Category: Ridgewood Schools

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Ridgewood Teachers Make the Grade

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August 6,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, according to Niche Ridgewood School District placed #3 for 2019 Best School Districts in Bergen County and several Ridgewood Schools placed very highly in the Niche survey of 2019 Best Teachers in Bergen County .

Travel placed #2 , Ridge placed #4, Somerville placed #8, Hawes #9, Orchard #12 and Willard #24 in best elementary schools.

George Washington Middle School placed #2 and Benjamin Franklin #21 in Best Middle School and Ridgewood High School placed #7 for High Schools..

The 2019 High Schools with the Best Teachers ranking is based on rigorous analysis of academic and teacher data from the U.S. Department of Education along with millions of reviews from students and parents. Learn where our data comes from.

Factors Considered

Factor Description Source Weight
Academics Grade Based on state assessment proficiency and survey responses on academics from students and parents. Multiple Sources 30.0%
Parent/Student Surveys on Teachers Niche survey responses scored on a 1-5 scale regarding teachers at the school. Self-reported by Niche users 25.0%
Teacher Absenteeism Percentage of teachers missing 10 or more days for sick or personal leave per school year. Civil Rights Data Collection 15.0%
Teacher Salary Index Average teacher salary normalized by Median Household Income by county. U.S. Department of Education 10.0%
Teachers in First/Second Year Percentage of teachers in their first or second year of teaching. Civil Rights Data Collection 10.0%
Average Teacher Salary Average teacher salary in the district. National Center for Education Statistics 5.0%
Student-Teacher Ratio Ratio of students to full-time teachers. Please note: Student-teacher ratio is not a representation of average class size. National Center for Education Statistics 5.0%

The same methodology is used to produce the Niche Teachers Grade for each ranked school as well as additional schools. Statistics obtained from the U.S. Department of Education represent the most recent data available, as self-reported by the schools. Niche also collects data directly from schools via our school data update form. If you work for a school and would like to update your data, please claim your school.

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RHS athletic field and Stevens Field closed until further notice

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photos courtesy of Boyd Loving

August 5,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, RHS athletic field and Stevens Field closed until further notice!

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Reader says Time to Fully Vet Ridgewood BOE Candidate

BOE

Let’s vet this guy. He may be nice but what is his position on default 2% increase? Is he going to ask Fishbein to plan next year’s budget with 1%, like Morgan wanted to do, or will he also assume 2% is given?
What’s his position on 90 Million bond issue?
What’s his position on “Who is the boss, BOE vs Fishbein”? Since his kids are in the school system, he is very likely to give in to Fishbein’s demands.

We really need someone who can challenge Fishbein and not let him continue to spend money without any checks and balances.

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Ridgewood High School Ranked 26th in New Jersey by Niche

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August 3,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, the list is out , the 2019 Niche Best Public High Schools ranking is based on rigorous analysis of academic and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education along with test scores, college data, and ratings collected from millions of Niche users. Learn where our data comes from.

Ridgewood High School came in a very respectable #26 in a list  filed with a majority of private schools .

#20 Tenafly High School

#26 Ridgewood High School

#36 Fair Lawn High School

Ridgewood School district came in an impressive #18 once again trailing Tenafly #8,  Fairlawn #11 ,but besting Mahwah  #24 , Northern Valley Regional #25, Ramsey #27 and Glen Rock #29.

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We have a Race for the Ridgewood School Board

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August 2,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, looks like Ridgewood and Glen Rock will  both have contested school board races in the 2018 . As previously reported on the Ridgewood blog Monday July 30th was the deadline for candidates to file to run for a board seat in November.

In the Village of Ridgewood, there is a contested race for the one three-year term. Cristopher Kaufman  has taken up the challenge ,running against incumbent President of the BOE Vincent Loncto .

Loncto a former chief financial officer was sworn in as the Boards choice in 2011 after board member Charles Reilly resigned earlier that year. Loncto was picked as a replacement to finish out Reilly’s term because of his strong financial background.

Kaufman we are told is running on the “Commitment-Understanding-Respect” slogan.

In Glen Rock, five people are currently vying for three, three-year terms. The candidates running are: Sharon Scarpelli, Bryon Torsiello, Gregory S. Franz, Robert C. Scherer, and Alisa Svider.

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New Jersey High School Students Flee to Other States for Higher Education

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August 1,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, According to a story in Philly.com, New Jersey is one of the leading exporters of college students. The website quotes the National Center for Education Statistics in that, in 2016, 31,561 high school graduates left New Jersey for college, while only a mere 4,299 came to New Jersey from other states.

