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Reader asks , “What happened to a 10-year life, virtually maintenance free”

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“The Chuck Johnson Field saga continues. What happened to a 10-year life, virtually maintenance free, and only to be used 12x per year? Now, the lights (nice touch, eh Chuck?) are on almost every night of the week, and sometimes hosting pick-up soccer games. This is indicative of the culture at RHS and the whole BoE over the past 20 years. “

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Reader comments on DOE School Ratings , “false news and schools in Ridgewood were obviously misrepresented in the survey.”

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” Of course you know exactly what Fishbein will say and do, announce it’s all due to “false news and schools in Ridgewood were obviously misrepresented in the survey.” That huge budget increase (look at Glen Rock’s whose scores are almost always well above us and the comparison in budget requests is a complete horror.) “

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Reader comments on college admissions scam , “why is this investigation happening now? It’s not like coaching people to get into schools is a new thing”

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“wealthy parents spread the wealth amongst various service providers (tutors, essay Writers, etc.) to send their kids to school where they’ll spend another $300k on a bachelors degree. Sounds like they are the losers. A better question is, why is this investigation happening now? It’s not like coaching people to get into schools is a new thing. Wouldn’t the same investigators be better used to catch Fentanyl distributors? Just a month ago billionaires were caught paying for sex (what a crime!) and now this. Who’s directing these investigations?”

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U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling Announces results of an investigation into a scheme to bribe colleges code-named Operation Varsity Blues

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, in what federal authorities have called ,the biggest college admissions scam ever prosecuted by the U.S. Justice Department, wealthy parents  are accused of paying an estimated $25 million in bribes.Fifty people, including Hollywood stars Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, were charged Tuesday in a scheme in which parents allegedly bribed college coaches and other insiders to get their children into some of the nation’s most elite schools.

This scandal is certain to inflame longstanding complaints that children of the wealthy and well-connected have the inside track to college admissions , with parents using large and timely donations to encourage their acceptance.  

Continue reading U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling Announces results of an investigation into a scheme to bribe colleges code-named Operation Varsity Blues
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Ridgewood Nursery School Gets the Boot from Glen School

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood school district has asked the privately owned Ridgewood Nursery School to vacate the space it currently leases inside Glen School by the end of the school year. The eviction came unexpectedly ,giving students barely 5 months to relocate.
Superintendent Daniel Fishbein told the Bergen Record in a statement that Ridgewood is following its signed contract, and will “continue to attempt to work with RNS in a collaborative versus litigious manner.”

Continue reading Ridgewood Nursery School Gets the Boot from Glen School
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Ridgewood Man Makes the ‘Jeopardy!’ All-Star Games Cut

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Let the games begin: six teams of elite JEOPARDY! contestants are set to face off in the JEOPARDY! All-Star Games, presented by Consumer Cellular. Starting Wednesday, February 20, fans will have the chance to see their favorite players join forces and play JEOPARDY! like it’s never been played before: in teams.

The 18 elite contestants returning for the JEOPARDY! All-Star Games are among the winningest and most popular players in recent JEOPARDY! history. Six teams are composed of three players each, with one designated Team Captain. The Team Captains are some of the most notable names to ever play the game: Colby Burnett, Buzzy Cohen, Julia Collins, Ken Jennings, Austin Rogers, and Brad Rutter. The teams are as follows:

Continue reading Ridgewood Man Makes the ‘Jeopardy!’ All-Star Games Cut
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Reader says ,”our BOE probably overspends by $25-35 mm “

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” Sure, our BOE probably overspends by $25-35 mm just here in Ridgewood alone. Just look at all of the virtually empty buses taking one or two students a few miles every day back and forth… and we’re a magnet for special needs kids because of all of the resources in our $111 mm BOE budget dedicated to special needs resources. While that’s great, what about the other 5,000 kids in our public schools who rank 23rd in SAT scores for the state? And don’t have statistically significant acceptance rates to top colleges & universities? From a high school most recently ranked 26th in the state with a declining trend now for years? #ChangeStartsAtTheTop #MommiesWontVoteNo #NotGettingOurMoneysWorth “

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SUPER SCIENCE SATURDAY

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Super Science Saturday, hailed as the “Greatest Science Extravaganza in Northern New Jersey,” brings fun and excitement to science through professional presenters and student projects. As a joint project of the Ridgewood Board of Education and the Super Science Saturday Volunteer Committee, we aim to bring all science lovers together for a day of fun and learning for all ages.

