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....
The 05/01/2025 BHPSNJ BOE Meeting: Strategic Planning or Strategic Posturing?
Last night, I watched the BHPSNJ BOE meeting on the strategic plan, and before sharing my thoughts, I want to clearly state my bias upfront. I’ve worked extensively on strategic plans, even leading the process several times in my career. This experience has taught me that, more often than not, strategic plans serve primarily as tools for high-level leadership to...
Laura’s Notes on the 04/24/2025 BHPSNJ BOE Meeting
Budget! The April 24 BOE meeting was primarily scheduled to vote on the final adoption of the 2025–26 budget. However, it opened with a lengthy presentation on the results of the recent referendum survey. The budget passed with minimal discussion. The Business Administrator (BA) gave the exact same presentation he delivered back in March — the one that was largely...
2025-2026 BHPSNJ Budget – Full Detail and Snapshots
We received a version of the 2025-2026 BHPSNJ Detailed budget from the District yesterday. We cleaned up the formatting and added a tab menu. You can download it here. Some quick snapshots from the spreadsheet are below but before we get started on that it might be good to point out a slide from the New Providence BOE Budget Meeting....
Laura’s Notes on the 04/24/2025 Berkeley Heights BOE Meeting Agenda -Budget and Policies
Let’s hope this meeting stays focused and free of unnecessary theatrics. Many have questioned why the Board scheduled this meeting at Governor Livingston High School to coincide with a GL concert. Whether this was an oversight or an intentional move to suppress attendance remains unclear—but the optics haven’t gone unnoticed. Superintendent’s Report: Referendum Survey Results The Superintendent is expected 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...
Fear of Facts: A Response to Councilwoman Poage’s “Fake News” Claim
The March 18th council meeting served as yet another reminder of how some elected officials misuse their platforms to undermine fact-based journalism. Unfortunately, history repeated itself. Councilwoman Susan Poage followed this well-worn path, spinning legitimate reporting with a “fake news” narrative during Tuesday’s meeting. Yet, despite her grandstanding, she failed to cite a single instance of misinformation—because none existed. This...
The Facts They Won’t Print: What Hyperlocal Media Left Out On The Lease Agreement Articles
As our local hyper-local media outlet continues to push incomplete timelines and the false narrative that insurance issues were the reason the Mayor and the Recreation Department locked students out—we believe it’s important to set the record straight. Instead of a productive budget meeting focused on our students, the discussion devolved (yet again) into political theatrics driven by the Mayor’s...
John’s Notes on the 03/18/2024 BOE Meeting-Turf Field and Budget
The Board of Education (BOE) was placed in an impossible situation last night by the Mayor and the Recreation Department. A room packed with residents that had only been exposed to the Mayor’s version of events, thanks to what we now know were fabricated rules regarding contract negotiations—where confidentiality seemingly only applies when it suits the Mayor – who apparently...
Quick Notes on the 03/18/2025 BHPSNJ Budget and Student Performance Presentations
Budget Presentation: Academics and student achievement ranked as the top budget priority, with a notable investment in textbooks and software. However, during the math presentation at GLHS in February, parents were told that after-hours tutoring would be available. The District should clarify tonight whether this commitment remains in place, as families were led to expect this support. We also seek...
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