The Next Budget Meeting Needs to be a Course Correction
What the District Can Do to Increase Public Confidence Given the rankings and ratings that recently came out, it is clear that the massive investments in attorneys and central administration have not paid off. It is also clear that the last thing we should do is remove any resources from our schools. That does not mean we can’t re-think how...
This Administration Is A Disaster
Berkeley Heights Public Schools Rankings and Ratings Remain Problematic Perhaps we wouldn’t be on a fiscal cliff if the hands that rock the cradle put a little more focus on graduation rates and higher proficiency scores in math and science and a little less focus on stacking their offices with assistants and paying lawyers. Berkeley Heights projected cost per pupil...
The Collaborative Model – Part Two
Continuing with Kotter’s Model of Change, let’s take a look at step six: Ensure Short-Term Wins. Below is the list descriptors for this step. Did any of these steps happen? Did we even have short-term goals outlined? Possibly, but that middle step – make progress visible – was an abject failure. We were handed a directive and expected to embrace...
BHCW 04/16/2023 NEWSLETTER
What’s Important to know about Berkeley Heights, NJ this week…. Online Version 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...
Financial Shenanigans?
What is going on with the $600,000 transfers out of the medical benefits account? Tisha Mannino I am not sure, but what could be going on is that in accounting, the income statement is not cash flow based. Thus, every year, an organization has to have an expense that takes into account, expected current expenses earned as well as an...
BHCW Night Watch Episode 13: BHPSNJ Budget & The Medical Benefits Questions
We get together to discuss Sai’s article on NJ Education Report on the 1.2 Million Dollar Transfers outside of the Medical Benefits line over the last two years and the lack of documentation provided to the County in asking for an adjustment. This comes after a community wide discussion in connection to Policy 6220 and what appears to be a...
Nj Education Report PublisheS New Information ON BHPSNJ BudGet…..And It Doesn’t Look Good
NJED Report Op-ed from BHCW Contributor Uncovers a Potentially Significant Problem on Medical Benefits in the BHPSNJ Budget NJ Education Report published an Op-Ed from Sai Akiri alleging significant distortions in how the Budget is being presented to the Public. The article states the District is inflating the cost of Medical Benefits and that dollars budgeted for Medical Benefits are...
The Collaborative Model – Part One
Is the Berkeley Heights Public School District Maintaining Fidelity to the Model? Inclusion. It’s one of the three principles in DEI. “Include” is one of the three tenets in our district’s slogan. Is our district doing enough, and are the things we’ve done actually helping? It’s an in-depth topic, but this article will attempt to hit the basics without becoming...
Policy 6220 – Your Right to the Budget Process
Is the District Violating Its Policies in Locking the Public Out of The Budget Process? Most Berkeley Heights residents can agree that the Berkeley Heights Public School Budget has been an embarrassing process for our community for the past two years. There is still much to unpack, and it is most helpful to parse out the concerns in a digestible...
Why Do We Need A Superintendent Anyway?
Maybe it’s Time to Consider a Different Leadership Model for Schools “Ultimately, the authors conclude that when district academic achievement improves or deteriorates, the Superintendent is likely to be playing a part in an ensemble performance in which the Superintendent’s role could be filled successfully by many others. In the end, it is the system that promotes or hinders student...
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