John’s Notes on the 08/10/2023 BOE Meeting Part III
On the NJGPA Portion of the 08/10/2023 BOE Meeting At the last BOE meeting, residents might have gotten a different impression of the District’s proficiencies than reality. That may be because the District was required to present on the NJGPA, which only tracks rising seniors. BHCW has been reporting on data on all grades in all schools within the District. The reason I bring this...
At This Point We Need to Ask Difficult Questions About the Busing Game
Something feels really wrong about the Busing Issue and We Should ALL Demand Answers Before I get into this I want to be super clear that my family does not use Courtesy or Subscription Busing and that if we did I would feel just as strongly – because at this point this whole thing stinks. I also had most of this...
After 17 Years of Service -Technology Coordinator Resigns from BHPSNJ
Another Loss for the District Another note for tonight’s agenda- Mike Skara – Technology Coordinator – has resigned after 17 years with the District. It is yet another departure in what can reasonably be considered a bleed in a District that appears to be in chaos. This resignation occurs amid accusations of a hostile work environment by a former long-time...
BOE Candidate Email Points to Discrepancies in Busing Controversy
Contradiction between public statements by BOE Members and reported numbers to the State on Courtesy Busing If you have yet to pay attention, the issue is that some families with Subscription busing (those that pay for busing because they don’t qualify based on their distance from the home to the school of 2 miles) are having their services canceled by...
Parent Questions to Dr. Varley on Cuts to Subscription Busing
Decision on cuts made by BOE Finance Committee –Margit Pedraza On August 3, 2023, I, along with other parents, received an email informing us that subscription busing is being cancelled for CMS, MKM and MP for the upcoming school year. I was truly disappointed and frustrated by this decision given the added hardship it places on parents especially me as...
08/10/2023 BOE Agenda: John’s Notes
A new Assistant Superintendent is on the agenda tomorrow night for approval, and it is essential to note that this vote comes on the heels of a secretive process with little to no community input. One concern I have about the new Assistant is his recommendation in another township that the BOE ban Town Council members from schools because they...
Parent Questions to Angela Penna on Busing Cuts
Email exchange between a parent and the BOE President on the controversial cuts to subscription busing. -Jessica Lesperance With the recent notice about subscription busing, I thought it would be helpful to share correspondence that I started with administration regarding courtesy busing back in March. As you will see, I eventually got one response but never any follow up after...
BHPSNJ BOE Committee Meeting Minutes: January 2023 through April 2023
Based on experience, residents should take the accuracy of these minutes with a large grain of salt.….multiple large salt chunks. Regardless, these are still useful for the public to see. One interesting note is that Dr. Varley is under the impression that BHPSNJ staff names can be redacted – we don’t believe this is true, and it is a practice that...
What We Can Do to Reverse The Berkeley Heights Declines in Math, Science, and ELA Part 1: The Budget
The First in a Series of Articles on How Berkeley Heights Can Repair the Damage under Dr. Varley’s Leadership Since BHCW’s analysis of the Berkeley Heights School District’s declines in Math, Science, and English came out, I have had many conversations with different parents, teachers, and other school staff in the community on how to reverse them. In the second...
Another Resignation and More Key Positions Appear to Be Filled without Community Feedback
The District Bleed Continues and The Superintendent appears to be taking Full Advantage of her “Summer Powers” to hire key staff without Community Feedback or Board Approval On July 21, a job for Woodruff reading specialist was posted, we wish Mrs. Zackowski best of luck in her future endeavors. In other news, the position of Business Administrator and Payroll specialist...
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