Tag: BOE

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Ridgewood teacher contract talks heating up

BOE_theridgewoodblog

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Tense contract negotiations between the Ridgewood Board of Education (BOE) and Ridgewood Education Association (REA) ramped up this week.

“The negotiations are not going well,” said REA President Michael Yannone in a conversation with The Ridgewood News earlier this week.

While a number of issues remain to be settled, the main two are salary requirements and healthcare benefits, which are always paired in discussions, Yannone said.

“This board doesn’t believe they should have to negotiate health benefits,” Yannone said.

Without some leeway from the BOE, no progress will be made, he added.

Yannone also spoke at this week’s BOE meeting, flanked by Ridgewood teachers in a sign of solidarity.

“The teachers of this community feel disrespected,” Yannone said at the meeting. “Ridgewood was always a school district that prided itself as being at the forefront of education. Teachers felt respected here and believed their voice had value. Those days are gone.

“Teachers now feel as if they are merely nickels and dimes — a revenue stream for this board — with money going out, and more and more employee money coming back to this board,” he said.

This drew a standing ovation from the assembled crowd of teachers, who so packed the Education Center meeting room that many had to stand.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/contract-negotiations-heating-up-1.1418121

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Ridgewood Board of Education Continuing contract negotiations with the Ridgewood Education Association Update

BOE_theridgewoodblog

September 11, 2015 Dear Parent or Guardian:

In July, the Ridgewood Board of Education (RBOE) announced that contract negotiations with the Ridgewood Education Association (REA), which began in February 2015, were moving from official mediation through the NJ Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) to the fact-finding stage, also through PERC.
Our first fact-finding session will be held on September 16, 2015. During this time, the teachers and secretaries continue to receive their full salaries and benefits and work under the terms, conditions and protections of the expired contract that began on July 1, 2012, and ended on June 30, 2015. It is important to remember that our teachers and secretaries are working within the contractually specified hours listed below and that drop-off and pick-up times at our schools must be followed:
 Elementary schools: 8 a.m.-3:35 p.m. PLEASE DO NOT DROP YOUR CHILD OFF PRIOR TO 8:35 A.M. AND PICK UP AT 3 P.M.
 Middle schools: 7:45 a.m.-3:20 p.m. PLEASE DO NOT DROP YOUR CHILD OFF PRIOR TO 7:45 A.M. AND PICK UP AT 2:55 P.M.
 Ridgewood High School: 7:40 a.m.-3:15 p.m. DROP OFF AND PICK UP WILL BE THE SAME
In addition, please understand that during this stage in the negotiations, teachers may decline to do some activities that fall outside of the contract. For example, they may decline to chaperone overnight/after school field trips, decline to participate or volunteer in activities that they had in the past, or may adhere to the 7.5 hour daily contract hours by arriving and leaving on time each school day. If any such actions occur that result in changes or cancellation of certain activities, school principals and other administrators will explain the reason why.
Many parents have offered to volunteer and take over these responsibilities. Some activities can be sponsored or supervised by parents, while others can’t for various insurance and personal liability reasons. Please see your principal for guidance. While changes to activities may be an unfortunate reality during this period, it is important to stress that the RBOE and REA are working towards an agreement that satisfies both parties. Throughout the State of New Jersey, negotiations are taking place between teacher associations and Boards of Education.
The vast majority of contract negotiations, almost 80 percent, are not completed prior to the expiration of the preceding contract. Finally, if the fact-finder is unsuccessful in mediating an agreement, both parties will present their “case,” and a written report will be prepared that will be made public 10 days after they receive his non-binding findings. Thank you in advance for your understanding as the RBOE and REA work through this process and complete the negotiations in the shortest time possible.
Sincerely,
Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools
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RIDGEWOOD SCHOOLS PARENT / GUARDIAN SURVEY REVEALS SLIGHT DECLINE IN OVERALL SATISFACTION WITH RIDGEWOOD SCHOOLS

BOE_theridgewoodblog

Positives : lower use of tutors

September 17,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The results of the Board of Education’s 2015 parent/guardian survey are out. Individual school reports and district-wide results have been emailed to parents and guardians.

