Dr. Fishbein Preliminary Ridgewood School Budget 2020-2021 of $115 Million

the staf of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Dr. Fishbein began by reminding everyone that some form of the preliminary budget would be approved at the meeting so that it can be submitted to the New Jersey Department of Education for review.

Antoinette Kelly, Business Administrator, spoke about the mission statement of the district, as the resources described in the budget help to achieve these goals. Dr. Fishein reviewed a comparison of Ridgewood to other districts in Bergen County and other regions, which he has presented the past several years. Ms. Kelly followed by sharing the proposed appropriations and anticipated revenues. As shown in the pie chart of the slide presentation, almost 69% of the budget comprises the cost of salaries and benefits. The governor’s address was held on Tuesday, February 25, and notices of state aid were received on Thursday. Updates to curriculum and instruction by department were explained, and professional development plans for the upcoming year were described. One professional development item that is being added to the 2020-2021 budget is a second cohort for the FDU Orton-Gillingham training. The breakdown of the IT and Maintenance/Construction budgets were addressed, and it was noted that an additional $50,000 has been budgeted for the Orchard Soil Remediation project. Ms. Kelly reviewed the tax impact, which is a 2% tax levy increase, and recapped the priorities of the budget presented.

• • Budget questions can be emailed to budget21@ridgewood.k12.nj.us
  • Two Public Budget Presentations are scheduled as follows:
    • March 11, George Washington Middle School auditorium, 7:00 p.m.
    • March 12, Benjamin Frankin Middle School auditorium, 7:00 p.m.
  • Additional presentations for the Home and School Associations and various local groups will be held.
  • Final Budget Hearing and Adoption
    • March 23, Education Center, 7:00 p.m
    • The public will have the opportunity to hear about the final budget and ask questions.
  • The School Budget Vote is Tuesday, April 21. Polls are open from 6:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.To view the presentation, click here. To watch the presentation on the webcast, click here and scroll to 7:15.