Community Voices: Start Showing Up, Berkeley Heights
The district is finally doing some things right. The NJGPA results are promising. Agendas and presentations are coming out earlier. The new Superintendent has begun releasing important documents, and so far BHPS has avoided more OPRA lawsuits. Our Assistant Superintendent looks engaged and on the ball, and the full-time Business Administrator seems solid on paper — not a relic from...
Outgoing Berkeley Heights BOE Treasurer Raises Concern with Missed July–August Payment Authorization
Harold Kessler is the Treasurer of School Monies for the Berkeley Heights Board of Education My name is Harold Kessler and I have been the Treasurer of School Monies for the Berkeley Heights Board of Education for the past seventeen (17) years. It has been my honor to work for the Board of Education and report directly to the Board...
Berkeley Heights Has Six Candidates Running for BOE, New Providence Shows None and Union County Makes More Mistakes
The six candidates running for Berkeley Heights BOE are as follows: CANDIDATE ADDRESS SLOGAN TERM EMAIL ADDRESS Gale D. Bradford 34 Mea Dr. Berkeley Heights, NJ Commitment to Community 3 Yrs [email protected] Helen Gabara 62 Burlington Rd. New Providence, NJ 3 Yrs [email protected] David T. Moore 245 Mountain Ave. Berkeley Heights, NJ 3 Yrs [email protected] Javier Morales 125 Lawrence Dr....
BHPSNJ Referendum Breakdown…. Soft Costs, Maintenance, and Inflation Risks?
The Berkeley Heights Board of Education has submitted a $50.3 million pre-referendum budget estimate to the New Jersey Department of Education for review. We requested this information through OPRA which led to another display of willful ignorance and petty bureaucratic power plays — but that’s for another article. One of the documents received was a Scope/Budget Analysis of what the...
Statement from BOE Representative Sai Akiri on the June 26 resolution to submit plans to the State for Approval
The Board was asked to approve one step in the process toward a referendum during the June 26 meeting—specifically, to approve submission of the applications to the state for review. Let me be clear why I could not support this. In the past, I have said it may be better to discuss issues as a full Board versus our current...
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...
Oversight, Not Excuses: BOE Member Speaks Out on OPRA Mismanagement
Prior to publishing “No Names, No Budgets: Transparency Continues to Erode Under Feltre,” NJ21st reached out to all members of the Berkeley Heights Board of Education for comment. To date, only Ms. Bhargavi responded. Her full statement is published below. Thank you for reaching out and expressing your concerns about the Berkeley Heights school district’s OPRA request process. I’ve seen...
No Names, No Budgets: Transparency Continues to Erode Under Feltre
When people ask for answers from their local government, they have a right to get them—clearly, directly, and without delay. That’s the whole idea behind New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act (OPRA). But in Berkeley Heights, trying to get even basic information from the public school district has turned into an exercise in frustration: dodged questions, generic email replies, and...
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...
New Superintendent, Same Misinformation Problem at BHPSNJ- John’s Notes on the 06/05/2025 BOE Meeting
I’ll start by saying: Shauna should really be writing this. But she’s off at some scouting thing doing good deeds or something, so you’re stuck with me. We can both be annoyed about this together. Last month, district leadership told the community that a new state bill might bring an end to cooperative purchasing. That claim became the backdrop for...
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