10/12/2023 Berkeley Heights BOE Meeting – Laura’s Notes

The opinions, comments and questions below are my own, they are not on behalf of or a reflection of any community or organization in which I am a member.  

I did not watch the entire 10/12 Board meeting. But, I watched enough to pose the questions below to the Board of Education. 

My main takeaways from the meeting, in which I addressed to the board below, are:

(1) The redundant scapegoat of using “misinformation” put out by community members regarding anything slightly negative in the district;

(2) The inability to tackle the minor problems that need to be fixed (responding and answering questions in emails) makes me question the ability of those at the helm to tackle the bigger problem in a professional, timely, and sound manner; 

(3) The legal fees that just keep adding up, and no one seems to bat an eye at our spending; 

(4) Stakeholder involvement is still non-existent to the general community; 

(5) Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) is a topic of discussion on a monthly-basis; why are we hiding behind “we haven’t fully implemented the program” and facing the issues: our students NEED help; let’s figure out how to give that to them most efficiently and effectively. 

On a positive note, I am a fan of the interim Board Secretary. The professionalism and respect he exhibited during the Board meeting was more than welcome, and I applaud his efforts and work thus far. 

-LK

Hi all!

 

Misinformation

 

What exactly is the misinformation reported on last night? 

 

‘Misinformation,’ as a general term, has been weaponized repeatedly by the BOE and Administration as a means, of what I can only determine to be a, deflection of reality. Can this statement be backed up by any data or evidence?

 

It is hard to determine reason within the scope of any subject when the actual misinformation is never, ever addressed but used as a rouse to “believe what “we” tell you, not what you hear from anyone else.” It’s not Christmas, there is no childlike faith when it comes to our students struggling to succeed. 

 

Potholes

 

There was some discussion of pothole repairs but nothing sounding like a plan. I also didn’t receive a response to my email about potholes – is there a plan to

fix them, if so, when?  

 

Potholes at our schools are a safety concern, so while I do not mean to displace the importance of trees, it was quite interesting to hear about Ms. Stanley and our Superintendent engaging in a lengthy walk around GL to look at trees. Did anyone take a walk around all of our schools to inspect the potholes? What is being done to ensure student and staff safety until all the potholes are fixed?

 

AASA Conference

 

The dates of the AASA conference are 2/16-2/18, in San Antonio, TX. Why are 3 of our administrators approved to be at the conference starting 2/14, two days before the conference starts?  If they have an evening flight, then, why do they need an entire day in San Antonio, TX before the conference starts?  This would obviously make sense if all 3 are driving, and would need multiple days of travel. Can someone please explain the discrepancy between the approved trip dates and how they don’t correspond to the published dates of the conference?

 

Why is Mr. Hopkins attending a conference for Superintendents? And, why was this PD opportunity approved knowing the expenses of this trip far exceeded his $1800 limit?

 

Communication 

 

This has been a goal of the District for years, and yet there has been zero improvement. A simple solution to provide a means of progress would be if someone on the Board actually responded to the questions being asked via email. Some of the questions are really simple, and would also, possibly, mean less time at actual meetings. I think you can all figure out a feasible solution here, and quickly. 

 

Parent/Stakeholder Involvement

 

I can only speak about my personal experience, and, I have not seen a single attempt to engage ALL parents and stakeholders. In this one instance, I would love to be incorrect about what I feel to be missed opportunities, due to a lack of effort by the District, for all stakeholders in this community to be involved on higher-level committees and panels. If there has been effort, please provide me with the evidence that any such effort exists/existed. 

 

The Superintendent has repeatedly reported on parents that have served on (top secret – because we don’t know about them until after they have happened) committees and interview panels – can someone please tell me: Who are these parents? Where are they being picked from? And, who is being given the opportunity to volunteer for these opportunities? Is there a process that is followed each time a parent and/or stakeholder is needed – or are the same few people being used?

 

MORE legal fees; Policy 0164

 

We learned last night that Mr. Cianciulli was the sole advocate for Policy 0164, requiring Board members to provide 48 hours notice regarding any new business for a Board meeting, in an effort to curtail any surprises at meetings. He received approval from Ms. Penna to engage with the District Lawyers who, essentially, wrote the policy he requested.  How much did this policy, that needs to still be revised, cost the District? How can 2 BOE Members make the decision to incur legal fees based on the idea of a single member? Couldn’t something much simpler, to achieve the goal discussed last night, have been written by the policy committee? The power could have been given to the Presiding Officer to table new business or any motions made if he/she felt members needed adequate time to review the new business presented? 

 

BTC

 

The misinformation, of which I have determined does not exist within the community, was “corrected” last night with the Administration sharing that BHPS is not fully immersed nor are we a full functioning BTC district. What is the misinformation surrounding BTC? Please state and provide evidence of this misinformation. 

 

While the message that we are not a fully immersed BTC district, there are teachers that are using BTC as the primary method of teaching, not simply as a tool. This is the reality, no matter what kind of instructional math the district claims to employ. 

 

The real issue is that children are struggling with the methodology, fundamentals and general practice of BTC. The parents and guardians of these students are frustrated their child is struggling. Perhaps the BOE and Administration can figure out how to mend the gap and provide the support so many need on so many different levels. Pushing the narrative that “kids have always struggled in math” or “the older kids get, the harder math gets” and “students have needed tudors forever” are lackluster excuses, and don’t address the concerns or needs facing our students right now. 

 

I would appreciate any answers you can provide to me within a reasonable time frame. I have bolded, italicized and underlined my questions to make responding easier. 

 

Thank your for your time, 

Laura

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