What The New Berkeley Heights BOE Must Do In The First Three Months of 2024 To Rebuild Our District

Nov 10, 20231 Comment

A historically low turnout election still produced 2000+ votes, affirming change…..now what?

While the BOE election was uncontested, the message was clear- the community wants things to change. While thousands were likely spent on the Town Council Election (something we will write about), it would be a surprise if the BOE candidates who garnered an overwhelming vote count given the election cycle even spent $300 combined.

Both candidates used signs from last year, free platforms to get their message across, and no paid advertising (at least from what I could tell).

All of this only matters if the Board as a whole gets the message.

The new Board can immediately take several steps to rebuild confidence and begin the repair work early on.

New Attorneys

The perception (I believe the evidenced reality) is that the current Attorneys have compromised themselves time and time again by offering advice many feel serves their financial interests while putting the District at risk for ethics complaints and lawsuits. They have also injected themselves into meetings in ways utterly detached from their role, from my perspective. Over the past three years, the animus displayed to three BOE Members has been shocking and calls into question their objectivity. Legal costs and animosity have skyrocketed as a result.

This current Board needs to do the responsible thing and allow the new Board to hire a new firm.

This has been such a costly point of contention that any new choice this current BOE makes would automatically be met with skepticism. The RFP process needs to be approved by the Board, and the selection process needs to be public. This second recommendation may seem different, but what has been going on for the past three years isn’t typical either. It would be a significant Olive Branch to the community and a sign that we have moved beyond petty game-play and are ready to move forward to do the serious work of running our schools.

Overhaul the Budget

Over the past three years, BHCW has demonstrated one issue after another in connection to the budget process and the Budget itself. If there was ever an argument for a school budget to be put to a public vote – our District is it. To regain confidence, we need to go above and beyond. Meetings need to be increased to twice a month, with working meetings during the first few months leading to the Budget the public has access to. Budget documents need to be distributed in whole to the BOE and the public. BOE members and the administration must approach the table with open minds on cutting legal and administrative costs and a plan for the busing issue. There is no good reason for a tax hike this year – too much money is being wasted in the wrong ways. We can have a budget that really meets the needs of our students without further burdening middle-class and working-class families in our community.

Increase Number of BOE Meetings, Open Committees Up to the Public, Match BOE Members to Committees Based on Qualifications

The most shocking thing about committees this year is that one of the most qualified individuals on the BOE for the finance committee was not selected. There is no good reason why Dr. Foregger was not on the finance committee, and Ms. Khanna was simply listed as an alternate. The outcome of these decisions is painfully clear when you see the Budget that ended up getting approved last year.

Our current BOE also needs to consider taping committee meetings and publishing them so the public can see members deliberate. There is no reason at all for this not to happen. BOE Members should take anything confidential to the executive session. This idea that committees make the BOE more efficient has fallen on its face time and time again over the past three years- bad, rushed decisions created in echo chambers create more work.

The NJSBA guidance is not based on any law nor is there a single shred of research to support their assertion that Boards by committee works better – the term “best practice” is just an opinion and a terrible one at that.

But there is a middle ground and giving the public access to what goes on in committees can achieve a lot.

Increasing meetings to twice a month as a standard practice would also help in this arena as it would give BOE Members and the public time to deliberate, ask questions and inform policy decisions more effectively.

You (yes…YOU) Need to Get Up Off Your Ass and Get More Involved

Our traffic this year has been through the roof and the election turnout was incredible, but reading and voting aren’t going to cut it by themselves. Parents need to start taking responsibility for their schools – the current situation is more our fault than anyone else’s. Our fear of what a few people are going to say or hoping someone else speaks up is going to change nothing. Parents need to start showing up to BOE Meetings, reading budgets, and speaking up.

This is not someone else’s job – it belongs to you and it is one of the most important jobs you have. Show up and speak up for your kids.

This year can either represent an opportunity to move forward effectively for our students or we can waste the year in another bitter display of infighting, political game-play and incompetence.

Berkeley Heights cannot afford to get it wrong this time – the children and families who rely on our District deserve better.