Correcting Dr. Varley’s Resignation Email

A More Accurate Record of Superintendent Varley’s Four Year Tenure at BHPSNJ

Written by an Educator in the District

At exactly 10:00am on December 26, 2023 (the day after Christmas), Dr. Melissa Varley resigned as Superintendent of Berkeley Heights Public Schools.

Her email covers a list of accomplishments, according to her, during her 4.5 years thus far as Superintendent.

Angela Penna, one of two BOE representatives receiving four votes in the current BOE President Deadlock was a Board Member, Vice President or President during this time.

This record is a very important rule stick in deciding who the next President should be as they will play a role in searching for a new Superintendent.

First lets fact check what Dr. Varley wrote in her email:

Dr. Varley Wrote:

We survived a Pandemic! We were one of the first districts to bring all students in person in 2021.

Perspective:

Berkeley Heights was outperformed by the six other comparable Districts on our Dashboard.

Dr. Varley Wrote:

We have Full Day Kindergarten! (Without taxpayer impact!) All children of Berkeley Heights will be better off for myself and members ofThe Board of Education embracing our youngest learners.

Perspective:

FDK could have occurred far less painfully as she tied the reconfiguration of our schools into the process. Two massive undertakings that represented the most divisive public matter in our District’s recent history that contributed to our declines and staff turnover.

Dr. Varley Wrote:

We realigned the district to create equity and create space for Full Day Kindergarten.

Perspective:

This is not true.

Dr. Varley Wrote:

We created a DEI Strategic Plan so that ALL of our students feel included when they walk into our doors.

Perspective:

As with most things embarked on by this Superintendent, the implementation was divisive and political, the plan was ill-defined, and the objectives were non-existent.  Berkeley Heights did not fare well with state-measured indicators that should have been impacted by a successful DEI plan when compared to seven other Districts. The internal survey pushed by Dr. Varely to track the success of DEI was full of holes . When Berkeley Heights parents asked for the survey results months later, they still weren’t available.

Dr. Varley Wrote:

“We used stakeholder input to create a new Brand; Include, Inspire, Empower”

“We hosted lunch and learns, literacy lunches, and student led diversity days to listen to the voices of our students”

“We held roundtables with students and notable community members”

“We created the Heights Headlines”

Perspective:

If this was meant to show that family and student feedback were sought and communication improved it feels flat.

Dr. Varley Wrote:

Our athletes won many, many championships

Perspective:

This is true.

Dr. Varley Wrote:

We had more National Merit Scholars in 2023 than we have in over 15 years!

Our SAT scores at GL have risen by 20 points!

Perspective:

Our District performed worse on measures that impact our entire District (2000+ students) than comparable schools with smaller budgets.

Dr. Varley Wrote:

We completed BHEA negotiations in RECORD time!!!

Perspective:

True, but we still had to remind you.

Now let’s take a look at all the accomplishments Dr. Varley did not list in her email:

• 2020:
  • Advertising to the public a revised end to the school year for June 11th, 2020, and then the BOE making a separate decision keeping the date of June 18, 2020 while modifying spring break.
  • Unsafe (from a COVID-19 health-perspective) in-person learning environment according to district faculty.
• 2021:
  • Botched reconfiguration of schools that included the sudden retirement of one Principal.
  • Misinforming the public that the town police were consulted on a formal traffic study when discussions were more informal.
  • As part of redistricting, moving teachers from one building and grade level to another.
  • Teachers’ union (BHEA) President calling the district ‘a mess’ that it had not been prior to Dr. Varley
  • Hiring former colleague Marybeth Kopacz to newly-created position of Director of Elementary Curriculum and Intervention in 2020, then giving a $40,000 pay raise within 1.5 years by moving her to newly created ‘Assistant Superintendent’ position.
  • Hiring daughter to part-time summer position leading to an ethics charge.
  • Redistricting causes mass waves of retirements and resignations.
  • Premature contract renewal leading to petition
• 2022:
  • Elimination of Grade 6-12 French program, then reversed due to public outcry (this later included a weekend Chinese program being forced to move to a neighboring district due to rental issues)
  • Misinforming the public about enrollment numbers in the French program (including underreporting student numbers to make the French program look smaller)
  • Botched budget process.
  • Longtime administer and Assistant Superintendent Scott McKinney resigns to take a paycut to become Superintendent in tiny, far-away district.
  • Building Thinking Classrooms math class debacle causes larger-than-expected parent meeting without answers from administration (see additional link).
  • Dr. Varley and Business Administrator attempt to intervene in Board of Education election.
  • Dr. Varley contradicts parent statement about school security (ends up in lawsuit in 2023).
• 2023:
  • Botched budget process.
  • Appointing an administrator of Social Studies, World Language, and ESL as the Open Public Records Act (OPRA) officer (when it is normally the job of the School Business Administrator).
  • Elimination of two Supervisor roles by Superintendent causing resident, student, teacher, and administrator outcry and denied by BOE vote.
  • Elimination of Math Supervisor leaving Berkeley Heights Public Schools without leadership in high school/middle school mathematics.
  • Dr. Varley was not aware at a BOE meeting how many supervisors the district employed.
  • Six Berkeley Heights Public Schools administrators resigned, retired, or were forced out from April 2023 to July 2023.
  • Above resignation includes 14-year district Principal writing letter against Dr. Varley and the BOE. (see letter here)
  • Above resignation includes Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education and Intervention claiming “retirement” but then landing another job as a Supervisor.
  • Dr. Varley caught looking for a Superintendent job in Florida using the last name “Whitfield.”
  • Seven BOE members decided not to run for reelection under Dr. Varley’s tenure
  • Declining proficiencies in math, reading, and writing putting Berkeley Heights behind 21 other districts.
  • Declining high school rankings even spending the highest cost per pupil in the region under Varley’s tenure.
  • Decline in elementary school and middle school rankings.Declining rankings putting Berkeley Heights behind at least six neighboring districts.
  • 45 retirements and resignations in one school year totaling 100+ over three years in a district of approximately 300 teachers
  • The Busing Controversy
  • Civil lawsuit filed against Dr. Varley by Berkeley Heights resident and parent over Varley claiming false statement regarding student’s weapon possession (began in 2022).
  • Sudden resignation by Dr. Varley day after Christmas (I am completely ok with this one).
  • Somehow getting the maximum pay increase allowed during the same year she recommended staff cuts.
• 2024
  • The disingenuous email sent to teachers about the Board Vote on payroll.
  • An unclear letter of resignation that has the potential to stall the search for a new Superintendent.

BHCW allows for confidentially sourced articles from employees of local government agencies or volunteers of non-profits whose organizations would take retaliatory action against their employees and , in the case of volunteer organizations, officers for exercising their right to express an opinion about local government. We have verified the confidential source for this article and have met with him/her face to face.