-John Sincaglia
There was a time when the Berkeley Heights School District performed well when measured against comparable nearby districts while at the same time maintaining a cost per pupil that was lower than most or all of its counterparts. While any school district can always do better, the operation and performance of the Berkeley Heights schools was viewed in a generally very positive manner by the citizens who appreciated the fine efforts put forth by a capable teaching staff, effective leadership from its Superintendent and administrative team, and appropriate oversight from its elected Board of Education.
Unfortunately, with the exception of the teaching staff and some of the middle management administrators, the rest of those other things are no longer true. The district is lagging behind in its academic performance versus our neighbors. It has become the most expensive district and the school board has become detached from being responsive to the public that it is responsible to serve.
Prior to the advent of the current superintendent and the functioning of the current Board, members of the public could have the confidence that when they sought answers, they would be given a thoughtful and respectful response, rather then being rebuffed and ignored, in particular with the advice of the board’s attorney whose legal bills far exceed anything that ever existed under previous boards and Superintendent, not to mention whose legal advice has often been at odds with board policy, as well as
state rules and regulations.
What is even more astonishing is that the current majority of the Board even seeks to muzzle those other members of the Board who have been duly elected. One would expect that any elected official, including Board members, should have the right and responsibility to comment on items brought forth by members of the public. However, this Board will not even enter into a dialogue with members of the public and restricts all but the President from commenting on any item addressed in public which usually results in a perfunctory response rather than an attempt to honestly and forthrightly be responsive to the question asked This had never been the case with previous Superintendents and Boards. It also is in stark contrast to the way our Mayor and Council operate.
The failings of the current administration and Board are many, both in terms of results and process. They cannot even explain how many pupils are receiving courtesy busing and why some pupils receive it while others do not, The morale of the teaching staff is low and in the past 2 years we have seen the loss of several highly qualified and effective administrators. One of them had the courage to publicly point out the failed leadership as well as the Board’s failure to hold people accountable.
This year there is an opportunity to move the district back to what always had been normal and effective operation, both in a fiscal sense, and in a manner that is responsive to the people whom they serve. There are two candidates who have been dogged in their attempts to question many of the unusual actions of the district the past 2 years. Natasha Joly and Sai Bhargavi Akiri are two individuals who will not be afraid to speak their minds. They will not be afraid to question the often questionable actions and recommendations of the Superintendent. They will not be afraid to demand a more open and detailed budget process, the way it used to be. They will demand that the attorney provide advice only when requested, not functioning as an extra Board member, a practice that has become the norm here in Berkeley Heights to the detriment of the elected members and the members of the public who expect and deserve answers.
As someone who served 12 years on the Board and whose career included more than 20 years service to several Boards as their Business Administrator and even service as an official for the NJ Dept of Education, I have become deeply disappointed and disenchanted with the direction and functioning of the Berkeley Heights School District. It’s time to get the ship in the right direction and by electing Natasha Joly and Sai Bhargavi Akiri you can help make that happen. I encourage you to cast your vote for both of them in this year’s election.
