Question to BOE Candidates #3: Academic AchievementPhoto bynj21st

NJ21st sent our third question to the BOE Candidates today with responses due on 10/18/2024:

This year, with a new BOE Majority in place, the District has finally acknowledged an issue with Math proficiency, but more has to be done as Math is not our only issue.

Despite small improvements, we are still below where we were in Math, Science, and ELA from 2018-2019. And even then our proficiency marks were not stellar.

Additionally, we are ranked last on all published lists, with our High School proficiency issues being the clear anchor.

With the prior majority, BOE Members who expressed concerns were mocked by the prior BOE Majority.

The public was deliberately misinformed about the existence of essential reports connected to the declines, and parents who spoke about these concerns were accused by the BOE president at the time of wanting to "tear down our schools" while their operatives ridiculed parents publicly in community forums.

This occurs within a context where Berkeley Heights pays more per pupil than six comparable Districts.

While the District appears to take these concerns more seriously now with a new Majority in place, there are big questions about the District's proposed solutions.

As BOE Members, what are your plans for continuing the work of the current majority in opening up the discussions on proficiency?

How do you plan on holding the District accountable for improving Academic Achievement?

While Math appears to be a focus, our proficiency in Science is even more abysmal.

How do you see your approach to broadening the lens through which the District tackles the problem of our declines?

Responses to Question 1 (Transparency) and Question 2 (Budget) have been published,

NJ21st received responses from Dr. Foregger, Matthew Behne, and Arik Samson.

We did not receive responses from Ruth Debang, David Moore, George Devanney, Pamela Stanley and Deb Terrero.

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