“I looked at this impartially with no fore knowledge of the issues or individuals. If Fishbein could have defended himself against the charges made against him and his administration, he probably would have. Instead he put much more energy into making appeals to popularity. I believe the two board members in question saw some wrong doing and pursued it. My understanding is that Glen school is operating a day care open to outside residents at a loss and covering up that loss. So they are essentially making Ridgewood residents pay part of the cost of day care for people in other towns. This is wrong if it is true. But much worse is poor leadership during the current panic. There is simply no elevated risks to running the schools as normal and this is what should be happening.”
“Fishbein, your second “resign” letter reads more like a self congratulatory I done a great job reflection of your career and most significantly, your perceived value to the citizens of Ridgewood during your tenure at the Ridgewood school district. Well Dan, you really have a flair for the dramatic. Rather than reflecting on the sorrow and pain associated with the 19th anniversary of 9/11, you decided on that day to “formally resign” only to then to sit back and watch the staged support and for you with pleas of “…Please stay…” over the next 1 1/2 weeks.”
“The arrogance of this email is mind boggling. I have no idea who this guy is but to think that him and his very small group of activists can force out duly elected officials cause they don’t like how they question administrators is incredible. To the OVOV group, your “people” are no longer on the board, instead of trying to move the goal posts under some guise of saving some money and keeping the students safe, why don’t you, as you say on your website, try and improve voter participation in this town. I don’t think anyone would disagree with a strategy where instead of spending your time and money suing the town, spend it on getting voters to turn out for local elections? As to being so fiscally responsible and seeking to save this Village money, how many of the OVOV crew wanted to spend the $11mm on the useless parking garage or want the performing arts center…..the inconsistencies in this groups mission are pretty glaring. They want one thing and one thing only…control. If they can’t gain this in getting their people elected, they will try other means and that is what we are seeing now. Having a vote on the budget allows residents a check and balance on the BOE which must stay intact if we want sensible taxes and proper allocation of said taxes throughout the system. Don’t be fooled by the fear mongering of OVOV….at the end of the day they don’t care about saving money or keeping kids safe, they care about getting back the control they have lost. As a side note, just have a look at the motley crew of supporters they have, do you really trust them?”
“it’s possible this has nothing at all to do with the “2016 have percolated all the way down the left wing ecosystem”, and the Loscalzo’s are just good old fashion ass-holes, with a little racist thrown in for good measure. It’s possible for good people to do really bad things, thinking that they are doing good, up until the point that an email, such as Rob Loscalzo’s is made public, and then they are exposed bear and have to really re-think what they’re doing, and who they really are with respect to their standing in their own village. Upon reflection, you would hope that Mr. Loscalzo would apologize both publicly and privately for his stance on conspiring to do something immoral, probably illegal, and harmful to two publicly elected Board members who volunteer their time to the Ridgewood Public School System, as well as the community that he supposedly adores so much. These are the actions of a heartless and conniving person. Let’s hope that this is not true, and that Mr. Loscalzo, can see how wrong his conniving proposal to Dr. Fishbein was and he can work towards moving forward, and not further backward. The first step would be to admit he was wrong, and apologize. As far as Dr. Fishbein, his reply to Mr. Localzo’s note was in-fact telling, as stated by another reader, silence is complicity.”
I was sad and disappointed to learn of your resignation. You have been an amazing leader for our district and you deserve better than the treatment you’ve received from the two new board members. While you know my wife Stacey well, and I’ve been more in the background, I’ve observed your performance with nothing but respect and appreciation. You have a gift, and your leadership skills were never more important than these last six months. I read all of your weekly Covid emails, and always enjoyed your “personal touch.” I especially liked your letter about Dodgeball and the quotes. I’m a huge movie fan as well- to quote Red in Shawshank Redemption, “Every man has his breaking point,” and your decision, in the light of the behavior of the two new board members makes complete sense.
The past six months have tested all of us in extraordinary ways, and I am honored and proud to have been at the helm of this district as we navigated such a challenging time. I have had the pleasure of serving as the Superintendent of the Ridgewood Public Schools for twelve years, and throughout my tenure, my commitment to the children and families of Ridgewood has never wavered.
Ridgewood NJ, minutes from Board of Education meetings leave more question unanswered than answered on the Infant toddler or ITDC program at Glen School .
Ridgewood NJ, here is a case of Financial Alchemy . Alchemy is the medieval forerunner of chemistry, based on the supposed transformation of matter. It was concerned particularly with attempts to convert base metals into gold or to find a universal elixir.
