Category: Village of Ridgewood

>the Ridgewood Blog had 5325 Independent host visits and received 12055 hits, from Tuesday, May 1, 2007 to Thursday, May 31, 2007 thank you again for all your support.

>The Ridgewood Blog endorses the Team of Caliguire, Schweighardt and Ginty in the Republican Primary on June 5th ,there are two primary reasons; 1) no elected official in the state of new jersey has demonstrated the ability to focus on any kind of responsible government what so ever ,so this Blog is encouraging everyone democrats or republican to vote against all local incumbents, its time to take this state back folks and 2) I find it extremely offensive for bunch of big government ,do nothing except raise your taxes guys to claim the Regan mantel ,sorry guys you must be joking and I am not laughing one bit!

The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.
Ronald Reagan

Man is not free unless government is limited.
Ronald Reagan

Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty.
Ronald Reagan

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.
Ronald Reagan

Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.
Ronald Reagan

Government always finds a need for whatever money it gets.
Ronald Reagan

Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.
Ronald Reagan

Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.
Ronald Reagan

>Tired of TERC? Annoyed by the appointment of a high priced out-of-town superintendent? Disgusted by a decaying high school? Mad about mold? Appalled by atrocious athletic fields? Tapped out from high property taxes? Well neighbor, why not organize a BOE recall election and vote the bums out?

Despite the appeal of an instant house cleaning, it would not be an easy task to get rid of Mr. Bombace and his merry crew. In order for a recall election to take place, 25 percent of the registered voters in Ridgewood would need to sign a recall election petition.

Currently, there are approximately 15,000 registered voters in the Village. So, you’d need 3,800 valid signatures on a petition (figure 5,000 just to be safe, because some people who aren’t registered voters will wind up signing). Remember, only 2,669 voters turned out for the most recent BOE election; almost double that number of signatures would be required on the petition for a recall election.

During a recall election, taxpayers could opt to vote Bombace & Company out of office, or re-elect them all. Thus, you’d need to have a slate of five running against them. Let’s not forget that this year’s BOE election was uncontested. That is, there may not be five other individuals willing to serve on the BOE.

So who’s ready to step up to the plate and get this project underway?

>the fly wounders given the outrage over the leak of his high salary demands, a board member let it be known that Brooks will not get that kind of salary here. Brooks needs a job now and he will undercut his own earning power to get one. He lost out on the job of Superintendent of the Roslyn school district because he wanted $285,000. He went a little lower, but also lost out on the job of Jefferson County Public School Superintendent. Clearly, he had to leave his old neighborhood if he was going to be hired by anyone. So, he takes a pay cut, and adds hours to his commuting time. He’s willing to come to a district where parents have launched a pitched battle against his firebrand extremist math. Why?

So what will Ridgewood pay Martin Brooks? Remember, our District only has 5,640 students. The Philadelphia Inquirer explains how area superintendents are compensated: “In the region, the averages were $155,039 in Pennsylvania and $123,660 in New Jersey, according to data from the states’ Departments of Education. The highest salary in the region was paid to Paul Vallas, departing chief executive officer of Philadelphia’s schools, [which has 184,560 students!]. This year, the job pays $275,000, but he’s collecting $250,000 due to the district’s budget deficit. The highest-paid in South Jersey was Daniel Hicks of Lenape Regional in Burlington County, who received $196,639.” So what will Ridgewood pay Mr. Brooks?

>Having recently read about the latest from the BOE, I for one am just amazed by their actions. First they hire a principal from a school that was placed in a warning status for not passing NCLB two years in a row. Then there was the mishandling of the unsafe bus driver. The coaches that resigned due to administration meddling. The addition of Pseudo-academic programs like TERC and the hiring of a Superintendent that was literally run out of the last district he oversaw. To top it off, the year after year budget increases that increase the maximum amount allowed by law giving us an 80 million dollar budget, all the while telling parents that next year is going to be hard and some services might need to be cut. Of course all of these actions have been and are done under the pretext of “we’re looking out for the children and their best interests.”

To think, some considered me radical for wanting to bring back traditional education and reduce spending two years ago when I ran for the school board. With all this mismanagement of our district, I am almost glad that I didn’t win as I would be embarrassed to be a part of failures such as these.

