Tag: BOE

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Ridgewood School Board Reviews 2019-2020 Proposed Preliminary Budget of $111 Million

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Dr. Fishbein reviewed the schedule for the state aid numbers from Trenton, which will follow the governor’s budget address on March 5. Accordingly, the March 4 Board meeting will be moved to March 11, with an additional meeting on March 8 at 5 p.m. if needed.

Business Administrator Antoinette Kelly reviewed the basics of budgeting and the big-picture areas of the RPS budget (Special Programs, healthcare costs, staffing, security/technology, capital projects, revenue, appropriations). The slide portion of the presentation, which is posted on the district website, may be viewed here

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BOE Ducks Motions to Withdraw “Term” Lawsuit

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, reader says, “Chris Kaufman made a motion to withdraw the lawsuit. No one seconded his motion so there could not be a vote. I am so proud that I voted for this man.”

Cristopher Kaufman at the last Board of Ed meeting said : “I accept the consequences of [having the election in April 2019, thereby shortening the terms of existing members to 2.5 years] will have on my own term, but I feel it’s in the best interest of the Community that we have the Board of Education election with the budget vote this April.” Putting the Community first .

Disgraceful that the BOE Board members still do not want to take responsibility for the term extension law suit ?

Residents continue to question Board actions and get no response.

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Ridgewood Board of Education Meeting Tonight

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Board of Education Meets 
Monday, February 11, 2019
49 Cottage Place
7:30 p.m.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Board of Education will hold its next Regular Public Meeting on Monday,February 11, 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.
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Reader says , “Our Superintendent leaves a lot to be desired”

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Our Superintendent leaves a lot to be desired. He continually posts “feel good” missives and cannot see the problems right in front of his face. I thought he was “voluntarily” remaining until his last child was out of school. I guess he decided not to give up his “cozy cushion” and look for a job that would pay better and also give him the right to destroy another school system. I don’t know how much more time he has on his contact but it is sure to be renewed by his Lackies. To file a law suit to try to keep the people he knows love him in office so he doesn’t have to possibly have people who don’t bow before him in office instead is pure hubris. The apparent illegality of this action–or merely the fact that it defies the law–seems to escape the notice of our town lawyer.

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Reader says ,”the $110 million BOE budget implies $73,333 in budget per student per year”

Ridgewood Police at RHS

file photo by Boyd Loving

” Ridgewood parents and taxpayers deserve world class administrators who can provide inspirational leadership for those 500 staff, 1,500 students and ten buildings. Think about this as well: the $110 million BOE budget implies $73,333 in budget per student per year. And yet how little of that actually goes towards educating our children for the challenges they will face as they go out and take on the world? You REA thugs have perverted what was once a “Tradition of Excellence.” You seem to think your mere presence means excellence, when in fact it takes creative, inspirational leadership and hard work.”

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Reader claims, ““Self-serving people there for personal gain” defines our Councils of the past decade or more”

3 amigos in action Ridgewood NJ

“Self-serving people there for personal gain” defines our Councils of the past decade or more. Riche with his no bid telecoms contracts with the Village, the definition of conflict of interest. Whatever the hell Ahronson, Pooch and Gwen wanted, none of it seemingly any good for the rest of us. Knudsen getting her boys on the RPD and RFD with some nifty maneuvering around the hiring requirements, and protecting the dilapidated Schedler above all other interests because it’s across the street from her dad’s house… the list goes on and on.

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Reader asks , “what has Dr. Fishbein done to improve academics in Ridgewood Schools ?”

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Fishbein is useless.
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Tell me what he has done of any significance to improve academics in Ridgewood Schools and get the students ready for their future? What has he done to elevate Ridgewood schools and set them apart from others in the state? the country? the world?
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He has just presided over the slow decline of Ridgewood schools, while virtue signaling and lecturing parents on how to raise their children and keep them warm on cold days.
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Useless.
We’d be better off running the show with no superintendent and we’d save a lot of money.

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Reader says ,we need to admit we have a problem

Ridgewood Police at RHS

Hear, hear Ridgewood parent! We need to stand up to these bullies in the REA and our BOE and claim back our schools. Fishbein, Gorman, and a number of the Trustees need to go. It starts at the top and until we admit our schools are no longer what they once were, we cannot begin to address the multitude of problems.

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Fishbein: Dress for the Frigid Conditions

ShiningEnding1

A letter from Dr. Fishbein: January 30, 2019
Note correction from earlier version: It’s actually 49 days til Spring!

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Today I am writing to ask that your children dress extra warmly the next few days to withstand the expected frigid conditions that are being forecasted for our area.

