Berkeley Heights board adopts five‑year strategic plan framework; year‑one actions and timeline outlined

The Berkeley Heights Board of Education received a five‑year strategic plan at its June 25, 2026 meeting and heard a year‑one action plan the superintendent said will begin this summer.

Consultant Jean Clearary, who led community engagement for the plan, told the board she had left a copy of the final document for each member and urged the board to keep the plan visible on the table so it would guide decision‑making. "I have left a copy of the strategic plan final document with each of the board members," she said, emphasizing stakeholder input from several meetings.

Superintendent Dr. Feltree presented the district’s Year‑One roadmap, which she said focuses on three pillars the community identified: whole‑child development; academic excellence and lifelong learning; and family and community engagement. Year‑one actions include expanding zones‑of‑regulation instruction, administering climate surveys to replace anecdotal feedback with data, embedding Universal Design for Learning into Tier‑1 instruction, planning two focused professional‑development sessions for staff and establishing stronger data and operational ownership across departments.

On timelines, Dr. Feltree outlined summer relational training for administrators, baseline data collection and audits in the fall, professional development in fall and winter, and planning for year two in the spring. She said items in the action plan that require funding were flagged for budget consideration and that portions of the plan may be supported by the district referendum.

The board asked for details about how district goals will flow from the strategic plan; Dr. Feltree said district goals will be presented in August and that the administration will map which agenda items tie to the plan and the referendum so the public can follow progress. The superintendent also said the strategic‑plan page will be posted to the district website and that the administration will provide annual updates to the board and community.

The presentation concluded with the superintendent thanking staff, families and students for the year and reminding the public that implementation is meant to be iterative: "This is a living document," she said, adding that timelines will be adjusted as milestones are met.

Next steps: district goals tied to the plan will be released in August; the board and administration will monitor implementation milestones, budgetary needs and referendum‑linked projects.