Too Many Bosses, Not Enough Students – A Case for School District Unification in Union County
Consolidating two school districts would save on administrative costs, create curriculum alignment, and keep Mountainside students at Governor Livingston High School. -Written by an Educator in our District School district consolidation is an issue that has been studied at the state level in recent years. Currently, New Jersey has 590 school districts, which is more than the number of municipalities...
New Providence Pushes Back on Developer Toll Brothers
Back in the headlines is Toll Brothers Construction, a company that has become infamous for their steamrolling through quaint suburban towns making millions on housing development. While plans to continue at the state level for more housing developments, with little to no room for negotiations, small towns like Berkeley Heights and New Providence continue to feel the impact to our...
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...
Providing Complete Board Transparency by Modifying The “OPMA” Definition Of “Agenda”
Michael Gottesman is the Founder of New Jersey Public Education Coalition. This Contribution was written as a response to ‘Another Marathon BOE Meeting Reveals Clear Lines Between Board Factions‘ Throughout our state, as a result of the politicization of local Boards of Ed and major controversies being addressed at this time, BOEs have been making it increasingly more difficult for...
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...
Candidate Statement: Loretta Rivers on OPRA and Government Transparency
Photo Credit: Loretta Rivers for State Assembly We invited NJ Assembly candidate Loretta Rivers to share her thoughts on OPRA—the Open Public Records Act—and why it matters. She’s running in District 17 against Assemblymembers Joseph Danielsen and Kevin Egan, both of whom voted for the bill that weakened public access to government records. Rivers isn’t running in our district, but...
Steve Sweeney Campaign Responds to NJ21st’s Questions on Education and Housing
As the only candidate for governor with both the proven track record and the experience necessary to serve in New Jersey’s executive office, I have plans – not talking points – to tackle two of the biggest issues that New Jerseyans face when it comes to education and housing. No one in the race has done more to improve New...
I Came Home. The VFW Helped Me Keep Serving.
Steve Mondragon is a resident of Berkeley Heights NJ I first enlisted in 1996 where I enlisted as an 11H Heavy anti-armor weapons crewman in the infantry, having completed Basic attaining at Fort Benning, GA in the NJ National Guard. While at Rutgers I discovered ROTC and what that program offered in terms of leadership opportunities and responsibilities. I graduated...
Berkeley Heights Resident Writes to Town Council On Continued Power Outages…Again
Michael Leblond is a resident of Berkeley Heights Dear Mayor Devanney and members of the Town Council, I am writing to express my growing concern regarding the frequent power outages in our community and their negative impact on daily life. As a fifteen year resident of Berkeley Heights, I believe it is essential that our local government addresses the ongoing...
Assemblywoman Michele Matsikoudis Addresses NJ21st’s Questions on Education and Housing
As part of our election-year coverage, we’re inviting all General Assembly candidates to share their perspective on two high-priority issues for our readers: education and housing. We’re especially interested in understanding: ● Your approach to state policy on education and housing ● Specific legislative goals or proposals you support ● How your policies reflect the needs and concerns of residents...
nj21st.com (with the exception of featured images and logo) is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
