Suspect RFP’s and Lame Duck Sessions
Resident Comments During the 12/07/2023 Berkeley Heights BOE Meeting Last night’s meeting ended with the BOE not taking any action in a meeting that could have created more legal issues for the District. Yesterday, we published an email from a parent citing concerns about the District’s RFP for an Architect that, if acted on with a decision, would have potentially led...
Is the BOE Majority Setting the District Up for Another Violation at Tonight’s Special Meeting?
Another Questionable Special Meeting And Potential Violation Shauna WIlliams sent the following email in connection to the purpose of tonight’s BOE Meeting – Interviewing Architects- to the Board of Education. Laws are in place to ensure the public is fully aware of District decisions that impact students and to protect the dollars taxpayers invest to educate them. It was not...
What It’s Like to Ask For Basic Documents from the Berkeley Heights School District
A recent example Illustrating why OPRA Laws Cannot be Weakened I am posting this conversation to illustrate how the District responds to basic requests for information. My email starts with a request I have made regularly after every BOE Meeting over the past few months. Here is my original email: Ms. Bradford forwarded the email to Mr. Cianculli (I...
Role of BOE Members and the Current Race Against Change
The current majority can embrace the benefits of a split Board instead of working feverishly to maintain control. During a recent Berkeley Heights Board of Education meeting, board member Robert Cianciulli appeared rather concerned about having a “4-4 board”. The implication here is that board members would no longer vote in a bloc, but would instead have differing opinions that...
Responses to Constructive Feedback and Questions on BHCW’s Reporting on the Declines
During the 10/12/2023 BOE Meeting, I invited all BOE Members present and members of the Administration to a public debate on the declines. I am still waiting to hear from someone on my offer. Over the past month BOE Members and several community members on different forums provided BHCW feedback on our articles and I want to provide these concerns...
Latest Elementary and Middle School Rankings Not Encouraging For Berkeley Heights
The decline in rankings continues under Dr. Melissa Varley as Superintendent -Written by an Educator in the Community The following rankings are using the Berkeley Heights Community Watch (BHCW) seven-district data dashboard. These seven districts include Berkeley Heights, New Providence, Summit, Chatham, Madison, Millburn, and Westfield. The methodology from US News & World Report states: “State assessment data determines how...
My Notes on the Berkeley Heights BOE 11/16/2023 Meeting
-Natasha Joly Three main topics stood out for me at last night’s meeting. The elimination of Mr. Hopkins’ role as records custodian. I’m happy about this, as I’ve argued many times why this role, which costs an additional $12k per year, was not necessary based on the number of OPRA requests. Mr. Hopkins did not perform well in this role...
Cleary, Giacobbe, Alfieri, and Jacobs Has Over 86,000 Reasons to Be Thankful for Berkeley Heights
I should start out by acknowledging that our District has taken a small step in the right direction by publishing the Bill List and Transfer Report with this month’s Board Meeting Packet. However, considering all the claw-backs over the past three years, we are far from where we need to be. So yes – it is a good step- but...
11/16/2023 Berkeley Heights BOE Meeting Agenda – Laura & Shauna’s Notes
A. District ByLaws – Study and First Reading 0155 Board Committees The President shall appoint members to any committee and require monthly reporting to Board President. Committees are not authorized to take action on behalf of the Board. The selection and interview process relating to the hiring of a new Superintendent or Interim Superintendent shall be at all times conducted...
Thank You
I’d like to say a heartfelt “thank you” to the Berkeley Heights community for your support. The fact that so many people turned out and voted in a contest that was seemingly a done deal means so much to me. The message of Education First! underpinned by transparency and accountability truly resonated with many. As a board member, I will...
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