Correction to BOE presentation: Governor Livingston HS SAT Scores Rank Last of Seven Neighboring Districts
Berkeley Heights BOE presentation contradicts scores reported directly from the state -Written by a non-politically connected Educator in the Community At the March 18th, 2025 Berkeley Heights Board of Education (BOE) meeting, Interim Assistant Superintendent of Schools Mr. Dirk Phillips presented a report on district test scores from the 2023-24 school year including Advanced Placement (AP), PSAT, and SAT. Video...
7-District Dashboard: Proposed 2025 State Aid Numbers Come Out
2025 Proposed State Aid for Chatham, Millburn, Madison, Berkeley Heights, New Providence, Westfield and Summit Last week, Governor Phil Murphy delivered his fiscal year 2026 state budget address, which covers the 2025-26 school year. The budget calls for a record-breaking $12.1 billion in funding from the state to N.J. public schools. The proposed state aid below is calculated based on...
GPA Conversion Penalizing BHPS Students & Affecting College Admission?
Email from Daniel Brown, a Berkeley Heights Resident and Parent with Children in the District, to the Berkeley Heights BOE and Administration I am writing to express my concern about the 4.5-point GPA scale currently used at Governor Livingston High School and how it may be inadvertently disadvantaging students in the college admissions process. When colleges convert GPAs back to...
Laura’s Notes on the 01/27/2025 BOE Meeting
EDUCATION F. Approve New Courses: CMS – Mathematics Grade 8 (attachment E). This is being proposed by Dr. Curtiss to serve as a course to comply with the state standards in addition to provide students with a substantial foundation in geometry. This course, if approved, will be rolled out this fall. PERSONNEL B. Mr. Dirk Phillips will continue as Interim...
Year 1 Recommendations for New Superintendent Dr. Kim Feltre
Emphasis on listening to all stakeholders and academics needed that was not prevalent in the Varley administration -Written by a non-politically affiliated Educator in the Community On October 29th, 2024, the Berkeley Heights Board of Education (BHBOE) unanimously approved Dr. Kim Feltre as Superintendent of Berkeley Heights Public Schools (BHPS), effective January 1st, 2025. Below are five goals, with two...
Johns Notes on the 01/07/2025 BHPSNJ BOE Meeting
Last night’s BOE meeting made it abundantly clear that the board remains deeply divided into two factions: one that seeks to advance change through evidence-based reasoning and thoughtful debate, and another that seems more intent on politicizing every. single. issue. The evening featured the Business Administrator’s perplexing defense of sending documents—already publicly released—for yet another attorney review to determine if...
Response from District on Budget Survey Concerns
Dipti Khanna, BOE Finance Chair and BHPSNJ Superintendent Dr. Feltre responded to our concerns regarding the BHPSNJ Budget Survey. Initial Email: Hi Dipti, I have concerns about the budget survey going out during winter break; prior to the new superintendent taking office and prior to this year’s Audit being publicly presented. This is such a strange decision. Can you provide...
Laura’s Notes on the 01/07/2025 Berkeley Heights BOE Reorganization Meeting Agenda
The Reorganization Meeting of the Berkeley Heights Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, January 7, starting at 6:45 PM. For those familiar with local politics, this coincides with the Town Council Reorganization meeting, creating a scheduling conflict for those interested in both events. Tuesday’s Board of Education agenda appears relatively standard, with no major surprises expected. The meeting...
How to Increase Core-Content Area Instructional Minutes at Columbia Middle School
Increasing minutes and daily practice, especially for math, while sustaining the music program -Written by a non-politically affiliated Educator in the Community For the past few years, the math program at Berkeley Heights Public Schools (BHPS), particularly at Governor Livingston High School (GLHS) and Columbia Middle School (CMS), has underperformed. This article will focus on instructional minutes at CMS and...
Rights and Wrongs of the 2025-26 BHPS Calendar
Tweaks that could have been made for academic benefits and professional development -Written by a non-politically affiliated Educator in the Community At the December 12th, 2024 Berkeley Heights Board of Education (BHBOE) meeting, Acting Superintendent Mr. Richard Nixon presented the 2025-26 school calendar, which was unanimously approved by all Board members. Based on discussion during the meeting and past BHCW...
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