Transparency Tested: Berkeley Heights BOE’s Long Agenda Ends in a Familiar Clash
Editors Note: We received the following feedback: “One small correction on your article policy 132 will now allow the superintendent to promulgate regulations to the policy book without board approval. Currently all regulations need to go through committee and be voted on. In your article I think you said policy instead of regulation.” We are currently checking this and will...
What’s at Stake in the Potential Sale of the Berkeley Heights Sewer Plant
Many towns across not only New Jersey, but the nation, have been selling their waste treatment plants to private companies. Berkeley Heights mayor, Angie Devanney, along with Town Council members put out an article detailing their intent to vote on moving forward to solicit bids for the sale of the town’s waste treatment plant and highlighting some of the reasoning...
Extracurriculars: Helping or Harming Our Kids?
As my own family shifts into gear with college lists and visits, the dreaded Naviance questionnaires looming, SAT/ACT exams happening, and the Common App waiting like a stalking butler (thanks, Maynard), extracurricular activities have been popping into mind recently. According to the US Census, roughly 40% of kids participate in sports, with approximately 30% being involved in clubs or lessons outside...
Turf or Grass? Environmental Concerns for Lower Columbia Field
The Berkeley Heights Township’s lease of the lower Columbia field has been approved, but there is much to be done before residents will see a playing field at this location. One of those things needs to be a review of environmental conditions in that area and how placing a turf field in this location will impact the ecosystem. According to...
A Disturbing Abuse of Power: How the Berkeley Heights BOE Budget Meeting Became the Mayor’s Playground
I’ll keep this short. For years, parents have asked the District to adjust the rotate-and-drop schedule to allow for core classes like math to be taught every day. During the February 14 Math presentation, Dr. Curtiss shared that tutoring support could be available—but only if the District chose and funded one of the new proposed math approaches. That left many...
Pam Stanley et al. Appeal School Ethics Decision: Students, Teachers & Taxpayers Will Cover Their Bill
When Robert Cianciulli stated, at the most recent Berkeley Heights Board of Education meeting, that the recent finding of ethics violations would be appealed, I had hoped he was just making noise. Sadly, it’s true. Faced with a decision by the Office of Administrative Law and the School Ethics Commission, Pamela Stanley, Robert Cianciulli, and the rest of the former...
What is Gale Bradford Thinking?
Pam Stanley Slated for Vote as Finance Chair Following NJ21st’s initial OPRA request for documents previously provided to community members under OPRA, a correspondence was revealed from a BHPS employee—whose name has been redacted—to the Board President and Acting Superintendent, urging action on a matter of concern. In this correspondence, a teacher alleges that Ms. Stanley willfully violated the Code...
School Ethics Commission Upholds OAL Ruling and Recommends Harsher Penalty for Stanley, Cianculli, Hyman, D’Aquila, Penna and Young
In May of 2022, Berkeley Heights board of education members Robert Ciancuilli, Pamela Stanley, Angela Penna, Michael D’Aquila, Joy Young and Jordan Hyman kicked off a series of decisions that would lead to three separate complaints of ethics violations being filed by residents. Over the course of nearly three years, these cases worked their way from the New Jersey School...
Another Stanley Circus
Setting the Stage….Or Ring Every quarter (or so), members of NJ21st submit an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request to the Business Administrator (BA), asking for all records provided to OPRA requestors. Once requested, these records become public documents. At a recent Board meeting, certain statements were presented that can only be described as misinformation regarding OPRA requests. What’s particularly...
Distortions of Truth at the Berkeley Heights BOE Meeting
Shauna’s Notes of the 01/27/2025 BOE Meeting The Union County Superintendent, Daryl Palmieri again selected Gale Bradford to fill the role of President of the Berkeley Heights Board of Education, and the meeting opened with Mrs. Bradford sharing a directive given by Mr. Palmieri that the board work together. A relatively straight-forward vote elected Dipti Khanna to the position of...
nj21st.com (with the exception of featured images and logo) is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
