Questions to The BOE Candidates – Question 1

First in a Series of Questions to the 2023 Berkeley Heights, NJ BOE Candidates

Two Candidates Running for Two Seats

Please provide residents with your qualifications for the BOE (education, experience) and how you feel this background will benefit our community on the BOE.

Please provide (at least) two very specific policy positions you plan to introduce or support during your tenure on the BOE.

Responses Listed in the Order they Were Received:

Please provide residents with your qualifications for the BOE (education, experience) and how you feel this background will benefit our community on the BOE.

My name is Natasha Joly and my family has resided in Berkeley Heights for 10 years. My husband Jason and I have two kids who are now both attending GL – a freshman and junior. We have grown to love this community and serving on the Board of Education BOE is my way to give back.

I emigrated from Ukraine when I was seven years old. My family came with nothing. My parents instilled in my brother and I the importance of education and how it creates opportunities for a better life. I attended elementary and middle school in Queens and was fortunate to attend Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, a school focused on Math and Science. Subsequently, I attended the University of Pennsylvania majoring in Economics and minoring in Math. My first career was in actuarial science. Seven years in, I made the switch to finance after receiving my MBA from NYU Stern School of Business. I am currently employed at a major international bank as Program and Project manager in Global Markets.

I am passionate about education as it has created opportunities for me in my career and helped me become a critical thinker.  I was lucky to have had excellent teachers who pushed me beyond my preconceived limits. I am not afraid of change as I have changed careers, lived abroad, and currently work as a Program manager delivering change initiatives for the bank. A large part of my job is collaboration with many stakeholders to successfully deliver a program. My education and work experience are directly relevant to bringing about the change our community has been seeking. I work in an environment where different ideas are shared, and feedback is solicited. I also work in a very regulated industry where you can’t cut corners and decisions are based on analyses taking all risks into consideration. This is the mindset that I will bring to the BOE.

Please provide (at least) two very specific policy positions you plan to introduce or support during your tenure on the BOE.

My main priority is quality education for our children. We need to close the learning gap evidenced by the proficiency scores. To make meaningful progress, we need a multi-faceted approach.

1. We need to redirect resources to items that directly impact children That means reducing unnecessary administrative overhead, legal fees, OPRA custodian, and the like. I would support revamping the budget process so that it’s inclusive and thoughtful. Reflecting on the last budget cycle, teachers and administrators were able to find $500K in savings in about a 24hr period to save teaching positions. It’s not clear if the Superintendent and business administrator included any of the suggestions. That is why we need a more collaborative process that is thoughtful and not rushed.
2. I would also support Math, English, and Science classes to be held 5 days per week. There is a learning gap because of Covid and to catch-up, the kids need more instruction time to improve their proficiencies in these subjects.
3. I would look to review the curriculum and student data to see what’s working and what needs to change. Building Thinking Classrooms was likely the reason Mr. Ziobro was pushed out and yet this is still the approach in some classrooms. I wholeheartedly support eliminating this approach unless data can be provided to demonstrate its effectiveness. Given that the district presently does not have a director nor supervisor providing guidance and support to math teachers, this method is doomed to fail.
4. We also need a holistic review of the Foreign Languages program. It feels like the program is constantly under attack with classes being eliminated or combined stressing both teachers and students. Foreign language education should be encouraged and nurtured. There needs to be a commitment by the administration to foreign language instruction. It’s not surprising the program is on shaky ground since the Supervisor of Foreign Languages devotes a good amount of his time to OPRA requests.
5. In the spirit of giving kids more time for homework and studying, I support giving student athletes and exemption (allowed by law) for physical education if requested.
6. We need to establish measurable performance goals and develop plans to achieve those goals. The administration took a step in the right direction by establishing some measurable targets as part of district goals. However, it’s not clear what will be done differently to meet those goals.