Greg May, former candidate for the Board of Education in 2005

>Restore Tradition of Excellence in K-8 Math Education in Ridgewood

To: The Board of Education and Superintendent of the Ridgewood Public School System

For more than a decade, mathematics programs across the country have been under “reform” from within the educational system. These reforms are based upon standards not widely accepted by the very individuals who use, advance, teach, and rely upon mathematics for their careers. Mathematicians, university professors, engineers, and scientists have derided “reform” math programs for abandoning the foundations of mathematics. Investigations in Number, Data, & Space (TERC), Everyday Math, and Connected Math Program 2 are all members of the reform math group. All are in use to varying degrees within our school district, within individual schools, and within individual classrooms.

These programs do not provide …

… for those children who need logical sequencing of topics.

… for those children who are more mathematical than verbal in their development.

… for those children who need to work from the building blocks of a topic before transitioning to the abstract and larger picture.

… for those children who gain confidence from the how in mathematics and are therefore willing to undertake the process of learning the why.

… for those children who can advance on to further mathematical topics at a pace greater than allowed by the group and discovery model.

… for those children who need direct guidance to learn clear & concise standard strategies for problem solving & critical mathematical thinking.

It is time to provide a choice in mathematics education for these children. Only then is our public education system truly for all.

The undersigned …

… support the continued excellence from our dedicated educational staff.

… declare a vote of no confidence in the following reform materials to prepare our children for the 21st century; TERC or Investigations in Number, Data, & Space (1st, 2nd Editions), Everyday Math, Trailblazers, Connected Mathematics Program, Connected Mathematics Program II, and Integrated Math (Core-Plus).

… request the reform math materials not be used as the source for our children’s mathematics education.

… advocate for the benefit of our children to have a district wide curriculum for grades K-8 that is based upon world class guidelines, contains clear, concise, and substantive mathematical content per grade level, and requires consistent usage of textbooks, workbooks, and study plans across all of our schools (e.g, Saxon Math, Houghton Mifflin, Singapore Math … ).

… seek to have a cooperative and open environment, inclusive of parents, restored to our public school system.

… request the Board of Education to intervene on the behalf of parents and taxpayers and return accountability of this adminstration back to the parents and taxpayers.

Math programs do exist that have well designed materials for student and parents, that do utilize the powerful language and vocabulary of mathematics, that require computational fluency and understanding of the underlying mathematical ideas and principles, that recognize these parts are all intertwined in the study of mathematics, and that are not on the bleeding edge of the “math wars” like TERC, Everyday Math, and Connected Math Program 2.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

https://www.petitiononline.com/Math4VOR/petition.html

>

ORDER FINE ART/ STOCK PRINTS ON-LINE

>Los Angeles Daily News
May 31, 1996
HOW EXPERTS DUMB DOWN MATH EDUCATION

by David Klein and Jerry Rosen

Education experts, university administrators, and professors bear a special responsibility for the problems in our public schools. As math professors at California State University, Northridge, we have been confronted with policies and ideologies which mediocritize K-12 mathematics education.

We have the highest regard for public school math teachers and in no way do we diminish their abilities, dedication, and achievements, under adverse circumstances. But it is difficult to attribute their successes to the kind of undergraduate education they would receive at CSUN.

CSUN has five sets of course sequences leading to a bachelors degree in mathematics. One such sequence is designed for future secondary teachers. It is the weakest of the five. The courses required for the “secondary teaching” B.A. degree in mathematics are watered down versions of the courses for the other non teaching options. The capstone course of undergraduate mathematics, which explains why calculus “works,” is required of all students seeking a Bachelors degree in mathematics, except from those who intend to become secondary school teachers. These future teachers may very well teach calculus in high school, yet they are not required to understand it at the same level as the other math majors. The future teachers we have had in our classes compare favorably with other math majors. It is an insult to the teaching profession to impose these lower standards and one not unique to CSUN.

