Laura’s Notes on 04/27/2023 Budget Portion of BOE Meeting
Dr. Foregger and Ms. Khanna Vote “No” to Cut Supervisors But It Wasn’t Enough Below are Laura’s notes. I want to thank Tom and Dipti for supporting teachers and supervisors by voting no. Dr. Varley incredibly made this a choice between Supervisors and Teachers and not once considered her or the Business Administrators staff as a means of reducing costs....
The Penna Bloc Shows A Crack
Laura’s Notes from the 03/30/2023 Budget Meeting The 3/30/23 Board meeting was a thing of beauty. People were passionate, and the Board majority voted in a way that reflected some glimmer of compassion for those who spoke. Okay, it had some embarrassing and dark moments. But we saw some resistance to the Administration, so I’ll take any movement in the...
Shauna’s Notes on 03/30/2023 Berkeley Heights BOE Budget Meeting
Before I get into Shauna’s Notes, I want to thank the families, teachers, and Administrators of Berkeley Heights for showing up to the meeting. Representative Government only works when the rooms where government officials make decisions are full. We finally saw passion from more than a handful of people today, a spirited debate among BOE Members, a split vote, and...
A Quick Agenda Overview For the 3/30/2023 Special (Budget) BOE Meeting
Were the Administrative cuts mentioned at the last BOE Meeting nothing more than Smoke and Mirrors? The agenda is out for this coming Thursday’s Board of Education meeting, and it’s notable both for what is being eliminated and what isn’t mentioned. “Effective immediately following June 30, 2023, the following supervisory positions hereby are abolished: a. District Supervisor of Math /...
Former BOE President John Sincaglia comments on the Berkeley Heights Public School District Budget
Former BOE President John Sincaglia wrote us on our last Night Watch Episode. “I watched your recent night-watch session and want to let you and your group now about the cap budget threshold and budget voting.. Remember, any district that still votes for the “budget” is only voting on the tax levy not the budget as a whole. Districts like...
How To Be A BOE Member During a Public Discussion of the Budget.
What a Discussion on the Budget Should Sound Like During this clip, Dr. Foregger asks pointed and relevant questions of the Business Administrator, who, for the most part, demonstrated a strong recall of the reasoning behind the numbers with a few notable exceptions. Legal Costs are skyrocketing, and the Business Administrator does everything she can not to mention the specific reasons...
01/19/2023 BOE Meeting- What Parents Should Be Aware of Going In To This Meeting
There is a 15-page agenda with a 106-page attachment. BHCW reached out to the District last night as the policy revisions were STILL not publicly available until today. Buried in this mountain of paper parents should pay attention to the following: Resolution A: Approve the Annual Appointment of Stephen Hopkins as Records Custodian. This is a new appointment and a role...
Policy 0167 – Don’t Allow Them To Silence Your Voice
Sai Akiri Everyone attending a Berkeley Heights Board of Education meeting has fundamental rights, mainly the freedom of speech. Every resident or parent wanting to express their opinions, concerns, or questions is entitled to do so under the OPMA – Open public meetings act. There are two segments during the board meeting for residents to speak. The first is during...
Tisha’s Comments To The BOE on BTC
Several parents attended the 11/17/2022 BOE Meeting to express their concerns about the impact the District’s new model is having on their children’s learning experience. Tisha Mannino has shared her comments with BHCW for publication. At the end of Tisha’s article is a survey BHCW is offering Berkeley Heights parents as a means of informing the District on parental opinions...
MY STATEMENT ON THE SEPTEMBER 22, 2022 BOARD MEETING
Our board meeting became disorderly yesterday evening. Pamela Stanley gave a prepared speech unrelated to board agenda items that sought to mischaracterize parents’ concerns. I requested Board President Michael D’Aquila to control the meeting and bring it back in order. He asked for Ms. Stanley to stay on topic, but she refused, and he did not exercise his powers as...
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