berkeley heights nj | nj21st

Dec 13, 2023

90 Thousand Reasons the Berkeley Heights Public School District Needs to Hire a New Law Firm Next Year

And Why Other NJ Districts Should Reconsider Hiring “Mega-Firms” Our favorite law firm, Cleary, Giacobbe, Alfieri, and Jacobs, hit the 90K mark this month, taking in 50% of the District’s spending, which totaled ~180.000 according to Bill Lists from 1/2023 Through 12/2023. The firm surpassed the entirety of the District’s legal expenditure for the fiscal year before Dr. Varley’s tenure...

BOE Agendas and Meeting Summaries

Dec 12, 2023

12/14/2023 Berkeley Heights BOE Meeting Agenda: Laura’s Notes

Approve Board Goals The BOE will; 1. Improve planning and committee structure; 2. Work to improve communication, both internally and externally; 3. Evaluate the CSA (Chief School Administrator) in a timely manner*; 4. Promote all district goals by providing the support and resources necessary to achieve the goals; 5. Develop and implement a plan for continuous Board Professional Development with...

BOE Agendas and Meeting Summaries

Dec 10, 2023

BHCW 12/10/2023 Newsletter

What’s Important to Know About Berkeley Heights This Week… This week, BHCW informed residents of where Mayor Devanney stood in relation to OPRA and shared an email in which she encouraged state legislators to protect critical aspects of this vital law. BHCW exposed a highly suspect RFP and warned the BOE and Community of the potential for more violations on...

Newsletter

Dec 8, 2023

Suspect RFP’s and Lame Duck Sessions

Resident Comments During the 12/07/2023 Berkeley Heights BOE Meeting Last night’s meeting ended with the BOE not taking any action in a meeting that could have created more legal issues for the District. Yesterday, we published an email from a parent citing concerns about the District’s RFP for an Architect that, if acted on with a decision, would have potentially led...

Berkeley Heights BOE BOE Agendas and Meeting Summaries

Dec 7, 2023

Is the BOE Majority Setting the District Up for Another Violation at Tonight’s Special Meeting?

Another Questionable Special Meeting And Potential Violation Shauna WIlliams sent the following email in connection to the purpose of tonight’s BOE Meeting – Interviewing Architects- to the Board of Education. Laws are in place to ensure the public is fully aware of District decisions that impact students and to protect the dollars taxpayers invest to educate them. It was not...

Berkeley Heights BOE BOE Agendas and Meeting Summaries

Dec 5, 2023

Mayor Devanney Writes to Senator Scutari | Defends Key Aspects of OPRA

A significant and welcome update on our efforts in asking state representatives to pause any effort for OPRA reform to the next legislative session. BHCW was copied on an email from Mayor Devanney to Senator Scutari. This email addressed three of our primary concerns with the reforms that have been proposed: First, moving disputes over cases away from the Superior...

Berkeley Heights Town Government State Matters

Dec 1, 2023

The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round

Questions on the District’s Data Collection Processes Involving Students Remain Surveys have long been used as a vehicle for collecting information for good. But surveys have, in recent years, become a hot-button issue in our District. During redistricting, stakeholders were promised a voice and to be included in a process that ultimately marginalized families in the name of full-day kindergarten....

Education

Nov 29, 2023

Responses from Mayor Devanney and Members of the Town Council on Concerns Surrounding OPRA and OPMA Reform

Since learning about potential changes to OPRA in June of this year, we have been reaching out to the Mayor and members of the Town Council in connection to concerns we have about harmful changes to the NJ Open Public Records Act and (more recently) the Open Meetings Act. Here are the responses we received from Mayor Devanney, Councilman Couto,...

Berkeley Heights Town Council Berkeley Heights Town Government State Matters

Nov 27, 2023

BHCW 11/27/2023 Newsletter

What’s Important to Know About Berkeley Heights This Week…. This week’s Newsletter looks at two essential items impacting Berkeley Heights residents being passed immediately after an election during lame-duck sessions. On the state level, legislators are looking to overhaul the Open Public Records Act and the Open Public Meetings Act. All early indications are that these changes make both laws...

Berkeley Heights Town Council Berkeley Heights Town Government Newsletter

Nov 24, 2023

Update On Efforts to Change the Open Public Records and Open Public Meetings Act During Lame Duck Session

So we got an update from someone who has a bit more information than us on concerns connected to potential changes to OPRA – this is what they wrote us on Wednesday afternoon: Danielson filed four opra bills but none of them are going to advance. Sarlo is working on an opra bill and opma bill but nothing’s been filed...