Dipti Khanna Is The Leader the Berkeley Heights School District Needs
The following is an email received from Jessica Lesperance, Berkeley Heights Resident, to the County Superintendent Daryl Palmieri in Support of Ms. Khanna for BOE President. Mr. Palmieri’s email address is [email protected] Due to the fact that the Berkeley Heights Board of Education was unable to decide on a Board President or Vice President during their last meeting, it is my understanding...
NightWatch Episode 26: Laura Waters of NJ Education Report
Laura Waters of NJ Education Report joins us for an incredibly informative episode of NightWatch. We talk about the impact of COVID on education, changes to NJ Standardized Testing, Transparency, the state of American Education, and more. See All Night Watch Episodes
The Real Story on How the January Berkeley Heights BOE Meeting Fell Apart
Nothing occurs in a vacuum. The chaos that happened at the most recent Berkeley Heights BOE Meeting was set in place well before any BOE member stepped through the Governor Livingston cafeteria door and, as mentioned in the intro I wrote about Melissa Varley’s letter to staff, it started in the District’s Central Office. There is no longer any question...
BHCW 01/07/2024 Newsletter
What’s Important to Know About Berkley Heights This Week…. This week’s newsletter walks residents – step by step- through how the BHPSNJ Administration and Penna Bloc conspired to create one of the most chaotic reorganization meetings this District has ever experienced. From policies put in place last year during the lame-duck session to an incomplete and potentially illegal meeting agenda...
Councilman Paul Donnelly Emails Mayor Devanney On Vote to Reappoint Municipal Judge
Earlier today, BHCW posted a video clip on a tense discussion between Councilman Donnelly, Mayor Devanney and the Township Attorney. Soon after we were cc’d on an email from Councilman Donnelly to Mayor Devanney. It read as follows: Dear Angie, all, During last night’s Town Council meeting on Jan 2, 2023, I asked you and council to table the...
A Key Moment During the 12/19/2023 Berkeley Heights Town Council Meeting
The annoying and potentially dangerous “don’t get in the way of progress argument” reveals itself yet again. The clip below is, in my opinion, one of the more important exchanges during the 12/19/2023 Town Council Meeting. Town Council Member-Elect Margaret Illis asked the Council whether the Council considered recommendations by the Planning Board. This is a question she asked the...
Six Days Before Christmas: The 12/19/2023 Town Council Meeting & Municipal Land Use Ordinance
On December 19, 2023, the Berkeley Heights town council unanimously voted on the final adoption of the Municipal Land Use ordinance. This is a 290-page document that was introduced for initial reading on December 5, 2023, and the planning board unanimously voted on this during it’s December 6, 2023 meeting. On the planning board agenda for December 6, 2023, it...
The Municipal Land Use Ordinance- Why Now And In This Manner?
Today on the town council agenda for final adoption is the Municipal Land Use Ordinance’s final amended version. We are SIX days from Christmas and in a lame-duck session. I have been writing to council members and the mayor since September 2023 on the sign ordinance. Natasha Joly also wrote to the council. Other than the initial response from the...
BHCW 12/17/2023 Newsletter
What’s Important to Know About Berkeley Heights This Week… This week’s newsletter starts with a snapshot of raw data on this year’s NJSLA, which became available this week. The results are not great – we are still below where we were before Dr. Varley took over as superintendent. It then moves to our coverage of the 12/14/2023 BOE meeting, where...
Board Games: Not What We Had on our Holiday Wish List
Questions surround recent board decisions and superintendent recommendations… The Berkeley Heights BOE may be taking advantage of having a new Business Administrator in place, who has not yet had time to review past BOE actions, or they may merely be doing what they do, which is ignoring any and all policy, law, guidance and public comment with which they disagree....
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