Category: Bergen County

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Reader says Regionalization of you local police force doesn’t save money (ask the county sheriff how his merger is doing)

county sheriff theridgewoodblog.net

file photo by Boyd Loving

The regionalization of you local police force doesn’t save money (ask the county sheriff how his merger is doing), it adds to the response time of calls and believe it or not every ridgewood cop has lived in this town at one point or another. Knowing your work environment makes a significant difference in quality.

The schools argument is even more significant. Bad schools = less desirable place to live. Name me one large regional school district that performs in comparison to Ridgewood or Glen rock etc.

I have said this before but living here is not cheap and unfortunately if you can’t afford to live here you should not expect a cut in services to enable your continued residency. Living here is not for everyone and certainly not everyone can afford it. But those who can want what we have now. That includes rear yard garbage pickup.

If you want regional services. The Poconos are close by.

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Reader says its time for Regionalization of the Police Departments and School Systems in Bergen County

ridgewood police

file photo by Boyd Loving

I don’t think that the police department touches the lives of residents the same way that our teachers and administrators do. A regional board of ed could lead to our children traveling further to school, no more local control and less parental input.

I do not feel the same about RPD. the officer patrolling does not know me and I do not know him/her. It really does not matter. When I visit other towns and cities their school system does not matter to me. They have police departments protecting and serving. As in Ridgewood, I do not know the oficers and it does not matter when they do their job.

Regionalization would allow a more efficient use of police officers and less administration.would save money. New Jersey has hundreds of towns and police departments.

A regional school system would save money too. Education is personal, teachers touch the lives of every child. Once a successful merger of police departments is achieved we could look to see what practices could be applied to schools.

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District boasts above-average dyslexia detection and response program

BOE_theridgewoodblog

Ryan Stolz, CorrespondentPublished 9:44 a.m. ET July 1, 2017 | Updated 9:44 a.m. ET July 1, 2017

In a presentation to the Board of Education Monday night, Director of Special Services Dr. Kim Turner detailed the process in which Ridgewood Public Schools tests kids for Dyslexia.

According to Turner, the testing process, and the way in which Ridgewood ensures students are being properly aided in the classroom, goes well beyond what the State of New Jersey requires by law.

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/ridgewood/2017/07/01/district-boasts-above-average-dyslexia-detection-and-response-program/436061001/

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Governor Chris Christie Declares a State Of Emergency Maintaining Essential state government services During Shutdown

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July 1 2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ,due to the state shut down  government services such as state parks and Motor Vehicle Commission offices will be closed.

Today, Governor Chris Christie signed the following Executive Order:

Executive Order 228 – Declaring a state of emergency and maintaining that essential state government services continue operating for the people of New Jersey, as the failure of the Legislature to act on a Fiscal Year 2018 State Budget by tonight’s constitutional deadline forces the closure of state government.

“This order is necessary to maintain the protection, safety and well-being of the people of New Jersey while I attempt to convince the Legislature to send me a fiscally responsible budget that I can sign and re-open New Jersey’s government, ” said Governor Christie. “This was completely avoidable. But Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto needlessly stalled the budget process, forcing the closure of New Jersey government and inconveniencing everyone living in and visiting our state.”

Included among the essential functions that will remain in operation: State Police, state correctional facilities, key child welfare services, state hospitals and treatment facilities, NJ TRANSIT, and operations linked to the health, safety, and welfare of the public, including certain environmental and health monitoring. The state closure also will NOT impact the State Lottery, casinos and racetracks. For details on non-essential services that will be closed as well as operations that will remain open, check the website of that department or agency.

Links to many major state agencies and a brief description of services impacted are provided below.