The 1992 Mathematics Framework for California Public Schools governs, to a considerable extent, the mathematics curriculum in California’s public schools. It is a model of mediocrity. The Framework recommends that calculators be issued to kindergartners and used in all K-12 grades; it strongly discourages placing students by ability or achievement; it advocates that teachers do more “facilitating” and less “teaching;” it discourages testing, and promotes portfolios, “authentic assessment,” and “holistic scoring rubrics;” it de-emphasizes basic skills and promotes “cooperative work” over individual responsibility. In short, it is the bible of “fuzzy math.”

Although university level education experts support it, many courageous high school math teachers denounce the “new new math” or “fuzzy math” of the Framework. During a recent meeting at CSUN with eight high school math teachers, we learned that they re-bind their heavily used traditional math books because they don’t want to use the new texts which incorporate the principles of the Framework. Students at other schools may not be so lucky.

Why is this kind of mediocrity promoted by so many education professors and education experts? We suggest that it is simply good intentions gone awry, resulting in institutionalized “liberal racism.” Liberal education experts fear that minority students can’t learn real math because of “cultural differences.” They recognize that it would be preposterous to lower standards only for those students while maintaining high standards for other groups. Thus, the education experts lower standards for everyone, with “authentic assessment” replacing hard-core, standardized tests, and so-called “higher order thinking” supplanting basic skills.

The clearest refutation of the racism disguised by the Framework comes from the work of Jaime Escalante, the teacher who was immortalized in the movie, “Stand and Deliver.” Mr. Escalante proved beyond any doubt that minority students from poor neighborhoods can do as well in mathematics as any other group. His methods were traditional and “non fuzzy.”

As with “Whole Language Learning,” education professors will indoctrinate pre-service teachers in the “new new math.” As time goes on, it will be harder to undo the damage. A component of this “fuzzy math” approach is to encourage unearned self-esteem and some students, parents, and even teachers may be misled into a false sense of achievement.

More than 2,000 years ago, Ptolemy asked Euclid if geometry could not be mastered by an easier process than by studying the Elements. Euclid gave his oft quoted reply, “There is no royal road to geometry.” Though education experts might wish it otherwise, learning mathematics requires hard work and hard work has no substitute. Teachers and students in other countries understand that time-tested principle better than we do and this bodes ill for our future. For the sake of our children and our society, for the sake of our future, it is time to demand real standards in our schools and universities.

>A public hearing has been scheduled to solicit comment on the proposed 2007 Municipal Budget and tax resolution. The hearing will be held at Village Hall, in the Sydney V. Stoldt, Jr. Court Room, on Wednesday, May 9 @ 8:00 PM.

https://www.ridgewoodnj.net/pdf/07BN3.pdf

>The Fly on the wall has just heard that BOE members might appoint Ridgewood’s newest Public Schools Superintendent during their scheduled 5/14/07 Public Meeting.

It is rumored that the proposed appointee will reside on Long Island, NY and commute to Ridgewood in a taxpayer funded automobile, with expenses for fuel and tolls being completely covered by Ridgewood taxpayers as well.

The appointee’s negotiated salary is rumored to be in the $260-270K range, with an agreement that he/she will work from home 1-2 days per week.

Nice work, if you can get it, heh?

Readers comment;

Don’t let the BOE get away with this! The education tax increase is NOT for transporting an official NOT CHOSEN by the community, without public approval, back and forth from his home in Long Island. This is not the Superintendent we need for our district. Please write our BOE officials to protest this.

Correct E-Mail Addresses For Ridgewood BOE Members
Mark Bombace, President – [email protected]
Joseph Vallerini, Vice President – [email protected]
Shelia Brogan – [email protected]
Bob Hutton – [email protected]
Michelle Lenhard – [email protected]

>A Failure to Produce Better Students
by Senator Robert Byrd

As part of the Congressional debate on education legislation, Senator Robert Byrd gave a speech on the Senate floor about the mathematics education reform movement–what he and others have termed the “new-new math.” Here, from the Congressional Record of June 9, 1997 (Page S5393) are his remarks:

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, over the past decade, I have been continually puzzled by our Nation’s failure to produce better students despite public concern and despite the billions of Federal dollars which annually are appropriated for various programs intended to aid and improve education. Not long ago, I asked a high ranking administration official during an Appropriations Committee hearing why, in his opinion, we were not doing a better job of educating our Nation’s youth in light of the billions of dollars we have been spending over these past several years. The answer I got was not very illuminating.