The survey was conducted via email from May 5-15, 2015 using SurveyMonkey software. Email invitations with private survey links were sent to all district parents and guardians with email addresses on file. Survey respondents participated on a secure survey website. Only one response was allowed for each email address. The survey was completely anonymous. Numerical data were compiled and charts were created using SurveyMonkey. District data were compiled from the grade-level surveys by members of the Ridgewood Public Schools Information Technology Department. The superintendent, administrators and school board members reviewed the data and all comments. How many parents and guardians participated in the 2014-2015 survey? How will these survey results be used? The data in this report reflect survey results for the district as a whole. Questions specific to a school or grade level have been included here with separate notation. District and individual school survey results have been provided to each principal, as well as the central administration and the Ridgewood Board of Education. The data will be used as one of several resources for the ongoing review and refinement of the programs of the Ridgewood Public Schools.

As of 5.31.15 # Enrolled Students 5682 , Emails on File 7786 , Survey Responses Participation Rate In-District  2773 35.6%

85.9 % of all respondents Agree or Strongly agree that they are satisfied with the overall quality of their child’s education, compared to 87% of all respondents during the previous survey.

80.8% of all respondents Agree or Strongly agree that they are satisfied with the academic progress of their child compared to 82.3% of all respondents during the previous survey.

74.8% of all respondents Agree or Strongly agree that the academic challenge for my child is appropriate ,compared to 75.7%  of all respondents during the previous survey.

56.1% of all respondents Agree or Strongly agree that the schools give opportunities to help my child do his or her best ,compared to 54.9% of all respondents during the previous survey.

69.1% of all respondents thought the amount of homework was just right compared to 69.2% of all respondents during the previous survey.

23.5% of all respondents supplement their child education with professional tutors ,compared to 31.9% of all respondents during the previous survey.

82.1% of all respondents Agree or Strongly agree that the condition/quality of the athletic facilities are acceptable compared to 80.5% of all respondents during the previous survey.

77.3% of all respondents Agree or Strongly agree that the parent or guardian was well informed as to the child’s progress compared to 80.4% of all respondents during the previous survey.

68.9% of all respondents Agree or Strongly agree that they had opportunities to express their opinions or concerns regarding their child compared to 74,3% of all respondents during the previous survey.

https://board-of-education.ridgewood.schoolfusion.us/modules/locker/files/get_group_file.phtml?gid=944840&fid=28828142&sessionid=f2fc552096d7f9abeb620bd07fd34d0f

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Ninth-grader’s arrest over a home-built clock, imagine if it happened in Ridgewood

texas-muslim-student-clock

The homemade clock Ahmed Mohamed brought to school was mistaken for a bomb. (Irving Police Department)

Why a ninth-grader’s arrest over a home-built clock struck a chord across America

A week after 9/11, a lapse of judgement ?

By Abby Phillip and Sarah Kaplan September 16 at 6:20 PM

Ahmed Mohamed just wanted to impress his teachers with a homemade invention. The story of what happened next has made the 14-year-old from Irving, Tex., the object of national outrage and attention.

Eager to show off to his engineering teacher, Mohamed walked into MacArthur High School on Monday morning with his hastily assembled invention: A digital clock.

Hours later, the ninth-grader was escorted out of the school in police custody after teachers mistook the device for a bomb.

The incident has triggered allegations of racism and made a Texas school district the target of outrage that began online and quickly spilled into the most powerful offices in the land.

As the story spread, along with a photo of Mohamed in a NASA T-shirt and handcuffs, support came flooding in.

“Cool clock, Ahmed,” President Obama wrote in a tweet Wednesday. “Want to bring it to the White House? We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It’s what makes America great.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/09/16/why-a-ninth-graders-arrest-over-a-home-built-clock-struck-a-chord-across-america/

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Ridgewood Board of Education Meets on Monday September 21st

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BOE Meets on September 21

The Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday, September 21, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.

The public is invited to attend the meeting at the Ed Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3. The meeting will be aired live on FiOS channel 33 and Optimum channel 77. Or it may be viewed live via the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us using the “Link in Live” tab.

Click here to view the agenda and addendum for the August 24, 2015 Regular Public Meeting.

BOE Announces Vacancy, Seeks BOE Applicants

The Ridgewood Board of Education is seeking qualified applicants to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Michele Lenhard on August 1. The application deadline is Tuesday, September 15 at 4 p.m. Click here for details.
Click here to view the application..

