BOE Candidate Running As The Parent’s Voice Attempts to Take Down Parent’s Letter…Again
In what is a long-standing practice of some BOE members, resident letters holding BOE members accountable are often taken down; usually one or two hours after being published. The reason for this, I believe, is for the letter to get spread and then taken down as a way of undermining the individual’s credibility. Usually, the objections are ridiculous, and the...
Angela Penna’s Candidate Statement v. Reality
I recently published a piece titled People Before Politics. In the spirit of meaningful slogans, I feel the need to discuss the misnomer of another slogan, “passion for education,” recently coined by a BOE candidate running for re-election. It’s a great slogan, don’t get me wrong – but it’s been three years, and I haven’t seen any passion for education...
OPMA & OPRA: WE SHOULD FEARLESSLY DEMAND TRANSPARENCY
After listening to the BOE meetings in the first quarter of 2022, I was curious to learn more about the discussions in the Board’s Executive Sessions. So I sent an OPRA request for the Executive Session minutes from Nov 2021 to March 2022. The documented minutes from January to March 2022 are virtually identical and without any detail of the...
BERKELEY HEIGHTS 2022 BOE ELECTION- CANDIDATE RESPONSES TO QUESTION 3
Since our last publication on responses to questions from BOE Candidates, several Candidates have dropped out of the race. Responses to our questions have gotten a good amount of traction and positive feedback from members of the community. Of the current field, we received responses from Natasha Joly, Dipti Khanna, Gale Bradford, Neil Herman, Sai Akiri and Doug Grober to our...
PARENTS CONCERNED ABOUT BOE CANDIDATE ELECTIONEERING ON SCHOOL GROUNDS
A parent emailed the BOE requesting clarification on District Policy concerning electioneering on school grounds and forwarded the email to BHCW for publishing. The email concerns Ms. Angela Penna and asks 4 questions about the BOE Vice President (who is running for re-election): “1. What was Angela Penna, who is running for re-election, doing inside and outside of William Woodruff...
BERKELEY HEIGHTS 2022 BOE ELECTION- CANDIDATE RESPONSES TO QUESTION 2
BOE Candidates were asked to respond to the following question, the second in a series of questions BOE Candidates will be asked from BHCW: “We have heard many teachers speak publicly and to BHCW privately about the continued low morale in our schools stemming from our Superintendent. Last year the head of the BHEA expressed the position that the Superintendent...
THE DISTRICTS WAR ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CONTINUES: THE 2022 LWV BOE DEBATE
The League of Women Voters was born out of the American women’s suffrage movement. For over a century they have maintained an important role in the national discourse of American government by sponsoring debates, working to reform elections to benefit every American (HAVA), launching VOTE411 all while remaining non-partisan. The LWV has been critical in helping our small community learn...
Berkeley Heights 2022 BOE Election- Candidate responses to Question 1
BOE Candidates were asked to respond to the following question, the first in a series of questions BOE Candidates will be asked from BHCW: “Many residents feel that Dr. Varley did not deserve an early raise or early extension. Many feel the majority of the BOE have not held her accountable for handling of the reconfiguration process, attempt to remove...