Mr. President, our children still rank behind those of many other nations of the world with which we will have to compete for the jobs of the future. Particularly in mathematics, where our kids will have to be especially skilled, the United States ranks 28th in average mathematics performance according to a study of 8th graders published in 1996. Japan ranked third. A closer look at the current approach to mathematics in our schools reveals something called the “new-new math.” Apparently the concept behind this new-new approach to mathematics is to get kids to enjoy mathematics and hope that that “enjoyment” will lead to a better understanding of basic math concepts. Nice thought, but nice thoughts do not always get the job done.

Recently Marianne Jennings, a professor at Arizona State University, found that her teenage daughter could not solve a mathematical equation. This was all the more puzzling because her daughter was getting an A in algebra. Curious about the disparity, Jennings took a look at her daughter’s algebra textbook, euphemistically titled, “Secondary Math: An Integrated Approach: Focus on Algebra.” Here it is-quite a handsome cover on the book. After reviewing it, Jennings dubbed it “Rain Forest Algebra.” I have recently obtained a copy of the same strange textbook–this is it, as I have already indicated–and I have to go a step further and call it whacko algebra.

This textbook, written by a conglomerate of authors, lists 5 so-called “algebra authors,” but it boasts 20 “other series authors” and 4 “multicultural reviewers.” We are talking about algebra now. Why we need multicultural review of an algebra textbook is a question which I would like to hear someone answer, and the fact that there are 4 times as many “other series authors” as “algebra authors” in this book made me suspect that this really was not an algebra textbook at all.

A quick look at the page entitled “Getting Started” with the subheading “What Do You Think?” quickly confirmed my suspicions about the quirky fuzziness of this new-new approach to mathematics. Let me quote from that opening page. In the twenty-first century, computers will do a lot of the work that people used to do. Even in today’s workplace, there is little need for someone to add up daily invoices or compute sales tax. Engineers and scientists already use computer programs to do calculations and solve equations.

What kind of a message is sent by that brilliant opening salvo? It hardly impresses upon the student the importance of mastering the basics of mathematics or encourages them to dig in and prepare for the difficult work it takes to be a first-rate student in math. Rather it seems to say, “Don’t worry about all of this math stuff too much. Computers will do all that work for us in a few years anyway.” Can you imagine such a goofy passage in a Japanese math textbook? I ask what happens if the computer breaks down or if we forget and leave the pocket calculator at home? It appears that we may be on the verge of producing a generation of students who cannot do a simple mathematical equation in their heads, or with a pencil, or even balance a checkbook.

The “Getting Started” portion of the text goes on to extol the virtues of teamwork, to explain how to get to know other students and to ask how teamwork plays a role in conserving natural resources. What, I ask, what in heaven’s name does this have to do with algebra? I took algebra instead of Latin when I was in high school. I never had this razzle-dazzle confusing stuff.

Page 5 of this same wondrous tome begins with a heading written in Spanish, English, and Portuguese, a map of South America and an indication of which language is spoken where. Pythagoras would have been scratching his head by this time and, I confess, so was I.

This odd amalgam of math, geography and language masquerading as an algebra textbook goes on to intersperse each chapter with helpful comments and photos of children named Taktuk, Esteban, and Minh. Although I don’t know what happened to Dick and Jane, I do understand now why there are four multicultural reviewers for this book. However, I still don’t quite grasp the necessity for political correctness in an algebra textbook. Nor do I understand the inclusion of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights in three languages or a section on the language of algebra which defines such mathematically significant phrases as, “the lion’s share,” the “boondocks,” and “not worth his salt.”

By the time we get around to defining an algebraic expression we are on page 107. But it isn’t long before we are off that boring topic to an illuminating testimony by Dave Sanfilippo, a driver with the United Parcel Service. Sanfilippo tells us that he “didn’t do well in high school mathematics …” but that he is doing well at his job now because he enters “… information on a pocket computer …”–hardly inspirational stuff for a kid struggling with algebra.