Department of Environmental Protection:All state parks, recreation areas, forests, and historic sites, including Island Beach State Park and Liberty State Park, will be closed; all public events within state parks and historic sites will be cancelled. The following will also be closed: permitting offices for Air, Historic Preservation, Land Use, Site Remediation, Solid Waste, and Water Supply; Green Acres and Blue Acres offices; Office of Dispute Resolution; Office of Permit Coordination; most of the Division of Fish & Wildlife (Wildlife Management Areas and on-line services will not be impacted); NJ Geologic Survey; and Rebuild by Design projects.

Department of Transportation: Construction will continue, as will emergency repairs and some roadside safety services. The rest areas on I-295 in Deepwater, Salem County and on I-80 in Knowlton, Warren County, will be closed.

New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission: All MVC agencies and inspection stations will be closed. Online services will still be available.

Department of Law & Public Safety:  Juvenile Justice Commission operations, State Medical Examiner Offices, and other public safety operations will continue, but some administrative offices will be closed.

Department of Health: The public will not be able to obtain copies of birth and marriage certificates, or copies of adoptees’ original birth certificates. No new certifications or renewals will be issued for EMTs, paramedics or Certified Nursing Assistants.

New Jersey Department of Labor:Unemployment Insurance and disability determination services will remain operational. Temporary Disability Insurance claims, Wage and Hour claims, and Family Leave Insurance claims may be filed, but they will not be processed. One Stop Career Centers (state not county services) will be closed; Workers Compensation Courts will be closed. Division of Vocational and Rehabilitation Services will be closed.

Department of Children and Families:Child abuse hotlines, protection services and response teams will continue to operate. Schools for children with special needs will remain open.

Department of Military and Veterans Affairs: Veteran’s Haven North and South will remain in operation and National Guard will remain on call.

Department of Banking and Insurance: All offices will be closed except the IURO (health insurance internal appeals program).

Department of Community Affairs:Inspections related to construction codes, fire safety, fairs and fireworks displays will continue, however some public services will not be available.

Department of Corrections: Prisons and halfway houses will remain operational, although some inmate services will be impacted.

Department of Education:Katzenbach School will remain open. Phone help desks, customer service, and all other related staff-based assistance functions will be unavailable and all core public functions will be closed.

Economic Development Authority:  EDA will not process any payments to businesses from any program (such as the Business Employment Incentive Program) which funding source needs to be authorized by the FY 2018 Appropriations Act.

Department of State: The travel and tourism welcome centers will be closed.

Department of the Treasury: July 1 pension checks have been processed and mailed. Taxation call centers and walk-in facilities will be closed. The Division of Risk Management will be closed, however the scheduling of medical appointments, treatments and services for injured workers will remain ongoing.  The Division of Pensions and Benefits will be closed, although it will continue payment of health provider claims and life claims, and continue to process changes to family status for health benefits.

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House passes Kate’s Law, as part of broader illegal immigrant crackdown

ICE Arrests

June 30,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Washington DC, in a vote of 257 to 157, with one Republican voting no and 24 Democrats voting yes, the US House of Representatives passed ,”Kate’s Law”.

The House also passed a bill that would deny federal grants to sanctuary cities . Kate’s Law, would increase the penalties for deported aliens who try to return to the United States.

Kate’s Law is named for Kate Steinle, a San Francisco woman killed by an illegal immigrant who was in the U.S. despite multiple deportations. The two-year anniversary of her death is on Saturday.

Statement from President Donald J. Trump on House Passage of Kate’s Law and No Sanctuary for Criminals Act :

“During my campaign, I met many grieving families who all had the same plea: lawmakers must put the safety of American families first.  Today, I applaud the House for passing two crucial measures to save and protect American lives.  These were bills I campaigned on and that are vital to our public safety and national security.  The first bill, Kate’s Law, increases criminal penalties for illegal immigrants who repeatedly re-enter the country illegally.  The bill is named for Kate Steinle, who was killed by an illegal immigrant who had been deported five times.  Every year, countless Americans are victimized, assaulted, and killed by illegal immigrants who have been deported multiple times.  It is time for these tragedies to end.