That flight is the largest net loss of students in the country. The New Jersey Business and Industry Association points out that New Jersey taxpayers pay an average of $20,000 per student per year for K-12 education, and, when students leave for college they often don’t come back.

Philly.com pointed out several possible reasons for the exodus for this: the lack of a major city to attract young people, the cost of higher education in New Jersey (the fourth most expensive in the nation), and the availability of many colleges in neighboring states. The problem has caught the attention of legislators, too; the commissioned a study to identify why only 45% of New Jersey students stay in state for college.

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Reader says after the fire The electrical system in every Ridgewood school will be replaced and modernized

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photo by Boyd Loving

Noooooooo! Never fear. The supt and BOE are careful with tax payer’s money. They will only do what is absolutely necessary and in the best interests of the students in the school.

The electrical system in every Ridgewood school will be replaced and modernized.

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Ridgewood Superintendent of Schools Addresses Willard School Fire

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file photo by Boyd Loving

Small classroom fire at Willard School is quickly contained:

July 25, 2018

Dear Ridgewood Public Schools community:

Today, Wednesday, July 25, a small electrical fire occurred in a classroom at Willard School. The Ridgewood Fire Department, Police and Office of Emergency Management responded and quickly extinguished the fire. Minor damage to the classroom and materials resulted. A professional service that specializes in fire and water damage has been engaged to properly clean the affected classroom.

Willard School will be open as usual on Thursday, July 26.

I would like to take this time to thank our first responders for their prompt response to today’s incident and great work always.

Sincerely,

Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

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ACLU launches Lawsuit against 12 New Jersey school districts for allegedly requiring citizenship ID

RHS

July 28,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ, The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing 12 school districts in New Jersey, alleging that the districts’ policies requiring an identification card are unconstitutional.

The 12 districts are ; Northern Valley Regional High School District in Bergen County; Bellmawr School District, Sterling Regional High School District and Winslow Township School District in Camden County; East Orange Community Charter School in Essex County; West New York School District in Hudson County., Sea Girt School District in Monmouth County; Harding Township School District in Morris County; Watchung Hills Regional High School District in Somerset County; Montague School District in Sussex County; Cranford School District in Union County; and Allamuchy School District in Warren County.

In a lawsuit file Thursday the group said that the districts are preventing children from going to school by requiring that they have an ID card that includes a Social Security number or valid immigration status.

The ACLU clams ,“It is not possible for immigrants who lack Social Security numbers or a valid immigration status to obtain such identification,” state the lawsuits. “Therefore, these residents and their children are prevented from registering for school and are denied equal protection of the laws.”

New Jersey state law mandates that school districts cannot deny a public school education to students based on their or their parents’ immigration status.

“In a state where one in five residents is foreign-born, at a time when our president has made the exclusion of immigrants a key part of his policy agenda, it’s more important than ever for every school district in New Jersey to meet its obligations, both to New Jersey’s families and to the Constitution,” ACLU-NJ Staff Attorney Elyla Huertas, who filed the lawsuits, said in a statement.

Several of the school districts pushed back against the suit, arguing they do not base enrollment decisions on a student’s immigration status, according to NBC News.

“The Watchung Hills Regional School District does not condition entry into our District based upon a student’s or parent’s immigration/visa status or any other discriminatory reason,” Elizabeth Jewett, the superintendent Watchung, one of the schools hit with the lawsuit, said in a statement.
Some of officials from schools hit by the lawsuits told the outlet that they were reviewing their districts’ paperwork and policies posted online to ensure they were in line with the policies in place.

In an email to NBC, Northern Valley schools Superintendent James Santana called the claims “misleading.” He said his district complies with all state and federal regulations, and that “we are going to vigorously defend ourselves against these baseless charges,” according to NBC News.

Well it would seem progressives in those districts will quickly cave and sell out tax payers , the fact is you need to prove you live in a district to send your kids there. Secondly , as for immigrants, there is a huge difference between legal immigrant s and illegal immigrants regardless of what the main stream media would want you to think.

