
The Early Start Advantage: Seven Local Schools Beginning Before Labor Day in 2025
Starting school before Labor Day allows for more instructional days when it matters –Written by an Educator in our District School is in session for students as soon as Monday, August 25th in one nearby town, and six others have students begin in August (before Labor Day). The first seven districts listed in the chart at the bottom of this...

Fanwood’s Drainage Study Aligns With Union County Hazard Mitigation Plan
The second in NJ21st’s series examining whether towns hit by repeated floods have followed through on the commitments they made in the Union County Hazard Mitigation Plan. Much like Scotch Plains, Fanwood has dealt with flooding issues, especially in low-lying areas like Westfield Road and North Ave. Fanwood provided a Drainage Systems Study, prepared in October 2023, in response to...

Scotch Plains Meets State Stormwater Rules, Broader Flood Strategy Seems Seems Unclear
Background Scotch Plains sits within the Green Brook watershed, a region that has been the focus of federal flood mitigation planning since 1986 through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The town has been hit by at least three major flood events in the last ten years:. -August 2015 -September 2021- Hurricane Ida -July 14, 2025 Scope of Review The...

Assigning the Right Person to the Right Role: Rethinking the Library Liaison
Assigning the role to an administrator would be more helpful for student literacy and summer reading assignments. -Written by an Educator in our District At the June 5th, 2025 Berkeley Heights Board of Education (BHBOE) meeting, Personnel agenda item M titled “Approve re-appointment of school district liaison to the library board,” which would have appointed the Berkeley Heights Public Schools...

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...

Murphy’s Berkeley Heights Stop Raises Questions on Housing, Flood Policy
The response to Governor Phil Murphy’s July 15th visit to Berkeley Heights was swift — and overwhelmingly critical on social media. Many residents questioned the value of the visit, calling it an empty gesture in light of the state’s policies on affordable housing and environmental regulation. A recurring theme in local online discussions was criticism of Trenton’s recent policy shifts....

Governor Murphy Visits Berkeley Heights After Deadly Storm Hits Union County
Governor Phil Murphy visited Berkeley Heights on Tuesday following a fast-moving storm that caused serious damage across parts of Union and Somerset counties. Speaking alongside local officials and first responders, Murphy described the impact bluntly: “We got crushed.” He confirmed that two people died during the storm, including someone in a vehicle that was swept away. Some injuries were reported...

Videos and Images of 07/14/2025 Storm Throughout Union County
Residents of various communities in Union County have been sharing pictures and videos of flooding in their communities. You can view them through this link. This post will be updated with additional images and video as we receive them. Consider staying off the Roads as water levels will continue to rise and rain is expected to continue throughout the night.

Seven-District Dashboard for Academic Proficiency Shows Mixed Results by Grade Band
Elementary schools continue to rank highly while middle schools and high schools struggle. -Written by an Educator in our District Earlier this month, NJ.com published a data table for school districts grouped by county in all 21 counties. The article can be found here. This below data lists and summarizes data from NJ21’s traditional seven-district data dashboard: Berkeley Heights,...