The second bill, the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, restricts taxpayer grant money to cities that prevent their police from turning over dangerous criminal aliens to federal authorities.  Sanctuary cities are releasing violent criminals, including members of the bloodthirsty MS-13 gang, back onto our streets every single day.  Innocent Americans are suffering unthinkable violence as a result of these cities’ reckless actions.  The House bill also includes what is known as Grant’s Law and Sarah’s Law.  These provisions, which prevent the release of dangerous criminals awaiting removal proceedings, are named for two slain Americans whose parents I spent time with during the campaign.

The implementation of these policies will make our communities safer.  Opposing these bills, and allowing dangerous criminals back into our communities, our schools, and the neighborhoods where our children play, puts all of us at risk.

Now that the House has acted, I urged the Senate to take up these bills, pass them, and send them to my desk.  I am calling on all lawmakers to vote for these bills and to save American lives.”

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Reader says you are wrong and you bought into the fake arguments raised by Arohson, Pucciarli and the developers

Ridgewood 3 amigos

you are wrong and you bought into the fake arguments raised by Arohson, Pucciarli and the developers. Yes, we have requirements, but no, we did not need to line Saraceno’s and the other developer’s pockets in order to address these issues.

We were sold up the river, pure and simple, by a mean spirited and self-serving duo of public officials – – remember, they voted to make these projects the law as they were leaving office. They are carpetbaggers who have no place in our Village life.

We have now entered a new phase for life in Ridgewood thanks to the duplicitous duo. And we need to be ready for it. We are now going to much more like New Brunswick than a Ho-Ho-Kus or Glen Rock. We need to work hard to maintain the value of our properties, our schools and other public services as we deal with an influx of people that will totally drain our infrastructure.

Regrettably, it is not clear what the “new” council is doing to address and deal with the issues that lay ahead. Attention must now be focused on bringing them into focus, but as others on this thread have said, that ain’t going to happen if we all stay home and silent..

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Time to Put and End to Forced Overdependent of Bergen County

CBD high density housing

Reader, “If people just read this and don’t share the information, nothing will change. Do people think change comes by people sitting on their duffs in the living room and doing nothing more? Go to the event and support her at this event, otherwise, leaving it to someone else just won’t cut it anymore. Progressives who want to change the face of all the communities are working to make it happen…what are YOU DOING? If you can’t go, call your legislator even if it’s Pascrell and tell him this will lead to blighted areas in your town, overbuilding which perhaps including taking people’s homes through eminent domain if you are in the area they want, higher taxes due to more schools being needed, more traffic and of course road repairs and infrastructure costs – sewer, water, etc.”

June 14,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Paramus NJ,  Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi will initiate a series of statewide legislative hearings to address New Jersey’s affordable housing crisis. The first will be held on June 15 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Bergen Community College’s Technology Education Center room 128.

Schepisi will be joined by other invited guests, including fellow legislators, mayors, town officials and planners, engineers, traffic experts, board of education members, environmental groups and other interested parties.

She said the hearings will examine ways to provide a better way toward affordability for the residents of this state while protecting towns from a recent state Supreme Court ruling that could force the construction of up to 1.5 million unneeded housing units to satisfy a fictitious population increase of 3.35 million in the next nine years – while Rutgers projects a population increase of only 219,000.

“We have reached a critical juncture in the State of New Jersey. We are the most costly, the most densely populated with the highest number of outmigration because people can no longer afford to live here. Instead of smart discussions regarding how to implement change to reduce living costs for all of our residents, the legislature’s inaction is forcing communities to potentially double their housing population in just the next nine years, destroying all existing housing prices while increasing property taxes,” said Schepisi. “We need to stop the court’s action and fix this issue while we still can.”

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Beloved orchestra teacher dies in cycling crash

Jocelyn Gertel

Updated on June 13, 2017 at 5:17 PMPosted on June 13, 2017 at 4:37 PM

BY ANTHONY G. ATTRINO

NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

PARAMUS – The public school district was devastated this week by news of the sudden death of Jocelyn Gertel, a long-time middle-school orchestra teacher, a school administrator said Tuesday.