From there we hurry on to lectures on endangered species, a discussion of air pollution, facts about the Dogon people of West Africa, chili recipes and a discussion of varieties of hot peppers–no wonder our [Senate] pages are having difficulty containing themselves. They are almost in stitches–what role zoos should play in today’s society, and the dubious art of making shape images of animals on a bedroom wall, only reaching a discussion of the Pythagorean Theorem on page 502. By this time I was thoroughly dazed and unsure of whether I was looking at a science book, a language book, a sociology book or a geography book. In fact, of course, that is the crux of the problem. I was looking at all of the above.

This textbook tries to be all things to all students in all subjects and the result is a mush of multiculturalism, environmental and political correctness, and various disjointed discussions on a multitude of topics which certainly is bound to confuse the students trying to learn and the teachers trying to teach from such unfocused nonsense. It is not just nonsense, it is unfocused nonsense, which is even worse.

Mathematics is about rules, memorized procedures and methodical thinking. We do memorize the multiplication tables, don’t we? Else how will one know that nine 8s are 72 and that eight 9s are 72. This new-new mush-mush math will never produce quality engineers or mathematicians who can compete for jobs in the global market place. In Palo Alto, CA, public school math students plummeted from the 86th percentile to the 56th in the first year of new-new math teaching. This awful textbook obviously fails to do in 812 pages what comparable Japanese textbooks do so well in 200. The average standardized math score in Japan is 80. In the United States it is 52.

When my staff contacted Marianne Jennings to obtain a copy of this textbook, I did learn one good thing about it. She told my staff that because of public outcry the public schools in her area have discontinued its use and have gone back to traditional math textbooks. Another useful purpose has been served by my personal perusal of this textbook. I now have a partial answer to my question about why we don’t produce better students despite all the money that Federal taxpayers shell out.

The lesson here is for parents to follow Marianne Jennings’ lead and take a close look at their children’s textbooks to be sure that the new-new math and other similar nonsense has not crept into the local school system. All the Federal dollars we can channel for education cannot counteract the disastrous effect of textbooks like this one. They will produce dumb-dumb students and parents need to get heavily involved to reverse that trend now!

>Many residents have indicated that a parking garage is not needed in downtown Ridgewood. Improvements to existing surface parking lots would suffice, they say. Others say “yes” to a garage, but “no” to its proposed location on North Walnut Street. What do you think?
Do we really need a 50 foot high parking structure, and is North Walnut Street the right place to build it?

>The Fly on the wall regularly notices several RHS students waiting for eastbound public buses at Ridgewood and Van Dien Avenues. Is it possible that these students live outside of Ridgewood and are illegally enrolled in our system? Has the BOE recently performed a residency verification check on 100% of all current RHS students?

ORDER FINE ART/ STOCK PRINTS ON-LINE

>the Fly on the Wall has learned….Congressmen Scott Garrett was out touring the flooded zones in the district this past weekend. He sent press releases to local papers and asked reporters to tour with the Congressman but the papers just don’t cover us. Scott’s even taken on New York State by sending a personal letter to request the state lower it’s reservoirs to handle their flood water instead of dumping it on us. He was out front and received little credit. Much of the flooding has come from NY State keeping their reservoirs at 100% and then opening the flood gates to protect themselves during high rain. NJ floods, NY is dry. Unfortunately the papers have unlimited bias! They simply refuse to cover Scott even when he’s out doing the same or more than the Democrats are doing. The papers make it look like he hasn’t done anything when in fact he’s done a great deal. Scott’s office was out front, taking care of the towns and people that flooded. The very morning of the flooding, Scott’s legislative office called every town in the district to assess the damage in each town. He met with towns and people personally that flooded. He and his legislative staff worked quietly and efficiently to get the job done. It’s a shame the papers only want to cover dog and pony shows but don’t honor the hard work of Scott and his legislative aides.

>Monday, April 30, 2007 to Sunday, April 1, 2007

ISP’s 3437 6704 HITS

Thank you again for making the Ridgewood Blog the number 1 local news site in New Jersey .