“Pay The Teachers!”
It was an interesting weekend. Since the controversial Reorganization Meeting, BOE Member Pamela Stanley made several posts on social media outlets with this simple line, claiming that four BOE Members voted down payroll. This connects to a chain of events started by Dr. Varley almost immediately after the meeting that created a great deal of confusion and concern among members of...
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...
The Whole Story Behind Agenda Items A and I: Payroll and Ethics
Notes from Laura on the voting at the re-org meeting No Board members voted against agenda item I in an attempt to stop payroll from issuing paychecks on 1/15/24. When the motion to vote was made for resolution I, Board members had an issue with how Agenda Item I was worded. They did NOT have an issue with paying BHPS...
Ms. Penna and Ms. Stanley: Here’s a Compromise
Email John sent to the Board Earlier Today on the President Deadlock: I would be ok with Angela Penna being president if the following occurred: -Committee Memberships need to be approved by a majority vote of the BOE -Committees are taped and provided to the public -The 48 hour rule is removed -The the power of the President is diminished...
Melissa Varley’s Spin on the BOE Reorganization Meeting Highlights How This All Got Started
In the email below, sent to BHPS Staff, Dr. Varley ignores the machinations of her own office in setting up last night’s meeting for failure. She ignores the fact that if ANY member of the Penna bloc (a phrase that I don’t like, but is all too fitting) were honestly interested in working toward solutions, a consensus could have been reached last night....
“Only the Policies I Agree with Matter & Only the People I Like Are Allowed to Vote”
Berkeley Heights BOE Attorney, Business Administrator, and The Penna Bloc’s Display of Cognitive Dissonance During the 01/04/2023 Re-Org Meeting Several emails were sent to the Business Administrator and Board of Education on how the Agenda violated Board Policies and By-Laws. Despite this prior notice and stated objections to policy violations the Agenda represented, the Business Administrator, Attorney, and the Penna...
Designed To Fail: Last Year’s BOE Majority Created Conditions For Chaos
Berkeley Heights Residents should pay close attention to this Thursday’s BOE Re-Org Meeting Yesterday, Laura wrote about the BOE Agenda and pointed out some concerning facts surrounding the differences between this year’s and last year’s reorganization meeting. The most notable changes, in my opinion, were the removal of appointments and new business. The Board Attorney has been a significant sticking...
01/04/2024 BOE Agenda: Laura’s Notes
BOE Not Voting on New Attorney, New Business Removed, Citizens Hearing Removed, Curriculum Re-Adoption The primary purpose of this Board of Education (BOE) meeting is for the reorganization of the Board of Education. New members Natasha Joly and Sai Bhargavi Akiri will officially be sworn in, and all members of the BOE will take the Oath of Office. Two Board...
How the Number of Berkeley Heights BOE Meetings Compare with Neighboring Districts
Berkeley Heights is in the middle of the pack with an average number of Board of Education meetings over three years. -Written By An Educator In the Community Earlier this week, Berkeley Heights Public Schools posted their Board of Education (BOE) agenda for the reorganization meeting on Thursday, January 4th. Including this reorganization meeting, there will be at least 15...
More Questions Remain on the BHPSNJ Improper Transportation Survey
At the last meeting, Mr. Juskiewicz said there was no board correspondence since the previous meeting. I pointed out the exchange regarding the transportation survey. He apologized for the oversight. I wanted to share this exchange as I think it highlights the administration’s lack of attention to detail when it comes to collecting data from our kids and the inability...
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