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To the residents of Ridgewood
Today I filed the necessary nominating petitions to run for the Ridgewood Board of Education. I am seeking the one year term created by the resignation of a former BOE member.
I decided to run because I believe that I can make a difference by expanding the public’s involvement in the Board’s deliberations. The Board of Education sets the District’s policies and provides operational oversight on behalf of our children and the Village’s taxpayers. Only by fully and openly discussing how it performs these duties can the Board make the best decisions for our schools’ future.
What are the major challenges facing Ridgewood’s schools today?
1 Budgetary Passivity – The Board has incorrectly accepted the 2% state mandated cap on tax increases as a guideline for planning operating expense increases. Like Glen Rock, Ridgewood needs to design a budget that adds educational opportunities while keeping taxes flat.
2 Technology Obsolescence– The District’s two year old Technology Plan is not designed to take advantage of today’s remarkable new learning tools. The Board should require the aggressive exploration of these new approaches for teaching our children.
3 Educational Standards –For the last two years, Ridgewood’s middle and high school students’ math and literacy test scores have been below the medium for our peer school districts. The Board should aggressively challenge our administrators to understand why this trend is developing and how it can be reversed.
4 Fiscal Accountability – The District’s annual budgeting process is a mess and the prior year’s budget presentations have been incomprehensible. School spending drives 2/3 of our local property taxes, but very few of us know what our spending priorities are. This year’s budget progress has taken preliminary steps to de-mystify the numbers, but much more needs to be done. As the public’s representatives the Board should present an understandable fiscal plan.
5 Transparency – The District needs the support of the entire Village; yet its approach is to operate in the shadows. Formal Board meetings are designed to discourage public involvement. Much of the actual Board work is done in subcommittees that are not open to the public. The Board should open up its deliberations and encourage public participation.
We have excellent schools today, but how these issues are addressed will determine how well our schools do in the future. Every resident of the Village should be concerned with this election regardless whether or not they have a child in school. Beyond the future of our children, the continued excellence of Ridgewood’s Public Schools is the most important driver of our home values. I believe that I can offer a constructive voice on behalf of everyone in Ridgewood.
This election offers the opportunity to make a positive change in the way the Board of Education does business. I am asking the people of Ridgewood to vote for me for the one-year Board seat in the April 17 election.
If you want to learn more about my thoughts on each of these issues, email me at jim.morgan.for.ridgewood.boe@gmail.com.