In an effort to make Super Science Saturday an even better experience, we have changed venues to Ridgewood High School, giving more space for student presenters in our “Hall of Science.” Our adult presenters will also have generous space throughout hallways, the Cafeteria, and the Campus Center.

Continue reading SUPER SCIENCE SATURDAY
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Prospective Ridgewood Board of Education Candidate Information

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood residents interested in becoming a candidate for the Board of Education should review the School Board Candidate Kit published by the New Jersey School Boards Association, available through this link.

Candidate petitions are available at the office of the Board Secretary, 49 Cottage Place, Ridgewood, NJ between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Completed petitions must be submitted to the Board Secretary. The deadline for candidates to submit their nominating petitions is Monday, February 25th at 4:00 p.m. 

Additional resources from NJSBA :

Running for School Board? Click here for ten things you should know. 

Serving on the Board of Education Information

Click here for Fundamentals of School Board Membership.

Click here for 13 Things School Board Members Wish People Knew About Them.

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Ridgewood BOE Attempts to Clear the Air on PARCC Tests

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ, In December, the NJ Appellate Court struck down the PARCC graduation requirement because the high school PARCC multi-year, multi-test requirement did not align with the state law’s graduation requirement of one 11th grade test.  The state has until today, February 11th , to respond to the court and the Education Law Center’s request to maintain the current pathways to graduation for the 2019 through 2022 graduates.

Continue reading Ridgewood BOE Attempts to Clear the Air on PARCC Tests
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BOE Ducks Motions to Withdraw “Term” Lawsuit

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, reader says, “Chris Kaufman made a motion to withdraw the lawsuit. No one seconded his motion so there could not be a vote. I am so proud that I voted for this man.”

Cristopher Kaufman at the last Board of Ed meeting said : “I accept the consequences of [having the election in April 2019, thereby shortening the terms of existing members to 2.5 years] will have on my own term, but I feel it’s in the best interest of the Community that we have the Board of Education election with the budget vote this April.” Putting the Community first .

Disgraceful that the BOE Board members still do not want to take responsibility for the term extension law suit ?

Residents continue to question Board actions and get no response.

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Reader says ,” negative comments (on schools) do not appear to be grounded in reality”

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“It always surprises me how much people seem to self hate. If an out of state person were to read the comments one would think we are talking about Paterson or Camden or the South Bronx. My dad lived in Glen Rock and graduated RHS in the 50s my wife and I in the 80s, our kids in the 2000s and 2010s . My personal observation is that there was a slight dip (see graph) but over the decades RHS has maintained pretty well. I do think there is a risk that private schools like Bosco will continue to improve and outpace the public schools. But the negative comments do not appear to be grounded in reality.”

https://www.schooldigger.com/go/NJ/schools/1383000764/school.aspx?t=tbRankings

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Reader says , “Our Superintendent leaves a lot to be desired”

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Our Superintendent leaves a lot to be desired. He continually posts “feel good” missives and cannot see the problems right in front of his face. I thought he was “voluntarily” remaining until his last child was out of school. I guess he decided not to give up his “cozy cushion” and look for a job that would pay better and also give him the right to destroy another school system. I don’t know how much more time he has on his contact but it is sure to be renewed by his Lackies. To file a law suit to try to keep the people he knows love him in office so he doesn’t have to possibly have people who don’t bow before him in office instead is pure hubris. The apparent illegality of this action–or merely the fact that it defies the law–seems to escape the notice of our town lawyer.

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Reader asks , “what has Dr. Fishbein done to improve academics in Ridgewood Schools ?”

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Fishbein is useless.
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Tell me what he has done of any significance to improve academics in Ridgewood Schools and get the students ready for their future? What has he done to elevate Ridgewood schools and set them apart from others in the state? the country? the world?
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He has just presided over the slow decline of Ridgewood schools, while virtue signaling and lecturing parents on how to raise their children and keep them warm on cold days.
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Useless.
We’d be better off running the show with no superintendent and we’d save a lot of money.