Since so many of our children will be walking to and from school or waiting at bus stops, it is critically important that they be outfitted appropriately, with as little skin exposure as possible.

Please note also that while we presume our buses will be running on time, the frigid weather may cause unexpected travel delays.

I leave you with the pleasant thought that Spring is only 49 days away! In the meantime, please stay safe and warm.

Sincerely yours,

Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D
Superintendent of Schools

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Reader says ,” We don’t get leaders in BOE or Village Council. We get ‘nice’ folks with mediocre experience and certainly not people who will drive change or rock the boat”

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“Same old tune. We don’t get leaders in BOE or Village Council. We get ‘nice’ folks with mediocre experience and certainly not people who will drive change or rock the boat. Ask yourselves, have ever been in a room when a real leader who is innovative and problem solver speaks and takes control of the situation, deliverers what they say, confronts obstacles, and keeps moving forward. Do you get that when Kaufman speaks? Sedon? Fishbein? Gorman? Knudson? All nice folks who can not lead, drive change, or provide solutions. Imagine any of them entering a board room and trying to influence a $110M budget in a corporate environment. They would not last 5 minutes. let alone years of continued weak non existent leadership.

Wake up folks”

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Reader says , “This has been the standard operating model of Dr Fishbein and BOE. They bring in an expert for presentation, and post presentation declare everything is good”

mister-rogers-trolley

“I supported and campaigned for Kaufman and I think we need to give him some time. He was trapped by the working method of BOE. This has been the standard operating model of Dr Fishbein and BOE. They bring in an expert for presentation, and post presentation declare everything is good.
They did exactly that on Monday. They went into a closed session – without a published agenda, breaking OPMA rules, they threatened all board members that the sky will fall if they voted to withdraw the motion, and then came out at public meeting and repeated their scripted presentation. This is their response for EVERY question raised to them. Presentation and then declare themselves GOOD/Winners.
Kaufman did not get enough time to process that information and to respond/put the motion. The BOE really need to adopt same format as the council. They need to discuss difficult topics at woerk session and then vote at the next meeting, so board members get enough time to think through those topics.
You can’t expect Kaufman to become fighters like Knudsen and Sedon on day 1. It probably took them some time too to understand the tricks being played by the majority.”

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Kaufman Drops the Ball at Ridgewood BOE Meeting

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file photo by Boyd Loving

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Mr. Kaufman appeared to drop the ball at Monday nights Ridgewood Board of Education meeting when failed to ask for a motion to drop the trustee term lawsuit.

Board observers say that a motion to dismiss the lawsuit would have put
BOE members on record supporting or opposing term extensions.

Continue reading Kaufman Drops the Ball at Ridgewood BOE Meeting
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Ridgewood School Board Attorney Tries to Clear Up Election Lawsuit

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ,Ridgewood School Board attorney Jeff Merlino spoke to the lack of clarity about the process for Board member elections in the first year following the move of the annual election from November to April. Since Mr. Merlino was unable to get formal clarification on this issue from the state and county, a filing was made to the court and a date of February 15 has been set to appear before the judge. Mr. Merlino’s slide presentation may be viewed :

https://www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us/common/pages/DisplayFile.aspx?itemId=18124379

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Prospective Ridgewood Board of Education Candidate Information

Vote Ridgewood NJ

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Board Election Information for candidate petitions are available at the office of the Board Secretary, 49 Cottage Place, Ridgewood, NJ between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Completed petitions must be submitted to the Board Secretary. The deadline for candidates to submit their nominating petitions is Monday, February 25th at 4:00 p.m.

You would need at least ten signatures and your signature may count as one of the ten.You must file your petition with my office by 4pm on February 25th.

Ten Things School Board Candidates Should Know
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Reader says , “Well, ain’t that typical of entitled people. I want what I want and I am entitled to whatever I want “

BOE

Well, ain’t that typical of entitled people. I want what I want and I am entitled to whatever I want , even if I have to stop the rotation of the planet to get it.

Hey BOE how about a little humility. We have great laws in the USA , how about respecting them. If things don’t work out perfectly have a little perspective. I mean you ran once, you won, so run again if you have to, and see if you can win on your merits, on what the public thinks of your record so far. The proper way to look at the situation is for YOU to see it as an interesting challenge. I mean SHAME ON YOU. What kind of example are you setting for the children. Learning to accept disappointment is part of life. And this is no major disappointment. So your term is cut short, so what, it is not a death sentence. AND THAT IS HOW YOU ARE TREATING IT. What are you teaching the kids; ya know what, you are teaching the children that when they receive life’s inevitable disappointments and they don’t get their way, instead of sucking it up and moving on, maybe they should take drugs and pain killers to kill their emotional pain. You BOE people are despicable.