
Natasha’s Notes on the 06/05/2023 BOE Meeting
There is a lot to digest after the 06/05/2023 BOE meeting and much of it is not sitting well. Teacher of the Year Awards Congratulations to all the teachers for this recognition, and a huge thank you for all you do. As a community member pointed out, was the cafeteria setting the best the administration could do for the presentation?...

BHCW 06/04/2023 Newsletter
What’s Important to Know About Berkeley Heights This Week….. Online Newsletter PDF Version There are three ways to get BHCW content delivered to your doorstep: (1) Sign-Up for our weekly/bi weekly newsletter. This is the most popular option so far. Subscribers will get email with articles published for the time period in between. (2) Subscribe to our Substack which will deliver articles to...

06/05/2023 BOE Agenda : Laura’s Notes
Renewals and Big Salaries for the Usual Crew Top the List Dr. Greer, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction, and Student Achievement, is having his contract renewed at an annual salary of $164,800. Ms. Kot, Business Administrator and Board Secretary – and advocate against OPRA, is having her contract renewed at an annual salary of $177,366. Administrators salaries are being approved. ...

The Berkeley Heights BOE Lawyer Addiction
How Much Money is Being Taken Away from our Classrooms? The skeptics out there, and those who agree with Ms. Stanley that there is nothing alarming about the districts legal bills, might be interested to understand the role a district/board attorney serves. It is also worth noting that each call, each email or text incurs a fee. So when items...

A Few More Snapshots Illustrating The BHPSNJ Decline
Email to the Berkeley Heights BOE on Student Growth and Climate Indicators I found the student growth information and looked at other indicators that might interest you, or at least two of you. The source for the information, again, is the NJ School Performance Reports. As per the NJ DOE: Student growth is a measure of how much students are...

Do They Even Care?
11 emails, 28 pages and No Response…. During the 05/11/2023 Meeting BOE Members Robert Cianculli, Joy Young, Angela Penna, Gale Bradford, and Pamela Stanley appeared confused when Dr. Foregger and Ms. Khanna asked the BOE to direct the Superintendent to discuss the Berkeley Heights Public School Declines and either voted “No” or abstained then throwing the issue into a committee...

BHCW 05/28/2023 Newsletter
What’s Important to Know About Berkeley Heights This Week…. Online Newsletter Download PDF Version There are three ways to get BHCW content delivered to your doorstep: (1) Sign-Up for our weekly/bi weekly newsletter. This is the most popular option so far. Subscribers will get email with articles published for the time period in between. (2) Subscribe to our Substack which will deliver articles...

Lawyers and Loss of Focus: Factors Likely Connected to the BHPSNJ Decline
My sixth and final email to the BOE exploring reasons connected to the Decline of Berkeley Heights Schools and How to Reverse It Last year the BOE Majority and Administration took strange and unprecedented steps in using District funding to ensure that a newly elected BOE Member and an agenda for change would fail. Before Sai’s term, concerns about the...

Culture, Data and Measurement: Possible Factors Connected to the BHPSNJ Declines
My Fifth Email to the BOE on Possible Causes for the Decline and Suggestions on How to Repair Them A disquieting aspect of the last BOE meeting was how unaware the BOE majority and Superintendent were of the declines in our proficiency. And then, more disturbing, was an attempt to make Dr. Foregger and Ms. Khanna look foolish or silly...

Possible Factors Connected to the Decline of Berkeley Heights Schools: Family Engagement
My Fourth Email to the BOE on Possible Causes for the Decline and Suggestion on How to Repair Them A tremendous body of evidence supports family engagement as necessary for successful outcomes in human services. Many studies have pointed to family engagement as leading to higher academic achievement, pro-social behaviors, and interpersonal effectiveness. In its review of 51 Studies on...