Author: James

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Ridgewood School Budget Tops $105 Million

Ridgewood Teachers

2017-2018 PROPOSED PRELIMINARY BUDGET Dr. Fishbein i.

Resolution for Adoption of the 2017-2018 Preliminary Proposed Budget for Submission to the Executive County Superintendent of Schools It is recommended that the Board approve the following resolution:

BE IT RESOLVED, by the Ridgewood Board of Education, to approve the 2017-2018 school district preliminary proposed budget, as follows, for submission to the Executive County Superintendent of Schools:

Dr. Fishbein Budget Tax Levy General Fund $ 100,503,229 $ 91,519,173 Special Revenue Fund $ 1,378,767 $ 0 Debt Service Fund $ 3,683,597 $ 3,265,784 Total Budget $ 105,565,593 $ 94,784,957 The district has proposed programs and services in addition to the Core Curriculum Content Standards adopted by the State Board of Education.

Information on this budget and the programs and services it provides is available from the school district. There should be raised for the General Fund Tax Levy $91,519,173 for the ensuing School Year: (2017-2018).

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Village of Ridgewood “Erased the Hatred” from the sidewalk

Village of Ridgewood "Erased the Hatred" from the sidewalk

photo courtesy of Boyd Lovings Facebook page

March 7,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood Nj, Ridgewood PD Patrol Officer Salvatore D’Amico assists Detectives Douglas Henky and Steven Shortway in the investigation of a Swastika found etched in a sidewalk at the intersection of Northern Parkway and Overbrook Road, Ridgewood on Monday morning, 03/06. Ridgewood PD had learned of the Swastika via posts on numerous Ridgewood based Facebook groups.

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Ridgewood Village staff quickly jumped into action and “Erased the Hatred” from the sidewalk.

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Photo courtesy of Village of Ridgewood Mayor Susan Knudsen

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What will Trump’s push for ‘school choice’ mean for N.J. students?

School Choice by ArtChick

file photo by ArtChick

Updated March 06, 2017
Posted March 06, 2017

By Kelly Heyboer | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Calling education the “civil rights issue of our time,” President Donald Trump used his address before Congress last week to highlight one of his top issues – school choice.

Echoing a campaign promise, Trump vowed to push for students in poor school districts to be able to use public funds to attend a charter, private or religious school.

“I am calling upon members of both parties to pass an education bill that funds school choice for disadvantaged youth, including millions of African-American and Latino children,” Trump said. “These families should be free to choose the public, private, charter, magnet, religious or home school that is right for them.”

Trump did not say what form his school choice program would take. But he did give a few hints of what a federal push for school choice might look like in New Jersey and around the country.

https://www.nj.com/education/2017/03/what_does_trumps_push_for_school_choice_mean_for_n.html#incart_river_index

 

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UNFUNDED LIABILITY OF PUBLIC-EMPLOYEE PENSION SYSTEM CLOSES IN ON $50 BILLION

money-growing-trees-10884441

JOHN REITMEYER | MARCH 6, 2017

Lowering rate of return on fund investments will help, but some experts argue full actuarial payments — not called for in Christie budget address — remain critical

New actuarial calculations for New Jersey’s beleaguered public-employee pension system show an unfunded liability of near $50 billion, a staggering number for a retirement plan that’s been set up to cover roughly 780,000 current and retired government workers.

But many financial experts believe the pension system’s funding problem is potentially much worse, because the state has for decades been using optimistic assumptions when it comes to projecting annual investment returns.

The $72 billion pension system’s assumed rate of return, or discount rate, for the past few years has been 7.9 percent, which is higher than the average returns of just over 7 percent that the pension system has realized over the past 20 years. Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican who has stressed pension reform during his two terms in office, announced last week that the rate will be lowered to a more realistic 7.65 percent.

While the difference seems subtle, pension experts say the downward adjustment is good for the retirement system’s overall long-term health because it will generate a more realistic assessment of the unfunded liability, and that in turn will require the state to make more robust annual contributions in the ongoing effort to maintain the fund’s solvency.