Transparency and community engagement are integral to supporting quality education. To that end, I would support the following practices:

1. Allow participation via Zoom so parents can ask questions if they are not able to attend the BOE meeting in person.
2. Allow either additional time for community members to speak during the comments portion of the meeting or allow them to take a second turn.
3. Hold regularly scheduled committee meetings and publish committee meeting minutes and attachments. I would also push for consistency in the minutes. Minutes should be detailed enough that someone who was not present, can gather what was discussed, what recommendations were made, what action items are pending and when they are due. Publishing the minutes will serve to inform the public and reduce the number of OPRA requests.
4. Publish community correspondence to inform the community what others are concerned about or perhaps what others support.
5. Provide transparency into the hiring process. There has been so much turnover with positions being filled seemingly without Board approval or perhaps knowing the current Board majority will approve (as they always do) at the next BOE meeting. It’s not clear how candidates are screened nor how interviewers are selected.
6. Respond to community correspondence. At a minimum, acknowledge receipt of emails. The direction by the Superintendent to the BOE to not put anything in writing so it couldn’t be OPRA’ed is simply wrong.

There’s a lot I’d like to change in the way the BOE operates and how it engages with the community. I strongly believe that my experience and skill set will enable me to work with other board members to bring about positive change.

Please provide residents with your qualifications for the BOE (education, experience) and how you feel this background will benefit our community on the BOE.

My name is Sai Bhargavi Akiri, and I am seeking your support to serve on the Board of Education. My husband and I moved to Berkeley Heights 11 years ago to raise our child (currently in middle school) in a vibrant, welcoming community with great schools.

I have lived and worked on three continents, and we have made America our home for the past 19 years. I understand the importance of quality education which enabled me to successfully compete for global jobs early on. I believe that we need to prepare our children to be able to compete globally.

Education

I consider myself blessed to have received a quality education. It’s considered a privilege to be educated in “English medium schools” in India, especially for those born into middle class families, such as my own, in rural India.

I lived with my grandparents from my early years and did not attend any formal school until I was seven as my father travelled a lot on his job. My grandmother taught me to swim in the ocean, climb coconut trees, and raise chickens, and ducks. My aunt taught me Sanskrit shlokas (verses). So, it was a shock when my parents came to get me and enrolled me at a catholic school in the city. It was the first time I had to adapt to significant change, a huge change from my perspective as attending a catholic school meant wearing footwear and a uniform! Also, I couldn’t climb trees, as the nuns had a strict code of punishment for anyone caught in a mango or guava tree.

Later, I attended Kendriya Vidyalaya, a nationwide government-run school that had an entrance exam (for which I learned Hindi in a few months). At Kendriya Vidyalaya in addition to the core subjects, we had a well-rounded curriculum of Music, Art, Yoga, and Sports. Extracurricular activities like debates and elocution competitions were the norm. At Kendriya Vidyalaya even though we lacked state-of-the-art facilities, my teachers challenged me to be fluent in English, Hindi, and Sanskrit. Our art teacher submitted our paintings to competitions worldwide, I received an art scholarship from Hungary and Russia in middle school and played Field Hockey.

I graduated with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery and worked under an oral surgeon for two years. My work entailed serving many communities that had no access to a healthcare facility. Growing up, I never envisioned my career would bring me to America! However, it did. While I do not hold a degree from an Ivy League American institution, I bring relevant, diverse, and impactful real-world experience to the Board of Education, along with independent and critical thinking skills.

Work Experience

I switched careers early on as I realized that with the salary I made as a dental surgeon, I wouldn’t be able to pay off my student loan, and pursuing a master’s was not an option given our family’s financial situation. I started as an Intern at a pharmaceutical company Dr.Reddy’s in India and then a start-up company where they trained me in basic computer skills and business analysis. I was transferred to Europe and then to America when the German based company acquired an American company Cambridge Integrated Services.

As a current Program Manager with 20 plus years of project management experience in strategy and planning, my role involves managing multi-million dollar program budgets. I enlist approvals from diverse groups of stakeholders. I have worked with global teams on strategic planning, and execution of transformation initiatives for over a decade and have also volunteered with international not-for-profit organizations.

I will bring that skill set to build consensus amongst parents, teachers, and administrators. The skills accumulated in my 20 years as a certified project manager will be of great service to the Board of Education. I will be dedicated to ensuring that our schools run efficiently and effectively, and I will ensure that our children get a world-class education that equips them for their futures.

