More Questions Remain on the BHPSNJ Improper Transportation Survey
At the last meeting, Mr. Juskiewicz said there was no board correspondence since the previous meeting. I pointed out the exchange regarding the transportation survey. He apologized for the oversight. I wanted to share this exchange as I think it highlights the administration’s lack of attention to detail when it comes to collecting data from our kids and the inability...
The Saga to Attain the Proficiency Analysis Report that “Doesn’t Exist”
The Administration’s Madness Continues There was a reasonable request from a BOE member at the May 11th BOE meeting for the Superintendent to do her job and present to the BOE possible reasons for the decline in rankings and proficiencies as well as a plan to address the declines. The timeline below details the saga that ensued. May 11th: At...
Natasha’s Notes on the 06/05/2023 BOE Meeting
There is a lot to digest after the 06/05/2023 BOE meeting and much of it is not sitting well. Teacher of the Year Awards Congratulations to all the teachers for this recognition, and a huge thank you for all you do. As a community member pointed out, was the cafeteria setting the best the administration could do for the presentation?...
Our District Is In Trouble & It’s Up to Our Community to Fix It
Berkeley Heights school district is on a downward spiral and needs drastic change. How do we get there… Step 1 – we need to change the makeup of the board. This is where the community can make their voices heard. The BOE has members with validated ethics complaints against them, and most members don’t question or challenge the administration. The...
Questions About the Berkeley Heights 2023 School Budget Remain
At the last BOE meeting on March 30th, the Board decided (correctly) not to eliminate supervisor positions. However, Dr. Varley followed the vote with a warning (or threat) that the decision would result in cuts to teaching staff. Not once did the option of reductions in the Superintendent’s office or the Business Administrator’s office ever come up. Later in April,...
Stop the Insanity!
Is common sense and transparency really too much to ask? We find ourselves again at the mercy of an Administration unwilling to engage with the community and an ineffective board that cannot or will not be the voice of the community. The latest budget meeting is just another example. The detailed budget was sent to the Board on a Thursday...
BTC – The Struggle is Real
It’s been just over a month since the November 1st information session on Building Thinking Classroom. It was at this session that I became aware of this approach to teaching math and that there were parents who were very upset over the implementation of this approach. Since then: 1. The administration took less than one day to re-evaluate and moved to a more...
November 8th is an Opportunity for Real Change
Every election introduces the possibility of change. I am a change manger and I manage programs and projects that include both technology change and people / process change. I understand first-hand how change can be difficult for many and why people resist change. It’s unsettling and uncomfortable and the outcomes are uncertain. But change is necessary not just for the...
Thinking Classrooms and Parent Concerns
I was one of the parents who attended the information session on November 1st. I’ve had some parents reach out to me regarding this methodology but I was surprised at how many parents were upset with impact it’s having on their kids and how the administration treated their concerns. I was happy to see that the administration communicated that they...
Retrospective on the October 20th BOE meeting
I attended the October 20th meeting in person. It was nice to see some of the other candidates as well. I want to share some observations and questions regarding what was discussed and on the proceeding itself. The presentation on the NJSLA results had some positives and some negatives. Based on the results, it seems that our kids are performing well...
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