Gertel, who lived in Ridgewood, died last week following a bicycling accident in Hawthorne.

A spokesman for the Hawthorne Police Department was not available to comment Tuesday on details of the accident.

According to online tributes from friends, Gertel was riding her bike downhill when she lost control and pitched over the handlebars. She was taken to St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Paterson, where she later died.

“The school community is very devastated by her loss,” said Michele Robinson, superintendent of schools. “She was very well-respected, very well-liked and she will be greatly missed.”

https://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2017/06/beloved_orchestra_teacher_dies_in_cycling_crash.html

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NJ Department of Home land Security ,ISIS: Call for Ramadan Attacks

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in anti terror circles it’s euphemistically called the ,”Ramadan bomb-a-thon “

May 26, 2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, State of New Jersey Department of Homeland Security issues a Ramadan warning and repeat there are no known or credible threats to New Jersey in relation to ISIS at this time.

On May 25, ISIS released a video calling on supporters to conduct assaults and justified the killing of innocents during Ramadan, the most sacred month in Islam, which runs from May 27 to June 24. Historically, ISIS and its predecessor groups have called for an offensive campaign during this month.

The recent message encourages targeting civilians in the West, claiming that their deaths would serve as retribution for casualties in Muslim-majority countries. In 2015 and 2016, the group’s now-deceased spokesman, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, urged followers to escalate attacks during Ramadan, encouraging those unable to travel to Iraq and Syria to conduct operations in the West—“The smallest action you do in the heart of their land is dearer to us than the largest action by us.”

Since 2006, ISIS and its predecessor group, al-Qa’ida in Iraq, have engaged in Ramadan campaigns, marked by complex coordinated operations in multiple countries throughout the month. In 2016, the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando and a bombing in Baghdad, killing 49 and 323 respectively, occurred during Ramadan. In 2015, attacks conducted within hours of each other targeted tourists at a Tunisian beach resort, killing 38, and worshipers at a Shia mosque in Kuwait, resulting in 27 fatalities.

During Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset and engage in increased religious observance. Traditionally, Muslims gather at mosques for evening feasts, known as Iftar, and nightly prayers. The month concludes with a three-day holiday, Eid al-Fitr, during which prayers and celebrations will be held at mosques, high schools, and parks throughout New Jersey.

There are no known or credible threats to New Jersey in relation to ISIS’s statement.NJOHSP encourages residents to report suspicious activity to local law enforcement and by calling 1-866-4-SAFE-NJ or by emailing tips@njohsp.gov.

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Newark Parents Request Appeal of Dismissal of LIFO Lawsuit

newark nj Niko ReyNiko Nieves

Newark NJ, by  Niko ReyNiko Nieves

May 25,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ , A group of Newark parents yesterday filed a formal request to appeal a trial court judge’s dismissal earlier this month of their lawsuit challenging the state’s “last in, first out” teacher layoff law. Filed last November, the parents’ lawsuit asserts that the LIFO statute violates students’ right to an education by unjustly requiring school districts to retain ineffective teachers while cutting other areas of education spending or laying off more effective teachers when faced with funding deficits.

Defendants from Newark Public Schools (NPS) and the State of New Jersey did not move to dismiss the case. Instead, NPS admitted nearly every allegation made about the impact of New Jersey’s LIFO law on children within NPS. The motions to dismiss the case granted earlier this month were raised by intervening defendants from local and national teachers unions, including the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), and the Newark Teachers Union (NTU).

If the parents’ request for appeal is granted, arguments from the Newark families and the teachers unions will be reviewed by a panel of four judges from the Appellate Division of New Jersey Superior Court.