Exhibit #1 Notice $162,650 appear out of nowhere (unbudgeted) for health benefits, and yes we all know they get health benefits with makes this particular interesting and pensions were budgeted for $36,950 and the actual $88,408 . The actual was more than double the budget , we call that a big miss. Its no Enron, and there maybe a good reason for all this but these charges need to be footnoted and explained .
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood village council and Board of Ed members don’t run as Democrats or Republicans. We don’t need Muller report affecting our local elections for representatives who are making decisions which affect our affordability of our primary residence, I.e. our property taxes which pay for local roads, police, fire, leaves and garbage pickup, schools and education. We need to keep these elections and representatives independent / detached from national politics.
Please remember this fundamental reason for April/May vs November elections. it’s not just about timing or consolidation. It’s about our fundamental right to vote on the budget and to keep local elections independent from national influence.
Ridgewood NJ, in other Board of Education news, Dr. Fishbein presented the 2020 Opening of School Report, beginning with remarks about the success of the reopening of schools. He shared enrollment figures, which reflect a decrease in enrollment as compared to June 2020. Dr. Fishbein explained that some families of children who were beginning kindergarten opted to send their children to a private school for this school year with the intention of returning to the district the following school year. Over the summer, teachers worked on revisions to 34 courses. Additionally, five new courses were written: Soundology (grade 7), Theatre History, Algebra I Advanced, AP Capstone RAHP, and Global Citizen. There were 41 new hires, of which three are new positions (two school psychologists and one special education (STEPSS) teacher).
Ridgewood NJ, according to the NJ School Board Association , School Board members play an essential role in ensuring the financial integrity of the school district or charter school. Your vigilance on financial matters can translate into student achievement when public funds are spent prudently and effectively. Good policies can play an important role in ensuring financial integrity, and keep your schools running smoothly.
” Fishbein was in cahoots with Sheila, and Mike is an emotional wreck. Fishbein knew that Sheila and Chris would vote no, and that Dani and Kwak would vote yes, and Mike would be the swing vote, Fishbein and Sheila lined up the public comments *(shame, knowing that Kwak and Dani were being thrown under the bus)* and they got Mike to vote with his emotions, unless he’s gone rogue and broke rank and had discussions with Fishbein/Sheila/Chris on the side, in total violation of open meeting laws. I cant for the life of me understand this, the man submitted his resignation, wrote a nice letter on the web site, and now the Board (speaks with one voice) tells him, no you can’t leave you MUST fulfill your contract, otherwise we will hold you in breech of contract, because that is what they did. Mike obviously did not understand this, otherwise why did he move to start a discussion on an interim superintendent, Mike, the Bd Chair did not understand what his vote even meant, he must’ve thought this was a vote of confidence, and that the resignation was still going to happen, No Mike! you voted to force Fishbein to stay, although he wanted to leave. Unless, that was the plan all along. Like Ricky said often to Lucy, you have some ‘splaining’ to do! Mike with your vote you impeded the progress of the district. The tell tale sign to all of this is simple, if Fishbein goes back to the Bd. and says hey Bd members, I really wanted to resign, I have plans, I’m taking the kids to Disney World, whatever, please reconsider and re-cast your vote so I can move on, then this was not a grand scheme, on the other-hand if Fishbein just goes back to work, and doesnt do that, then you know that he never intended on resigning and the whole resignation was a sham to try and stick it to the new Bd. It’s either one or the other.”
“Well Well a 3 to 2 vote not to accept his resignation. Again, the purpose of this process is looking more and more like want I surmised it to be, a shame and a waste of time. The reality is the entire educational system in Ridgewood is caught in a quandary of attempting to maintain an educational status quo while newly elected officials attempt to learn and improve on what came before. Someone that called in tonight mentioned before Mr Fishbein there were 5 temporary superintendents before his 12 year tenure. I have lived in Bergen County for 55 years and Ridgewood has ALWAYS been viewed consistently in terms of educational quality, independent of temp or permanent superintendent. So, Fishbein man up and either officially resign or find the courage to work with the elected officials that the voters of your town selected. I am not a supporter of either approach but to set the record straight, one caller tonight praised Fishbein for quickly acting on all day kindergarten. The fact is that Ridgewood was one of the last Bergen County districts to enact an all day K program. Let alone the sexing scandel and the bulling last year in the high school that never really was properly dealt with. The more I think of it, there is a lot of improvement that the citizens of Ridgewood need to be addressing regarding the schooling of its children.”
“Stacey LoWscalzo has undoubtedly singled out two board members to scapegoat Fishbiens departure. Pointing the blame. It wouldn’t help her narrative to suggest Dan’s ego and need for control created issues with four BOE members. Too obvious the problem is Dan. So yes, let’s not single out the policeman. Better to isolate the two people of color. Racist much, Stacy?”
