meeting will be one of the more heartfelt ones of the year. It’s when the District and community formally recognize and celebrate the educators who’ve gone above and beyond—and say farewell to some of our most dedicated staff as they head into retirement. Among this year’s retirees are longtime Principal Jessica Nardi and Supervisor Laurie Scott,...
The Sewage Sale Debate: Lessons from Power Outages and Lost Accountability
If it feels like the power’s been going out more often in Berkeley Heights, you’re not imagining things. From schools to homes, businesses to traffic lights, outages have become a part of life here. And the most frustrating part? No one ever seems to explain why. Just this month, over 1,000 residents lost electricity — including Mary Kay McMillin...
No Debate, Bad Audio, and Dead Ducks: A Night at the Berkeley Heights Council Meeting
Laura’s Notes of the 05/20/2025 Town Council Meeting It’s been a while since I watched a Town Council meeting. Maybe I was still feeling the good vibes from the CMS musical, but for a second, it felt like I’d landed in some cheerful Oz where everyone was smiling and getting along. Turns out, that vibe was all surface. The fake...
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....
nj21st.com (with the exception of featured images and logo) is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
