Another Stanley Circus
Setting the Stage….Or Ring
Every quarter (or so), members of NJ21st submit an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request to the Business Administrator (BA), asking for all records provided to OPRA requestors. Once requested, these records become public documents.
At a recent Board meeting, certain statements were presented that can only be described as misinformation regarding OPRA requests. What’s particularly notable is that the data we request was, for a short time, accessible on the district’s website under the former BA’s tenure.
This raises an important question: If this publicly available information were still posted online, wouldn’t it significantly reduce the workload for the BA and Business Office in processing these OPRA requests?
To be fair, the current Board has taken steps toward greater transparency. However, as with any governing body, much still happens behind closed doors—or, in this case, behind email chains.
The Emails That Raise Eyebrows
This brings us to a revealing exchange between a Board member, the former acting Superintendent, and a former Assistant Superintendent—who, despite no longer living in the district, still follows and supports the Board member’s campaign on social media.
Like many others, I once believed Mr. Nixon should continue as Superintendent and would be selected by the Board. But then things took an unexpected turn.
Let’s rewind to May 22, 2024. In the interest of integrity, we have redacted the names and emails of individuals who are not elected officials or part of the BHPS administration. You can review the full email chain at the link below.
The first email comes from BOE Representative Pam Stanley to Mr. Nixon. While most of the content is redacted due to confidential personnel matters, she accuses Nixon of failing to properly support and advocate for Central Office staff after receiving a 1.5 page email from an employee. That email had fundamental inaccuracies:
The email stated NJ21st was opposed to Mr. Nixon Being Superintendent. At the time three NJ21st contributors advocated for Mr. Nixon to remain superintendent for at least a year or be selected for a permanent position. One of those contributors has since changed his mind (well after this 1.5 page email was written).
The email claims Dr. Foregger is on a quest for revenge due to the redistricting. Being critical of a decision in no way means one desires “revenge”, and there is no evidence supporting this claim. It also seems to imply that Dr. Foregger feels Mr. Nixon wasn’t capable of holding the Superintendent position. The reality is, Dr. Foregger’s comments, while insensitive, were meant to say the opposite- that one not need have an Education Doctorate to be a Superintendent.
Back to the email chain. Mr. Nixon responds to Ms. Stanley’s email, reaffirming his respect for all employees but arguing that eliminating certain positions would ultimately benefit those who need more support.
Interestingly, this aligns with NJ21st’s long-standing position—reducing excessive district costs to better allocate resources to staff, students, and schools.
What happens next raises concerns. Stanley forwards her email exchange with Nixon (the acting Superintendent) to several BHPS employees.
For reference, the New Jersey School Boards Code of Ethics explicitly states:
g. I will hold confidential all matters pertaining to the schools which, if disclosed, would needlessly injure individuals or the schools.
f. I will refuse to surrender my independent judgment to special interest or partisan political groups or to use the schools for personal gain or the gain of friends.
This is not speculation. This is not conjecture. These are the facts.
A Leak, an Accusation, and a Circus
The next email in the chain is from a BHPS employee who implies that a Board member leaked his message to NJ21st. His evidence? A budget article used the phrase "echo chamber," which he had included in his email. From this single similarity, he jumps to the conclusion that a leak occurred —despite the fact that NJ21st has been accused of this very behavior by various former BOE members and their allies long before his email was ever sent.
This is just one of many instances where Stanley transforms what should be a routine exchange into a full-blown spectacle.
If you recall, Stanley—along with several other BOE members—was previously found in violation of ethics rules when filing a complaint against a former BOE member. That complaint diverted thousands of taxpayer dollars away from classrooms. The vast majority of the complaint was dismissed by the SEC, and the Board later dropped the case entirely.
Additionally Stanley has also been criticized for photographing a parent at Starbucks and posting the image on a “community” forum known for smearing residents, denying the existence of a proficiency report, making inaccurate comments about teachers salaries and heading a policy committee that led to yet another controversy surrounding transportation services..
Based on the scant evidence presented in the email to the Board, Ms. Stanley demands a full scale investigation.
Ms. Stanley, who just forwarded the same email to BHPS employees, is now demanding an ethics investigation into confidentiality breaches—because someone noticed a single common phrase in the employee’s email matched an article on NJ21st and reported it to the BOE.
Link to Entire Email Exchange
Editors Note: Notice how Anthony Juskiewicz, Business Administrator protects people like Dr. Varley with redaction but makes sure accusations (with no evidence) about parents are clearly displayed with their names in full view. This is how our Business Administrator conducts his role.