Christie’s efforts — the reduction is just the latest to occur during his tenure — also line up with calls for more realistic accounting that have come from Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), the Legislature’s leading Democrat on issues related to pension funding and employee benefits

https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/17/03/05/unfunded-liability-of-public-employee-pension-system-closes-in-on-50-billion/

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Ridgewood Board of Education Meeting Tonight at 7:30pm

BOE_theridgewoodblog

March 6 2017 7:30 PM to 7:30 PM

Location Ed Center, 49 Cottage Place, Ridgewood, NJ
DescriptionThe public is invited to attend the meeting, or watch it live on Fios channel 33, Optimum channel 77, or on the “Link in Live” tab of the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us.

BOE agenda here

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Annual Ridgewood Teacher Recognition Awards

Tradition_of_excellence_theridgewoodblog
Nominations for Annual Teacher Recognition Awards
Teacher and Education Services Professional Recognition
March 6,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The Teacher Recognition Committee is accepting nominations for the 2016-2017 school year. Please click here for more information and nomination forms.  Completed nominations can be mailed to Human Resources at the Education Center or emailed to [email protected].
The nominations deadline is Wednesday, March 15.
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Donald Trump furious over alleged ‘wire-tapping’ by Barack Obama as Congress agrees to investigate claim of Watergate-style dirty tricks

Obama-Golf

Nick Allen, washington

6 MARCH 2017 • 9:31AM

Donald Trump escalated his war with Barack Obama as a committee in Congress agreed to look into his claims that the former president and his administration abused executive powers in last year’s election.

In his latest high-stakes salvo, and as he prepared to roll out a revised travel ban on Muslim-majority countries, Mr Trump had called for a congressional investigation after alleging that he was the victim of a dirty tricks campaign akin to Watergate.

His move came a day after he claimed his predecessor ordered a wiretap of the phones at Trump Tower in New York, Mr Trump’s campaign headquarters.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/05/trump-renews-attack-obama/

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Joe Piscopo Could Be New Jersey GOP’s Best Hope to Succeed Chris Christie

Paul DiGaetano and Joe Piscopo

The incumbent could not be much less popular, and so New Jersey Republicans could go way outside the lines for an “outsider.”

It would be an understatement, and not at all a comment on the New Jersey governor’s girth, to say that Chris Christie casts a large shadow over this year’s election to select his successor. For eight years he has dominated his state’s politics, first as a successful bipartisan “problem-solver” with a knack for making his opponents look bad, and then a scandal-plagued punching bag and early lame duck. Until just over a year ago, his ambitions for higher office obscured his steadily declining status back home, aside from the “Bridgegate” scandal that dogged his presidential campaign. But then his close association with Donald Trump defined his national profile, and when Trump surprisingly won, it was widely assumed Christie was headed to Washington in some capacity.

Now, after being passed over for the attorney general gig he supposedly craved, leading him to turn down less exalted posts, Christie looks likely to stick out the last year of his governorship. But he may have thoroughly worn out his welcome in New Jersey. His job approval ratio fell to an abysmal 17/78 in a Quinnipiac survey at the end of January. His own lieutenant governor and the most likely Republican to succeed him, Kim Guadagno, has been trying desperately to distance herself from her former mentor and political sponsor. Another competitive GOP candidate for governor, Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, hasn’t had to do that because he’s long fought Christie, and even called for his resignation for spending too much time outside the state.

https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/03/comic-could-be-gops-best-hope-to-succeed-chris-christie.html

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Swastika Found at the intersection of Northern Parkway and Overbrook Road in Ridgewood

Swastika Found at the intersection of Northern Parkway and Overbrook Road in Ridgewood

photo by Dana Glazer

March 6,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, this was shared on Facebook by Ridgewood resident Dana Glazer ; the discovery of this swastika at the intersection of Northern Parkway and Overbrook Road. It has evidently been here a while.