“Public schools are here to educate our children, first and foremost,” said Wendy Soto, plaintiff and mother of two Newark Public School students. “Everyone knows that many New Jersey school districts are in a serious funding crisis. Politicians have not protected our children’s right to a quality public education, and parents like me have nowhere to turn. The quality-blind LIFO law makes a difficult situation even worse for students in struggling schools. Enough is enough. It’s time to end this ridiculous law.”

“New Jersey’s LIFO law forces school districts like Newark to retain ineffective teachers and, in fact, put them back in the classroom while cutting spending to other critical areas of public education. Students are constitutionally entitled to more than this,” said Kathleen Reilly, attorney with Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer, one of the firms representing the Newark parents pro bono. “These decisions – made to evade application of the LIFO law – harm children. The negative impact of LIFO is pervasive today in Newark public schools and these families deserve to have their case heard in court.”

Since at least 2012, NPS has avoided laying off effective teachers by paying millions of dollars per year to cover the salaries of ineffective – but more senior – teachers even when no school would agree to their placement in the school. This expensive work-around, which is costing the district $10 million dollars in 2016-17, diverts valuable resources from educational programming and other critical components of an adequate public education. Because NPS employs more than half of the state’s ineffective teachers, it also puts Newark students at significant risk of being assigned to an ineffective teacher.

After it was announced that New Jersey State education funding would remain essentially flat for the 2017-18 school year, NPS acknowledged a looming $30 million deficit because of rising costs. Facing similar budget gaps over the past three years, NPS administrators restricted hiring practices, forcing teachers previously without placement into schools without mutual consent from the teacher and the principal. Research shows that teacher quality is the most influential in-school factor when it comes to student learning. It also shows that student achievement improves when principals are allowed to hire school staff according to quality and fit, rather than restricted by seniority.

To learn more about the parent-led lawsuit to end LIFO in New Jersey, please go to edjustice.org/nj. All legal filings related to the lawsuit are available online here.

About Partnership for Educational Justice (PEJ)
Founded in 2014, Partnership for Educational Justice is a nonprofit organization pursuing impact litigation that empowers families and communities to advocate for great public schools through the courts. In addition to supporting teacher layoff litigation in New Jersey, PEJ is currently working with parents and students in New York and Minnesota in support of legal challenges to unjust teacher employment statutes in those states.

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New Jersey Teachers Facing Layoffs

REA, ridgewoood teachers
May 10,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, whats this New Jersey school districts laying off teachers ? Perhaps the day of reckoning may be coming .
Its started in 2015 with Paterson School district laying off people ,now this year both Lakewood and Bayonne . Wherev there is smoke there is fire ?
Bayonne school board votes to lay off nearly 300 district employees
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Our lady of Mt. Carmel invites you to our first annual College Night!

Mt_Carmel_Church_theridgewoodblog
April 30,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Calling all High school sophomores and juniors! We know how hard it is to find the right school! Join us for our first annual College night featuring catholic colleges and universities both near and far!
Our Lady of Mt. carmel Parish Center
(lower level of the church – please use passaic street entrance)
1 Passaic St., Ridgewood, NJ
May 11, 2017
6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Representatives from the following schools have agreed to be present to answer all your questions!

Assumption College
Boston College
Cabrini University
Caldwell University
Catholic University of America
College of Mount St. Vincent
College of St. Elizabeth
DeSales University
Dominican College
Felician University
Georgian Court University
Iona College
Kings College
Manhattan College
Misericordia University
Mount Saint Mary College

Neumann University
Providence College
Sacred Heart University
Salve Regina University
Seton Hall University
Siena College
St. Anselm College
St. Bonaventure University
St. Francis University
St. John’s University
St. Peter’s University
Santa Clara University
Stonehill College
University of Dayton
University of Scranton

