Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Board of Education will hold its next Regular Public Meeting on Monday, June 3, 2019. The Board meets at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3 at 7:30 p.m.
The public is welcome to attend the meeting, or to watch from home on Fios channel 33 or Optimum channel 77. Meetings are also streamed via the “BOE Webcast” tab on the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us.
Meeting webcasts are immediately available on the district website.
Ridgewood NJ, New legislation from Trenton sponsored by Rep. Louis Greenwald [D]would clarify the length of Terms for Schools Trustees when the annual school board election is moved from November to April to give taxpayers a chance to vote on School budgets .
As usual information from Winograd is one sided without all the facts. Thought Lindenberg previously said he wanted accurate information for people to be informed. Why are these people keeping themselves busy trying to spread misinformation to take away people’s voting rights? Stop trying to scare everyone by making Ridgewood voters sound unhinged. Ironic signed by one usually unhinged.
“Matt Lindenberg I’m not blocked by Winograd or Mom’s Dads on Facebook . Took a look at your post and it’s exactly as reported in original comment and not taken out of context. Is there a reason you didn’t include it in your response? Here it the Facebook post as written by Matt Lindenberg, “I guess I see it as a choice between 50-60% (not positive about those numbers) electing good BOE members to get the budget work done right, or 14% voting to approve it. Given that choice, my opinion 50-60% representation is better. You may disagree.”
Matt Lindenberg, as someone participating in a campaign to take away a voting right, shouldn’t you know the facts? Don’t you have an obligation to tell people the truth? In this instance your 50-60% is completely inaccurate and even more so when considering lack of down-ballot participation.
Ridgewood residents deserve better than a campaign of misinformation.”
Ridgewood NJ, The next Regular Public Meeting of the Ridgewood Board of Education will be held on Monday, May 6, 2019 at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3 at 7:30 p.m. The meeting will be aired live on television, FiOS channel 33 and Optimum channel 77, and streamed via the “Link in Live” tab on the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us. Meeting webcasts are generally posted immediately to the district website.
” Through various ways a select group of people took the BOE and Admin in their iron grip, running their own agenda over majority wish, the Budget vote has taken that privilege away and that’s why this frustration, One Vote’s target is taking away the Budget vote and additionally influencing the local politics of Ridgewood with the muddy national one. “
“This year, the election occurred during school vacation, in spite of efforts for mail in ballots, you cannot expect high turnout. We need to vote on school budget; much more transparency, more hearings, more public scrutiny.and more important, we need to vote on candidates. Ever since the vote was moved from April to Nov years ago, not one contested election. Is that voter participation? Lets see how it goes next year, when there will be an actual choice of members of the Bd of Ed.
“It’s hard to assign a “good” or “bad” label on turnout levels. A few benchmarks though, for comparison, of total votes cast in Ridgewood:
– 2019 School election (Apr): 2,473 total votes cast (unofficial) – 2018 Midterm election (Nov): 11,400 total votes cast for U.S. Senate – 2018 Midterm election (Nov): 7,663 total votes cast for Ridgewood BOE – 2016 Presidential election (Nov): 13,308 – 2016 BOE election (Nov): 8,650
So it seems clear that expecting 3x, perhaps even 4x, the turnout by moving the BOE vote (and Village Council vote) to November is a reasonable expectation.”
Ridgewood NJ, according to voter turn out data the average April turnout for Board of Education Elections is actually higher since 2007 than November . Average April turnout is 21% and November is 16%.
This disproves the Board of Ed assertions to the contrary . A reader commented ,” The figures do not support a higher turn out in November. Over the last several years of compiling figures it shows the reverse. In 2016 when it was a presidential election, the numbers were up but not significantly so. Down ballot voting is almost always .lower. The issue for many is that when the Board of Education elections were moved to November, we lost the ability to vote on the budget. When that happens, it is harder to advocate for budgetary items you are for or against. There are fewer presentations and fewer people holding seats choose to listen. We also have seen many uncontested candidates elections. Incumbents keep their seats with little to no challenge. “
Also of interest is that studies made before the move in 2013 concluded that there would be a lack of interest which could result in uncontested BOE Candidate elections . This proved to be true.
we had a chance to send a message of constraint but the non voters in an ironic way let the spenders spend.
it’s not their fault individually but when the tax bill comes non voters dig deep into a pocket of regrets.
towns spending and BOE BUDGETS non sustainable and is a runaway train signaling time to paint and sell.
wait till the developers get ahold of valley campus..schools will be flooded with new children.
9 out of 19 districts voted majority “No”. Absentee ballots accounted for 3/4 of the margin of victory for “Yes”. The B of E was nearly embarrassed here.
Ridgewood NJ, decision time ,today is the vote on the 2019-2020 $111 million school budget , Your vote on Tuesday, April 16 will help determine the funding for the Ridgewood school district’s programs, staffing and facilities maintenance expenditures for the upcoming school year. Schools will be closed for students and staff but polls will be open from 6 a.m. – 8 p.m.
The Ridgewood Board of Education has approved an enormous $111.6 million budget .
I wonder what voter turnout will be like when Election Day is during the schools’ spring break. It almost feels like the BOE really didn’t want this election. Hmmmm
The 2019-2020 Ridgewood Public Schools budget will be voted on by registered voters in the Annual School Election on Tuesday, April 16. Polls will be open 6 a.m.-8 p.m. OR, vote by mail! The walk-in application deadline is Monday, April 15 at 3 p.m. See below for more information.