If you think that our village is immune to hatred, think again. Dana asks everyone to “Please be vigilant. Thank you.”

Mayor Susan Traina Knudsen is on top of the situation and prompt removal will occur today.

Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal reminds us of law enforcement efforts to investigate and prosecute bias incidents/crimes, including the need to report such events and the $10K reward offered by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office for information leading to a bias crime conviction.

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Reader says The sooner we address the Public Pension Crisis, the less bad it will be

Village Council Meeting

file photo by Boyd Loving

Ridgewood Police are, by and large, very good. The question that was put to us was, why does NJ have more cops per capita than other states? Answer – unions. Unions exist to make sure that the least qualified are guaranteed work and paid as well as the most qualified. Additionally, the union pension system is hopelessly unsustainable and when it finally breaks things will be ugly for everyone – those of us that pay for it and union members that collect it. The sooner we address this, the less bad it will be.

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NJ lawmakers take step toward taxing Airbnb and home-sharing rentals

Ridgewood Real-estate

file photo

By Michael Symons March 5, 2017 9:00 PM

New Jersey lawmakers are moving ahead with plans to tax and regulate home-sharing operations like Airbnb. And while the company is OK with collecting taxes, it doesn’t like the approach being taken to license or prohibit the short-term rentals it brokers.

Assemblywoman Annette Quijano, D-Union, said New Jersey’s tax laws need to be updated to keep up with technology and the home-sharing portion of the hospitality industry.

“It’s unfair to hotels and motels that have to compete with a new business model that provides essentially the same service but does not have to charge state sales tax, the state hotel/motel fee and a municipal hotel tax, which can total up to 18 percent in some areas,” Quijano said. “That’s a very significant disparity and a significant barrier to overcome.”

Last year, more than 6,000 New Jersey hosts earned over $50 million through 257,000 short-term rentals arranged through Airbnb.

Read More: NJ lawmakers take step toward taxing Airbnb and home-sharing rentals | https://nj1015.com/nj-lawmakers-take-step-toward-taxing-airbnb-and-home-sharing-rentals/?trackback=tsmclip

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Christie’s successor will face budget challenges

Chris_christie_theridgewoodblog

Christie’s successor will face budget challenges

Published March 04, 2017
Associated Press

TRENTON, N.J. –  Republican Chris Christie’s final budget as New Jersey governor has not yet passed through the Democrat-controlled Legislature, but already fiscal woes that could result in program cutbacks or higher taxes are on the horizon for whoever who succeeds him.

Christie unveiled a $35.5 billion 2018 spending blueprint on Tuesday without proposing tax increases or slashes to programs, but tax cuts enacted under his watch, a ballooning pension payment and mandated education spending will saddle his successor with challenging budget decisions.

Christie can’t run for re-election because of term limits. None of the leading Democratic and Republican candidates running to succeed him has unveiled his or her own prospective budget. While they’ve already begun to signal how they might approach the looming problems, it’s difficult to tell exactly how they would balance the budget.

A closer look at the issue:

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?

Topping the list of issues is an estimated $1.1 billion hole from the reduction of the sales tax and phase-out of the estate tax that Christie and lawmakers agreed to last year as part of a deal on funding transportation.

Next year’s budget will also confront the prospect of a roughly $1.5 billion increase in the pension payment, if the current schedule is adhered to. And then there’s the school-spending formula approved by the Supreme Court that Christie failed to fund over seven years to the tune of about $1 billion a year.

There’s also significant uncertainty surrounding what could happen to federal aid the state gets, including more than $4 billion a year from the expansion of Medicaid as part of the Affordable Care Act. President Donald Trump and Republican-led Congress promise to repeal and replace the law.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/03/04/christies-successor-will-face-budget-challenges.html

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VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD PSEG IMPROVEMENTS – MARCH 6 – 10 WORK SCHEDULE UPDATE

PSEG CBD
March 6,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

PSE&G ELECTRIC RELIABILITY IMPROVEMENTS

UTILITY UNDERGROUND INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADE

WORK SCHEDULE UPDATE: March 6, 2017 – March 10, 2017

March 6, 2017 –March 9, 2017

Underground Pipe Installation

Franklin Ave.

