Resident Writes To Board On Traffic & Safety at Woodruff
-Cathy Marshott In the last BOE meeting much focus came from the feedback of about 10 parents in connection to courtesy busing and high school students. What many parents don’t realize is that there is a severe need for enhanced bussing in our middle, elementary and K-2 schools. The decision to lower subscription busing costs for families will help everyone....
Laura’s Notes on the 05/07/2024 BOE Meeting Part 2: Budget, Staff and Contracts
What should have been a focused Budget adoption meeting of the Board of Education turned into another marathon, with tensions boiling over. We have published content on the transportation and bussing issue ad nauseam, so this meeting recap will not address any of those concerns or discussions. The budget was passed with all members voting in support of the 2024-25 proposal. Dipti Khanna,...
Laura’s Notes on the 05/07/2024 BOE Meeting Part 1: Transportation & Bussing
Ms. Bradford introduced a motion to reverse the decision from the last meeting in which the Board approved only Mandated and Subscription bussing. Ms. Akiri called her out as she had not provided 48-hour notice of this motion before the meeting, per Board policy. The Board attorney allowed the vote to happen. The motion failed with a 4-2 vote. (Mr....
Laura’s Notes on the 05/07/2024 Berkeley Heights BOE Agenda
2024 Budget, Busing, Administrative Positions on the Agenda for Tuesday SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT The resignation of Angela Penna from the Board of Education BUDGET The final presentation and adoption of the BHPS budget will occur. The total 2024-25 budget is $61,658,566. Following the presentation, a public hearing on budget items only will occur. ADMINISTRATION* F. Approve Appointment of Interim Superintendent of...
Who benefits from Courtesy Busing?
-Virginie Delwart Who benefits from Courtesy Busing? That was the question lingering in my mind as I delved into the busing discussions in Berkeley Heights a few weeks ago. As of April 30th, the answer was unexpectedly close to home—our family. Yet, for four years, we remained blissfully unaware of this privilege. Residing in the Fern/Hillside neighborhood, a mere 2.4 miles from...
Fact Checking the Community Discussion on Courtesy Busing
-John Migueis, Shauna William & Laura Kapuscinski Assertion 1: The District is responsible for defining hazardous roads. From the NJ Dept. Of Education The Township, not the District, holds the responsibility for defining hazardous roads. For the past two years, as per the 2023 BHPSNJ Finance Committee Meeting Minutes, the Township and BHPD indicated that no roads were hazardous. None....
John’s Letter to the BOE on the Busing Issue
Good Afternoon, With all the money the District has put away, I am not clear as to why, for this year at least, we could not offer either Universal Busing or at least a deep discount to ALL families. Dipti, Tom, Sai, Natasha I understand the issue of fairness regarding how the roads were determined. It felt deliberate and political and intended to put those BOE...
Laura’s Notes on the 04/24/2024 BOE Meeting
4/24/24 BOE Meeting Recap Mr. Nixon is proving to the community what many already knew – he is an effective, mindful and respectable leader. It was a productive, albeit long, meeting with healthy civil discourse that, for the most part, stayed on topic. Jordan Hyman and Angela Penna were absent from the meeting. Budget Presentation and Discussion The BA, Asst....
Follow Up on Teacher Concerns Regarding Summer Curriculum Writing Rates
I published an article before the 4/18/24 Board meeting regarding a sidebar agreement with the BHEA proposing a flat $50/hour rate for summer curriculum writing. (Sidebar Agreement Article) Several teachers had contacted BHCW unhappy with this sidebar agreement noting that curriculum writing has always been paid a per diem rate – a rate based upon a simple equation based upon...
2024 U.S. News and World Report High School Rankings Released
Governor Livingston High School in top quarter of N.J. High Schools but last in seven-district dashboard -Written by an Educator in the Community Earlier this week, U.S. News and World Report released their public high school rankings. The specific link to New Jersey public high school rankings can be found here. Now, it is time to see how Governor Livingston...
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