the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Park Ridge NJ, with the ink barely dry on his high school diploma, a political activist from Bergen County will serve on the board that governs the school district he just graduated from. Robert Fisher, an 18-year-old trailblazer, has gained notoriety in Bergen County as the former Field Director for Senator Holly Schepisi (R-River Vale) and the youngest member of the Bergen County Republican Organization (BCRO)’s policy committee. He is one of three candidates running for the three seats of the Park Ridge Board of Education this fall and will succeed retiring members Deborah Clare and Lauren Sum. He is unopposed for the office, along with incumbent Natalie Agoos and newcomer Rachelle Browne. Fisher says he is eager to serve on the board but wants to make systemic changes to a school district he believes is failing students.
“I am excited to begin serving the people of Park Ridge as a member of their Board of Education,” said Fisher. “This is undoubtedly a great honor, but it will come with many daunting responsibilities. For too long, the Park Ridge B.O.E. has raised taxes in our town, while our schools’ rankings continue to drop. It is simply unacceptable that our superintendent is one of the highest-paid public employees in New Jersey, while students perform below expectations every single year. Our teachers are deprived of what they need to teach their classes, while the budget still soars every single year. There is absolutely no reason a Superintendent should be making $189 per student when neighboring towns (such as Ridgewood and Paramus) pay between $30-40 per student. I’m running first and foremost to provide our students with the quality education they need while lowering taxes by eliminating or reducing bureaucracy in the district.”
Although Fisher will be one of the youngest elected officials in the country, he knows that his age will not impact his ability to serve his constituents.
“I know this school district better than most. I walked the hallways of Park Ridge High School not long ago, and I know students and teachers alike are suffering due to funds filling administrators’ pockets, not buying teachers’ equipment or adding more Honors and AP classes. Not only that, but I will stand up to Governor Murphy’s pseudoscientific and inappropriate sex & racial education curriculum, which the current Board has failed to do. I may be young, but I’m not stupid, and neither are the people of Park Ridge.”
“I’m thrilled that Robert will be taking on this role to deliver what the voters of Park Ridge so desperately need,” said Tim Walsh, Chairman of the Bergen County Young Republicans (BCYRs). “He is a dogged fighter for the town of his roots and will no doubt be a thorn in the side of high taxes and indoctrination in public education.”
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For immediate release:
Following inaccurate news reports of an unopposed candidacy for Park Ridge Board of Education, long-time Park Ridge resident and educator, Lori Fredrics announces her write-in campaign for Park Ridge Board of Education for this November’s election cycle.
Ms. Fredrics brings decades of international experience as a performer and university-level and private music teacher, with a focus on preparing elementary and high school music and theatre students for college admissions. In her role as a university instructor, she has also trained and mentored many college students, who went on to be elementary and high school teachers. Her undergraduate degree in Music Management from William Paterson University, and Masters degree in Voice Performance from University of Texas at Austin, as well as her experience as a successful music business owner, equips her with the common-sense, practical knowledge and skills needed to make informed decisions on behalf of students in the Park Ridge community.
Ms. Fredrics is a long-time resident of Park Ridge, her family having moved to this community in 1971, and is a 1983 graduate of Park Ridge High School. She believes the quality of education received here, as well as the sense of community she experienced in Park Ridge, was instrumental in her career success. She is dedicated to making sure that current and future students in the Park Ridge School system have the same excellent head start that she had when they go out into the world to pursue their goals, both in higher education and in their careers.
Ms. Fredrics believes that her respect of and support for our teachers’ knowledge of what works best in the classroom for a diverse student body, while also bringing her own proven ideas for educational success to the table, will make her an ideal partner for our valued teaching staff and parents, thus ensuring that the high quality of Park Ridge education is preserved and enhanced, and in direct contrast to her opponent’s stated plan to slash funding for essential educational services, including cutting competitive salaries needed to retain the best personnel.
Ms. Fredrics has also promised to maintain Park Ridge schools as an independent district, and as a welcoming and nurturing place for students from all walks of life, one where students are taught respect for one another. She believes that the Park Ridge system is one of the crown jewels of our town and a great attraction to families who move here. She is duly mindful of the fact that property values in Park Ridge are directly tied to the quality of our schools, and she is prepared to fight to defend that quality of education which we enjoy as a community, now and into the future.
Further to the above press release:
Why is Lori Fredrics running as a write-in candidate for Park Ridge BOE?
Ms. Fredrics first encountered her opponent at 2019 NJ Assembly Debate held by the League of Women, where he broke debate rules by wearing a campaign t-shirt, and refused the debate organizer’s request to remove or cover the shirt. He indicated that he did not feel he had to follow the rules. This breach also forced our town’s TV station to expend valuable resources to blur out the image of his t-shirt in order to comply with neutrality terms of our town’s public access TV license.
Park Ridge needs Board of Ed members who respect the democratic process, political norms and principles of civil discourse and behavior, so when she found out that Robert Fisher was running unopposed she decided she wanted Park Ridge residents to have another option.
Park Ridge does not need an aspiring extremist politician on its school board.
Vote for Lori Fredrics, an experienced educator who cares about Park Ridge and who will be a positive role model for our town’s students.
https://www.facebook.com/lorifredrics4boe
I know Lori will get at least 3 write in votes because I cast one of them.
My kids graduated from PRHS little more than 20 years ago and they were not taught all our American history. Now is not the time to go back to sleep and ignore our past. That said, we do not have to dwell on it but it should be acknowledged.