The Real Story on How the January Berkeley Heights BOE Meeting Fell Apart
Nothing occurs in a vacuum. The chaos that happened at the most recent Berkeley Heights BOE Meeting was set in place well before any BOE member stepped through the Governor Livingston cafeteria door and, as mentioned in the intro I wrote about Melissa Varley’s letter to staff, it started in the District’s Central Office. There is no longer any question...
Ignorance of Parliamentary Procedure Is Creating Chaos & Harming Our District
Edmund Tom Maciejewski For those of you following Thursday’s Super Chaotic Board of Education Meeting. One thing, regardless of where you stand on Angela Penna forcing this chaotic situation, is that nobody on the board, nor the lawyer nor the administrator understands Robert’s Rules of Order which is what governs the rules of the meeting. Case in point, Sai made...
The Whole Story Behind Agenda Items A and I: Payroll and Ethics
Notes from Laura on the voting at the re-org meeting No Board members voted against agenda item I in an attempt to stop payroll from issuing paychecks on 1/15/24. When the motion to vote was made for resolution I, Board members had an issue with how Agenda Item I was worded. They did NOT have an issue with paying BHPS...
Ms. Penna and Ms. Stanley: Here’s a Compromise
Email John sent to the Board Earlier Today on the President Deadlock: I would be ok with Angela Penna being president if the following occurred: -Committee Memberships need to be approved by a majority vote of the BOE -Committees are taped and provided to the public -The 48 hour rule is removed -The the power of the President is diminished...
Melissa Varley’s Spin on the BOE Reorganization Meeting Highlights How This All Got Started
In the email below, sent to BHPS Staff, Dr. Varley ignores the machinations of her own office in setting up last night’s meeting for failure. She ignores the fact that if ANY member of the Penna bloc (a phrase that I don’t like, but is all too fitting) were honestly interested in working toward solutions, a consensus could have been reached last night....
“Only the Policies I Agree with Matter & Only the People I Like Are Allowed to Vote”
Berkeley Heights BOE Attorney, Business Administrator, and The Penna Bloc’s Display of Cognitive Dissonance During the 01/04/2023 Re-Org Meeting Several emails were sent to the Business Administrator and Board of Education on how the Agenda violated Board Policies and By-Laws. Despite this prior notice and stated objections to policy violations the Agenda represented, the Business Administrator, Attorney, and the Penna...
The Community Voted For Change & BHPSNJ Administration Can’t Seem to Let Go
With A Split Board, The former Majority May Be Resorting to Desperate Tactics on Day One The Board Agenda for the Re-Organization Meeting has been the same for decades. However, it appears the District is attempting to change the rules to prevent the change the community has voted for in the past three years. Multiple individuals have emailed and called the...
Designed To Fail: Last Year’s BOE Majority Created Conditions For Chaos
Berkeley Heights Residents should pay close attention to this Thursday’s BOE Re-Org Meeting Yesterday, Laura wrote about the BOE Agenda and pointed out some concerning facts surrounding the differences between this year’s and last year’s reorganization meeting. The most notable changes, in my opinion, were the removal of appointments and new business. The Board Attorney has been a significant sticking...
01/04/2024 BOE Agenda: Laura’s Notes
BOE Not Voting on New Attorney, New Business Removed, Citizens Hearing Removed, Curriculum Re-Adoption The primary purpose of this Board of Education (BOE) meeting is for the reorganization of the Board of Education. New members Natasha Joly and Sai Bhargavi Akiri will officially be sworn in, and all members of the BOE will take the Oath of Office. Two Board...
How the Number of Berkeley Heights BOE Meetings Compare with Neighboring Districts
Berkeley Heights is in the middle of the pack with an average number of Board of Education meetings over three years. -Written By An Educator In the Community Earlier this week, Berkeley Heights Public Schools posted their Board of Education (BOE) agenda for the reorganization meeting on Thursday, January 4th. Including this reorganization meeting, there will be at least 15...
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