Angela Penna’s Candidate Statement v. Reality
I recently published a piece titled People Before Politics. In the spirit of meaningful slogans, I feel the need to discuss the misnomer of another slogan, “passion for education,” recently coined by a BOE candidate running for re-election. It’s a great slogan, don’t get me wrong – but it’s been three years, and I haven’t seen any passion for education from this member, so when, exactly, is that scheduled to begin?
What I have experienced over the last three years has been total and utter silence.
I want to firmly respond to Angela Penna’s most recent Candidate Statement as it is quite the exercise in revisionist history and really the first time many parents, who have expressed concerns to her ( the “selective activists”), heard her respond. Instead of answering the way she promises in the article, she attempts to marginalize these parents and mis-characterize their concerns in the very same breath.
She talks about FDK as an accomplishment, with the only issue surrounding it connecting to communication. She fails to mention that the entire process contradicted her promise for a “phased-in approach”; and that the Board was found in violation of educational adequacy and bidding laws. She also failed to mention that the head of the teachers union described the District as “broken” at the time, little to nothing has been done to address the concerns of our teachers. Looking at how other towns are approaching the issue it is becoming clear that the value of how Berkeley Heights handled FDK is primarily a “how-to NOT implement FDK” for other towns. Amazingly she laments and takes credit for trying to solve a busing issue her decision on reconfiguration probably made worse.
Last fall, when the Board President publicly disparaged two other parents and me with false information, several Board members reached out to me to apologize for the President’s behavior. Angela did not – she wasn’t a voice for parents then, privately or publicly.
Angela and I were both on a committee to bring back Zoom. The committee was unanimous that the sole purpose of Zoom was to provide opportunities for stakeholder involvement and engagement using a hybrid model. Angela has been silent when parents have repeatedly asked why we spent $10,000 on zoom equipment but do not offer remote participation.
Angela remained silent when the District attempted to remove the French program – she offered no sign of support for families or an offer to look into the matter. The program remained only because of teachers, students, and parents.
Angela co-published an inaccurate letter regarding the District budget process, and when she was called out on those inaccuracies, she offered no response. In that process Angela not only remained silent but the District attempted to REMOVE my Letter to the Editor. The parent’s voice was missing and replaced with a muzzle and a full on ethics investigation.
As the appointed chairperson to the PTO Curriculum Committee, Angela has failed to attend a single meeting in the last year – an opportunity missed to listen and engage in meaningful conversations with parents.
Perhaps the most compelling argument is Angela’s complacency with and her willful disregard in ignoring emails from parents and the questions therein. This behavior displays a complete and utter lack of serving as an elected official – part of the job is engagement, and sadly, Angela Penna has failed me. While Angela may be passionate about education, I have only seen her passion for remaining silent on all topics surrounding education.
Maybe Angela is a voice for Parents who agree with her? She was never my voice. Not once.
Angela describes the Board as driven by a Democratic process, but her time on the board is evidenced by anything but. Parents have less room for input, less time to assess BOE decisions and fewer meetings to speak at.
She speaks of misinformation but her entire article is essentially that.
Parents expressing their dissatisfaction with Ms. Penna’s tenure and the ethics violations the SEC has validated is not character assassination – its democracy. The very thing you claim to support. Every resident in this town is entitled to hold elected officials accountable and shouldn’t be demonized by politicians like Ms. Penna for doing so.
Leaders attempt to engage those that disagree with them, politicians treat them as enemies they refuse to engage with.
Since you included a quote, Ms. Penna, let me return the favor.
“Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be.”- Sydney J. Harris
That being said Ms. Penna, I don’t think you intended to do wrong, and I don’t view you as evil. I’m sure you are a great mother, and friend and have had some accomplishments as a BOE Member. But the net result of your time on the BOE is severely lacking, and the public has a right to point that out. That is the point of having elections.
You are running against seven other candidates – when your campaign message makes it appear you are running against the very parents whose support you are asking to “unite” with, you should know you are in trouble.
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