(Chestnut and North Broad Street)

When working inside the intersection, access to N. Broad will be impacted. Detailed detour signs will be in place. When working on Franklin Ave. 2 lanes of traffic will be maintained,

Parking on Franklin Avenue near the intersection of Chestnut will be impacted during working hours.

March 10, 2017

Underground Pipe Installation

Intersection of

Franklin Ave. & Walnut

Traffic will be shifted, two lanes will be maintained.

Parking will be impacted during working hours.

As part of our electric reliability improvements in Bergen County, PSE&G will be performing utility underground work in the Village of Ridgewood. As of early-March 2017, PSE&G will beperforming the following activities in your area:

Excluding inclement weather delays, PSE&G anticipates working Monday – Friday, (7:00am – 5:00pm).

Safety is our primary concern. PSE&G will work with the Ridgewood Police Department to minimize any traffic concerns or inconveniences to the public. During construction, please refrain from going near our construction work zones.

The upgrades will enhance your electric capacity, system redundancy, and service reliability within the Village of Ridgewood, as well as surrounding communities. If you have questions or concerns, please call our toll free number at 1-877-678-5784

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DOES NJ HAVE A LOT TO LOSE IF UNDOCUMENTED DEPORTED IN LARGE NUMBERS?

yard_work_theridgewoodblog

file photo

“A #DayWithoutImmigrants means Senators & Senate staff couldn’t get their coffee because immigrants are part of our everyday lives”  Democrat Senator Bob Menendez

JOHN REITMEYER | MARCH 2, 2017

Half a million undocumented immigrants living in the Garden State contribute an estimated $587 million in taxes; aggressive deportation policy could hurt state and local budgets

New Jersey has one of the nation’s largest undocumented-immigrant populations, and the aggressive federal-deportation policy launched by President Donald Trump in recent weeks has sparked a widespread debate among state and local officials about public safety and human rights.

But a new national study that looks only at the tax contributions of undocumented immigrants suggests New Jersey could be among the states with the most to lose financially if Trump’s new deportation effort starts targeting more than just the very small group of immigrants who pose the most serious threat to public safety and national security.

As a group, New Jersey’s undocumented immigrant population contributes an estimated $587.4 million to the state and local governments via income, property and sales taxes, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. That total tax haul ranks sixth-highest among U.S. states, behind only California, Texas, New York, Illinois and Florida, according to the study, which was released this morning.

https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/17/03/01/does-nj-have-a-lot-to-lose-if-undocumented-deported-in-large-numbers/?utm_content=bufferc897b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

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Is the American Elite Really Elite?

Trump

By Victor Davis Hanson
March 02, 2017

Establishment furor over the six-week-old Trump administration is growing.

Outraged New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman recently compared Trump’s victory to disasters in American history that killed and wounded thousands such as the Pearl Harbor surprise bombing and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The New Republic — based on no evidence — theorized that Trump could well be mentally unstable due to the effects of neurosyphilis.

Talk of removing the new president through impeachment, or opposing everything he does (the progressive “Resistance”), is commonplace. Some op-ed writers and pundits abroad have openly hoped for his violent death.

Trump is in a virtual war with the mainstream global media, the entrenched so-called “deep state,” the Democratic Party establishment, progressive activists, and many in the Republican Party as well.

The sometimes undisciplined and loud Trump is certainly not a member of the familiar ruling cadre, which dismisses him as a crude and know-nothing upstart who should never have been elected president. (Had Hillary Clinton won in 2016 and served a full term, a member of either the Bush or Clinton families would have president for 24 years of a 32-year span.)

But who, exactly, makes up these disgruntled elite classes?

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2017/03/02/is_the_american_elite_really_elite_133228.html