-Steven Kark
I do not typically share my opinions publicly, but I am shocked and amazed that Ms. Penna is even being considered for President. How is anyone following our District even considering her as an option?
I think it is essential to review her History on the Board.
In 2021, she reversed her original position on FDK and voted for an incredibly disruptive, poorly planned, and poorly implemented reconfiguration.
In 2022, she was largely silent as Dr. Varley provided the community with false information as justification for removing French. Amazingly, she attempted to take credit for saving French “behind the scenes” and had an article removed when a parent contradicted her narrative with facts.
Her tenure as a BOE Member demonstrates a record of either support or silence as the District deconstructed almost every avenue families had to provide input to our District.
Her tenure as Vice President and President saw the most significant decline in our proficiencies and rankings compared to six other Districts. Pick any ranking from any source, and Berkeley Heights Schools are still in the same spot – last.
During her time on the Board, Ms. Penna has voted in one budget over another that has us with the highest per-pupil cost out of the same six schools that are outperforming us. She was Vice-President and President during two of the most broken budget processes this District has ever experienced (2022 & 2023) as teachers and valued administrators left the District in droves.
In that same period, Ms. Penna supported the use of District Dollars to go on witch hunts against a fellow BOE Member, which backfired and landed her in a swamp of validated ethics complaints , a decision by the Department of Education against the District for violating bidding and educational adequacy laws, and has the District scraping to pay the highest level of legal costs it has ever experienced.
Ms. Penna voted to allow Dr. Varley to hire her daughter, which then led to more legal costs in defending the Superintendent, only for parents and students to discover that Dr. Varley finally admitted to violating policy and entering a settlement.
Recently, we learned that this same Superintendent, whom Ms. Penna voted in an early raise and extension, ended up getting even more money last year without the public and – most likely- the rest of the Board knowing about it.
In most communities, this would lead to having a government official removed; however, in our community, it is a record that led to Ms. Penna getting re-elected and now vying for the position of Board President.
Is this really the best that Berkeley Heights can do?
Really?
If so then we should all be embarrassed.
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