Dr. Melissa Varley’s Tax Payer Funded Defense
Questions Remain Unanswered Sai Akiri The text below is my last reply to Dr. Melissa Varley as a response to her answers to my questions on the amount of money the District has spent on her defense against the Nepotism allegation that the proposed settlement agreement appears to demonstrate that she is now admitting to. Please read the email exchange...
Eighty-Eight Percent: How The Berkeley Heights School District’s Legal Bills Nearly Doubled in a Year
It’s not entirely possible to pinpoint a single moment in time when things shifted in our school district, but it’s impossible to deny the mistrust and division that has been growing for the past three years. What is a little easier to pinpoint is what has led to a staggering increase in legal bills. Let’s look at how we went...
There’s More; Pamela Stanley’s UnEthical Encore
After reviewing the School Ethics Commission’s initial ruling, I realized there were 3 additional violations against BOE Member Pamela Stanley that were found, by the Commission to be substantial. The codes in the original article (N.J.S.A.18A:12-24 (b), (c), (f)) fall under Conflicts of Interest for Board Members and they are as follows; N.J.S.A.18A:12-24.1 (c) I will confine my board action...
A Perfect Storm
In this clip, a parent provides a brief overview of how a perfect storm of misinformed and inaccurate guidance from the Superintendent, the political interests of BOE Members, and opportunistic Attorneys who appear to be giving bad legal advice on one issue after another has led to a pile-up of substantiated ethics charges and a mountain of legal fees that...
Policy 8310: Concerns On Top Level Decision Making, Use of District Dollars and Legal Advice Continue To Mount
Sai Akiri I sent this email to the BOE expressing my concerns and position on the discussion that transpired during the January 19, 2023 BOE Meeting: I am writing to you to request you reconsider the custodian of records position and revision to district policy 8310. First and foremost, responding to OPRA requests is one of the core functions of...
Pamela Stanley, Ethics and the Gift that Keeps on Giving
On January 31, 2023 the School Ethics Commission denied Pamela Stanley’s Motion to Dismiss allegations of ethical violations against her stemming from her use of the District’s attorney to file a complaint against a fellow BOE Member. The Commission found 7 of the 8 allegations against Pamela to be substantial. Additionally, the Commission adopted a decision finding the Complaint against...
The BOE Blame Game is the Greatest Security Threat
BOE and Administration are too confused and angry to bring the community together on a complex issue. John Leo Jr. Mid January, a student brought an airsoft gun to Columbia Middle school. Students reported it, and the school and PD responded in kind. But some parts of the responses reveal an uncomfortable truth that demands some scrutiny. Does our public...
Dr. Varley’s Nepotism Settlement and Concerning Questions for the Board Attorney
BHCW received an email from Natasha Joly sent to the BOE to be published. For reference, links to the Settlement Agreement and Video Clip Referenced are available at the end of the article. BOE Members, You are likely aware of an existing settlement agreement regarding the nepotism ethics complaint filed against the administration. If you recall, this all goes back...
Berkeley Heights School District Saddled with Current Attorney for Another Year
While it was clear at the end of 2022 that the Berkeley Heights Board of Education was not going to address calls to look into hiring a different law firm, it was still disappointing to see the firm of Cleary, Giacobbe, Alfieri, Jacobs, LLC renewed for another year with no hesitation or opposition. This law firm has given our district...
Unnecessary “Lawsuits” and The Blame Game
In what has to be the most brilliant irony of the year, Berkeley Heights BOE Member Angela Penna penned a candidate statement which included the following: “Board members are engaging in their own forms of political posturing and grandstanding; particularly when they disagree with their fellow board members.” “We see statements in social media suffixed with “This is my personal...
nj21st.com (with the exception of featured images and logo) is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