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Fire Heavily Damages Classroom at the Willard Elementary School

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photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page

July 26,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, A fire heavily damaged a classroom at the Willard Elementary School, 601 Morningside Road, Ridgewood on Wednesday morning, 07/25. No injuries were reported in the blaze, which also sent heavy smoke throughout the building’s entire first floor. Ridgewood Fire Department extinguished the fire within minutes of arriving on scene. The school was occupied by over a dozen construction and maintenance workers when the fire broke out. Everyone was safely evacuated from the building. Ridgewood Police, Ridgewood EMS, and Ridgewood Emergency Services personnel also responded to the incident. The fire’s origin and cause remains under investigation.

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Ridgewood Public Schools spring calendar survey results are out

Ridgewood-High-School-3

July 24,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Public Schools spring calendar survey results are out.

At the July 16, 2018 Board of Education meeting, Dr. Fishbein presented the results of the spring calendar survey sent to district parents / guardians and staff. The Board discussed possible changes to the 2019-2020 calendar based on the survey results. The survey results may be viewed here:

https://www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us/common/pages/DisplayFile.aspx?itemId=15423474

 

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A Wrinkle in Time! The last summer show for the RHS New Players

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July 23,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Don’t miss it!! A Wrinkle in Time! The last summer show for the RHS New Players. This show will also be performed at The Fringe Festival in Scotland next week! Let’s send these kids off in style with a great audience! Show times are Thursday July 26th at 2:00 pm & 7:00 pm! All ages welcome! For ticket info, please visit www.rhsnewplayers.com

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Reader says People are willing to squeeze and financially suffer in order to get into a good school district

high density housing Ridgewood

No, I am not saying that only poor people with lots of kids will move in. Very few apartments are being allowed for low income, and that basically means an income lower than the average Ridgewood taxpayer. Many current Ridgewood residents could qualify. I am saying that, as has been noted before, many houses go on sale at Graduation time and the sale sign is posted near a Congratulations lawn sign. Many potential renters will find these apartments (at regular price) cheaper than either renting or buying in Ridgewood and the 2 bedrooms can handle at least 2 kids and the 3 bedrooms more. The various garden apartments in town have many children in them now.Though the quality of education has declined drastically since we moved in, it is still better than many other towns and Counties can offer. People are willing to squeeze and financially suffer in order to get into a good school district. The first built will have astronomical rents but the more that are built, the more the rents cannot stay that high. They will be reasonable for people with children. The high school is seeing the last of the lower birth rate children. Our lower grades are seeing a larger amount of children currently. Just drive around town and notice all the baby toys and strollers!

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Reader says The School budget is always over puffed and they know it–that’s why they chose to eliminate the vote

RHS_Sign_theridgewoodblog

If it’s true that the council is too ignorant about the school budget to know how to reduce it if it is voted down in the future, they should make an effort to learn about it in advance. They could have a private meeting at which those who are knowledgeable about the budget can educate them. This would be important anyway because the budget probably isn’t finalized until shortly before the April elections (not sure). There is no reason for them to have to thrash through it blindly. The last time the budget was defeated the council was indeed over its head and barely removed anything. That was an important lesson for all subsequent councils. They already have plenty to do but since this is now on their plate, it’s a new thing to learn, long in advance. The only negative part about reverting to April (as has been noted on this blog by others) is that the BOE and Supt. will BOMBARD AND BLAST all parents and residents with entreaties to vote yes, more than they used to do before the age of social media. Nevertheless, we must resist. The budget is always overpuffed and they know it–that’s why they chose to eliminate the vote and popped a spring trying to prevent it from going back. Too bad. The budget is bizarre for a town of this size and driving people away. Just no, school board. Figure it out.

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Reader says if you believe no children will fill those apartments, I have a nice bridge to sell you

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We can’t afford to move but this means that we will never shop anywhere in Ridgewood again. Kings at least has its own parking. Our taxes have more than quadrupled in the time we have lived here. Now I assume they will quadruple again in the next 2 years. Ridgewood will soon be a town of only million dollar incomes because no-one making less will be able to afford to live here. Not only is the garage a financial disaster but the new apartments will require much more school space for all the children who will arrive with them. The quotes of”‘little or no children” were based on the one tall apartment building at the corner of Franklin and Maple. None of the garden apartments were surveyed at all. Why? Because children live in those. And, as someone said before, if you believe no children will fill those apartments, I have a nice bridge to sell you. Our council seems to have believed the hype that they will only be filled with hundreds of very very rich people who either have no children or are retired with a huge pension and who also don’t even have one car per apartment. I guess they were testers of the marijuana product before it comes on the open market. I hope they are planning to greatly increase the police budget because the garage and apartments will require many more police responses than we have police to cover the calls.