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Academic Goals: Shauna’s Notes on the 05/30/2024 BOE Meeting
Academic Goals -this is what is at the heart of every district, and there has been a lot of recent discussion about the Berkeley Heights Public School rankings. Data given at the May 30th Board of Education meeting shows that we have made modest-to-significant improvements during the last period for which we have reports. The tools and exams used to measure this are discussed below.
Parent Expresses Concerns on Activity Fees
We've received reports from parents of graduating students on emails/letters they've received in May concerning Activities Fees. We understand that these collection letters, arriving just two weeks before graduation and summer break, have caused significant concern and anxiety among students and their parents, as we've heard from the feedback we've received.
A Response to Town Council Member Poage's Letter to the Editor
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is important when it comes to our schools. There's no arguing that. And yet... argument is exactly what we're seeing. I'm troubled that Ms. Susan Poage seems to be purposely misrepresenting new BOE member Kelly Hufnagel's views on DEI to further the narrative of 'certain group bad'.
Update on Efforts to Bring the CMS Tiger Back
I would like to provide an update on efforts to reinstate the CMS Tiger Mascot. Since my last article, I have received documents as a result of an OPRA request. I sent the OPRA request to help my daughter with her advocacy efforts. Not surprisingly, a Candidate for Town Council accused me of "weaponizingOPRA".
NJ21st 06/02/2024 Newsletter
What’s Important to Know About Our Local & State Government This Week…. This week’s newsletter starts with a packed and significant 05/30/2024 BOE Meeting that saw the appointment of a new member to the Board of Education, significant approvals connected to programming and staffing, and proposed changes to impactful policies.
Laura's Notes on the 05/30/2024 Berkeley Heights BOE Meeting
Without any prior notification, the zoom access for the 5/30 BOE meeting allowed for remote participation. However, the new version of Zoom does not let attendees see who else is on Zoom. Regardless, this is a major step in allowing for stakeholder involvement.
The BHPSNJ Business Office is Over-Redacting Public Records & It is Hurting our Students
It has been a recurring theme in an ongoing narrative, “the onerous nature of OPRA requests for the District”. Yet, a compelling revelation came to light yesterday, further substantiating a strategy that is clearly intended to provoke and agitate those seeking public records, thereby dissuading the public from making such requests. – a gamble that continues to cost the District thousands in legal fees.
John’s Notes on the Berkeley Heights 05/30/2024 BOE Meeting Agenda
Policy 0167- Public Participation in Board Meetings. Before getting into this specific policy, the policy documents up for review do not contain the term “Draft” on them. Not all document changes (from the old policy) are indicated in bold. This can lead to a lot of confusion and makes it harder for the public to understand how the proposed policy differs from the prior version.
05/30/2024 BOE Agenda Notes on Proposed Changes to Policy 2411- Guidance Counseling
The first item of concern for me in the proposed policy is the removal of language that:. (1) Indicates collaboration between the guidance office and teaching staff. (2) Reaffirms the necessity of having licensed/certified guidance and counseling staff.
NJ21st 05/26/2024 Newsletter
What’s Important to Know About Our Local & State Government This Week…. We start our newsletter with a brief recap of the year and our reasons for continuing this year. This week, we saw some incredible narratives spun in the community about the Superintendent Search and revisionist history on votes connected to Mr. Nixon's appointment as Acting Superintendent. Our newsletter includes an article addressing this issue with what is on record - on video and in writing.
NJ21st – Three Years of Shining a Light
This year, the team had serious discussions about whether we would shut down, keep doing what we were doing, or expand. Given the level of disinformation and the collusion of powerful groups in this community around issues, we did not feel we had a choice but to continue. There is no way that accurate information would get to anyone about the local government if we did not exist – which is why – if you pay attention – all the predictable voices are coming out of the woodwork again.
Support Positive Change-Ignore the Desperate Narrative
There is a lot of talk from the same voices that supported the prior administration attempting to resurrect their candidate's chances for election. These voices include members of special interests and former council members trying to twist and spin the New BOE's efforts on the Superintendent search.
Questions on the 2024-25 BHPSNJ Budget & Quick Note on “Special Interests” & “Echo Chambers” (lol)
Email Sent to Finance Chair Dipti Khanna and Mr. Nixon:. “I took a look at the budget (spreadsheet) and have the following questions:. $56k increase on security (from 204k to 261k)- what security events have caused us to increase our spending in this area to a quarter of a million? Again this is a lot of money for a District that is in a very safe community.
John’s Notes on the Berkeley Heights 05/20/2024 BOE Meeting
As we reported at the last meeting, the BOE President signed a contract with the NJSBA to facilitate the Superintendent search. It’s worth noting that this was done without a full board review of the contract, a decision that has raised some concerns.
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