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Reader :crossing guards are not allowed to direct traffic

ridgewood crossing guards

file photo by Boyd Loving

As the first individual stated, crossing guards are not allowed to direct traffic. And sure, it is frustrating to be a guard and see traffic piling up and you are not allowed to direct it. Imagine if the guard directed a car and another car started to go and hit the first car. An insurance nightmare! The Police in Ridgewood are gradually being allowed to build up their department which will then free up a guard or two for traffic control near the schools. However, as the above poster noted, when the police are there, traffic behaves so well. But the very next day, the wild men take over the wheels. Hire auxiliary people trained in directing traffic to aid the crossing guards–one for cars, one for students? That would be cheaper than assigning police to every dangerous crosswalk. (Many are very safe locations and many are not.) But, again, it would probably be an insurance nightmare. Wouldn’t it be nice if all drivers were willing to recognize that other drivers also had a right to the road; that most of the cars dropping off at schools are parents who have to get to work at the same time that you do, etc.etc. What ever happened to common courtesy and treating others as you wished to be treated?

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GOP Gubernatorial candidate Joseph R. Rullo Pushes School Choice

Rullo 12 news
April 22,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, GOP Gubernatorial candidate Joseph R. Rullo gave us some thoughts on public education policy ,”The NJ Abbott school districts need to be held accountable for wasteful spending and all districts need to work together to reduce cost. This will reduce the impact of inevitable changes in funding formulas with state aid. After all school districts cut wasteful spending, we need to implement fair funding formulas for property tax relief.  One example is all school districts can drastically reduce costs by combined purchasing power. Another example is drastically reducing the number of Superintendents and redundant assistant Superintendents.  High cost business administrators should also be reduced.”

Rullo , went on ,”Since the start of No Child Left Behind and continued under Race to the Top, NJ parents and students have been saddled with the Common Core Standards. Parents feel like they can’t help their children with their homework because it is something they have never learned before and the children are left floundering in schools with too many children and not enough teachers to explain things to them. The State then decided to force the PARCC (Partnership for Readiness for College and Careers) test on our children. This has resulted in schools and teachers focusing their teaching efforts, not on learning, but on test results. This is wrong and only hurts our children who deserve a comprehensive learning program not a regimen of tests.”

Rullo said as Governor I will end PARCC testing completely and direct the Department of Education to draw up new, independent education standards that will return NJ to the top of the best educated Students in the Country.

With the Trump budget increasing spending on school choice and the Secretary of Education pushing choice as well as local control Rullo is a big supporter of school choice and home schooling.

Rulo added , “Students come out of High School and don’t know how to balance a checkbook, write a resume or know anything about personal credit. Common Core needs to become Common Sense. Teachers need to be allowed to teach and not recite facts mandated from Washington, or some Corporation making money from our tax dollars. We need to provide better opportunities for students who decide to enter the workforce directly from high school with expanded vocational schools. The future of New Jersey depends on it!”

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Christie Administration Releases the 2017 Taxpayers’ Guide to Education Spending

RHS

file photo by Boyd Loving

April 22,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ ,The Department of Education today released the 2017 Taxpayers’ Guide to Education Spending.
“The annual spending guide is a tool designed to provide transparency to New Jerseyans about how schools spend their taxpayer dollars to educate students,” said Acting Education Commissioner Kimberley Harrington.

The Taxpayers’ Guide to Education Spending includes two types of total expenditures for school districts’ annual budgets:

Total Spending Per Pupil – Comprises all district expenditures, including costs paid by the state on behalf of districts, as well as fees and tuition paid for out-of-district programs; and
Budgetary Cost Per Pupil – Comprises costs borne by the school district, excluding costs that aren’t comparable among school districts, such as transportation and facilities costs.

For the 2015-16 school year, the average Total Spending Per Pupil in the state, which includes pension payments made by the state and other ancillary costs that vary by district, is $20,385. This is 3.8 percentage points higher than the prior year’s average of $19,641.

The Budgetary Cost Per Pupil, which does not include pension payments made by the state and other district-specific costs, increased by 1.4 percentage points, from $14,736 in the 2014-15 school year to $14,939 in 2015-16.

The Taxpayers’ Guide to Education Spending can be found online