Laura’s Notes on the 04/10/2024 Berkeley Heights BOE Meeting Agenda
The April 10 Board meeting will begin at 6:45PM. The purpose of this meeting is solely to interview 3 Superintendent search firms (in addition to NJSBA which was interviewed earlier this year). The search firms are: McPherson & Jacobson, Kathleen Helewa Educational Consultants and 4M Consulting. The interviews are slated to be conducted from 7-8:30PM allowing for 30 minutes for...
Re-framing the BHPSNJ Transportation Discussion
In 2023, all Chatham Public Schools pushed their start times forward, allowing students to get more rest. The following start and end times were implemented September 2023: Early Childhood Centers 8:55 am – 3:25 pm Elementary 9:00 am – 3:30 pm Middle 7:55 am – 2:30 pm High School: 8:20 am – 3:00 pm In Ridgewood, the Board recently approved...
Team Notes on the 03/18/2024 BOE Meeting: The Courtesy Busing Controversy Continues
So, we have three items we wanted to point out about the vote on the transportation policy. The Transportation Coordinator and Ms. Stanley both held the routes determined as hazardous by the consultants as the final word on the matter. Given the consultants ‘ expertise, they argued, we did not need to see the rubric or data. Here is a...
Laura’s Notes on the 03/18/2024 Berkeley Heights BOE Meeting Agenda
Monday’s Board Agenda, what’s important: First up are Board Goals. The agenda setup does not convey that there will be a discussion or vote on these as the roll call for the meeting occurs below the listed Goals. The tentative Budget will be introduced on Monday night. Presentations have yet to be posted for public review. However, there is a “highlight” sheet embedded...
More Questions on The Berkeley Heights Public School Busing Controversy
Written by a Berkeley Heights Community Member and BHPSNJ Parent Volunteer The long awaited transportation presentation was provided to the public and the Board at the 2/26/24 meeting. Inconsistencies with our current transportation program were the key takeaway. Those inconsistencies mostly surrounded bussing routes and highlighted a need for an updated software program to tackle most issues surrounding the current...
John’s Notes on the 02/26/2024 BOE Agenda: Transportation Presentation
The presentation document is a disappointment in two ways- the lack of detail in connection to recommendations and the lack of explanation in connection to questions the public has had for nearly a year surrounding the management of this program. I won’t spend much time on the first area as I’ll have more to say after the presentation. I will...
Laura’s Notes on the 02/26/2024 BOE Meeting: Board Appointments
Saying this meeting is stacked is an understatement of epic proportions. The Report of the Superintendent will include the Audit Presentation, a Transportation Consultant presentation (regarding bussing), the PowerPoint is available here AND Board Member Training from the NJ State Board Association. Following a third attempt at electing a Vice President, the Business Administrators report will include a presentation (the...
Legal Spending and Searchable Attachments for 02/26/2024 Berkeley Heights BOE Meeting
The Current Board Set to Vote On Huge Legal Tab from Prior Board Our community continues to pay for the consequences of the prior Board’s decisions. This month’s legal bills total $28,320, of which the “legal firm” (lol) of Cleary, Giacobbe, Alfieri, and Jacobs will receive $23,727. We have spent about $2,000 more compared to Feb and Jan of 2023,...
Question #2 on the BHPSNJ Budget and Audit: Enrollment Declines and Number of Positions
The following is the second in a series of articles about questions presented to the Berkeley Heights Public School District Business Administrator on the 2023 Audit submitted to the State of NJ before Berkeley Heights families and taxpayers could review the document and ask questions contrary to state statute and our historical process. Since 2019, enrollment in the Berkeley Heights...
Berkeley Heights Resident Takes on State DOE to Unpeel BHPSNJ Busing Controversy….and Wins
Another Win for Transparency In Court Cases Demanding information about BHPSNJ Practices In a massive win for transparency, Attorney Walter Luers represented a Berkeley Heights resident in an OPRA case connected to a request for information surrounding Berkeley Heights Public School Transportation services. School busing has been controversial in Berkeley Heights as residents discovered some parents were required to pay...
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