Community Involvement

I have closely followed the budget, capital projects, and strategic initiatives of Berkeley Heights schools since 2014.

I have been present, asking for full day Kindergarten and mostly a commonsense approach to a reporting tool that was being planned for rollout by our school district. While I was an early voice for a full day Kindergarten in our community I was firmly opposed to the manner in which it was implemented, believing full day kindergarten was possible in 2021 without the massive student and teacher displacement.

Locally I have volunteered for the Berkeley Heights Rescue Squad and have participated in many local events.  I have been a consistent presence at BOE meetings and have been vocal at these meetings and in local media about a variety of issues over the years.  I am proud of the fact that my support and friendships represent a wide diversity of opinions, as different ideas always come together to forge strong positions.

Please provide (at least) two very specific policy positions you plan to introduce or support during your tenure on the BOE.

Trust in district leadership is key to running a successful school district. And Trust is earned not given. Transparency, Accountability and Communication are crucial to building trust. Unfortunately, what we have been seeing for the last three years is a lack of clear communication, shutting down avenues where parents, teachers, and residents in the community can get answers to their questions. This has caused major trust issues, especially when:

1. Questions to the district administration are not answered at the public board meetings.
2. Emails are not responded to in a timely manner.
3. Unfair and inequitable decisions on courtesy and subscription busing impact students.
4. The interview and hiring process for key positions is shrouded in secrecy.
5. Presentations are made without releasing key supporting data.
6. Emails and public communication announcements are retracted.

 My goal is to bring transparency and accountability to:

1. Curriculum and Schedules –

• I will work with the administration to ensure every student who requests a hardcopy textbook can access one.
• I will work towards having an open town hall on new teaching models like BTC – Building thinking classrooms in MATH.
• We have inherited a rotate and drop schedule, but with the current pandemic learning loss, we need to revisit this and incorporate core subjects that are taught daily.

2.  Annual budgeting process –

• I will continue to read every line item of our board meeting agendas, bills, and capital reserve transfers as I have for many years.
• I have written about our budget process multiple times since 2022
• We have two public meetings to seek any public feedback on our preliminary budget. School budgets are the final word on the district’s priorities, and families deserve far more access and input than they currently have.
• Our annual budget process must be communicated to the public. We need to have town halls that allow public participation in person and via Zoom to discuss our preliminary budget.
• I would change how we communicate and release the preliminary budget to our residents.
• I intend to bring my experience of reviewing our district’s budgets for over nine years while giving working families easy-to-understand information and more opportunities for influence so they can become more equal partners in their children’s education.

3. Special needs education programs –

• A collaborative consultative model was introduced for special needs students during the pandemic.
• Parents and students have been raising concerns and I am acutely aware of some as a parent.
• I will work with the administration to ensure we conduct a town hall on the collaborative consultative model.

4. Communication and Feedback –

• I will work with the administration to ensure the district sends surveys that are NOT narrowly constructed and allow for both positive and negative feedback from parents, teachers, and residents.
• I will work to plan for and conduct more public board meetings as was the case prior to 2021.
• I will work towards having a special page for questions and answers on our district website like districts that spend a lot less than BHPS.
• I will work towards publishing the bills list, and capital transfers that are voted on at board meetings on our district website.
• I believe the board needs to move away from the past precedent of ‘We know the best approach and seek feedback.

As every elected representative, a board member has a fiduciary responsibility to the constituents of our community.

Our community expects the board to do the due diligence, deliberate publicly, and then vote on our budget, curriculum, and policies. The last couple of years have been challenging for the education system with the pandemic and remote learning, redistricting, and reconfiguration of elementary schools.

Our cost per pupil has been steadily increasing over the years to approximately $25K per student with a $62.9 Million budget while our enrollment numbers, rankings, and proficiency scores have been dropping. We are nowhere near the appropriate academic achievement level, given our spending dollars, and we have become very top-heavy.

We are a great district, but we can aspire to do even better. We need to bring the focus back to academic rigor, the overall development of our children, and collaboration with teachers, parents, and the community.

You can follow my page to learn more.

Visit Our 2023 Berkeley Heights Candidates Page to Read More From the Candidates