Board of Education Releases Statement on Negotiations
Click here to read a statement by the Ridgewood Board of Education on the status of negotiations with the Ridgewood Education Association.

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Nothing like a 100 Million dollar Ridgewood School Budget

BOE_theridgewoodblog

Do it fer da kidz

September 11, 2015

Dear Parent or Guardian:

In July, the Ridgewood Board of Education (RBOE) announced that contract negotiations with the Ridgewood Education Association (REA), which began in February 2015, were moving from official mediation through the NJ Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) to the fact-finding stage, also through PERC.  Our first fact-finding session will be held on September 16, 2015.

During this time, the teachers and secretaries continue to receive their full salaries and benefits and work under the terms, conditions and protections of the expired contract that began on July 1, 2012, and ended on June 30, 2015.

It is important to remember that our teachers and secretaries are working within the contractually specified hours listed below and that drop-off and pick-up times at our schools must be followed:

Elementary schools:  8 a.m.-3:35 p.m.

PLEASE DO NOT DROP YOUR CHILD OFF PRIOR TO 8:35 A.M. AND PICK UP AT 3 P.M.

Middle schools: 7:45 a.m.-3:20 p.m.

PLEASE DO NOT DROP YOUR CHILD OFF PRIOR TO 7:45 A.M. AND PICK UP AT 2:55 P.M.

Ridgewood High School:  7:40 a.m.-3:15 p.m.

DROP OFF AND PICK UP WILL BE THE SAME

In addition, please understand that during this stage in the negotiations, teachers may decline to do some activities that fall outside of the contract.  For example, they may decline to chaperone overnight/after school field trips, decline to participate or volunteer in activities that they had in the past, or may adhere to the 7.5 hour daily contract hours by arriving and leaving on time each school day.  If any such actions occur that result in changes or cancellation of certain activities, school principals and other administrators will explain the reason why.

Many parents have offered to volunteer and take over these responsibilities.  Some activities can be sponsored or supervised by parents, while others can’t for various insurance and personal liability reasons.  Please see your principal for guidance.

While changes to activities may be an unfortunate reality during this period, it is important to stress that the RBOE and REA are working towards an agreement that satisfies both parties.  Throughout the State of New Jersey, negotiations are taking place between teacher associations and Boards of Education.  The vast majority of contract negotiations, almost 80 percent, are not completed prior to the expiration of the preceding contract.

Finally, if the fact-finder is unsuccessful in mediating an agreement, both parties will present their “case,” and a written report will be prepared that will be made public 10 days after they receive his non-binding findings.

Thank you in advance for your understanding as the RBOE and REA work through this process and complete the negotiations in the shortest time possible.

Sincerely,

Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

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Ridgewood again exploring full-day kindergarten

kinopoisk

SEPTEMBER 7, 2015, 12:30 PM    LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2015, 12:49 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — The Board of Education is once again exploring the pros and cons of offering a full-day kindergarten program in the district, but officials are concerned that coming up with the money to do so could be problematic.

Officials claim a full-day kindergarten program would require 10 additional teachers with an estimated cost of $1 million-plus.

Providing daylong kindergarten has been a longtime goal for Ridgewood’s educators, said Sheila Brogan, president of the village’s school board.

“We are one of the few districts that don’t have full-day kindergarten, and we realize it would be an enhancement,” Brogan said. “The question for us is: Is it feasible?”

The school board discussed the prospect of expanding its offerings during a meeting held late last month.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-again-exploring-full-day-kindergarten-1.1405082

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Ridgewood school district exploring move to full-day kindergarten

kindergarten-cop-comedy

SEPTEMBER 4, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

The years-old question of full-day kindergarten for Ridgewood schools was once again raised at last week’s Board of Education meeting.

However, such a change isn’t likely to come to Ridgewood for a while, according to school district officials.

While some, like board trustee James Morgan, say they understand the value and importance of full-day kindergarten, they realize that it isn’t a feasible option at this point in time.

“Full-day kindergarten is one of the most effective methods for teaching young children,” Morgan said. “It’s a great idea, but the major question is how do we fund it?”

The issue lies in the board’s budget limitations, Morgan said.

Were full-day kindergarten to be instituted, about 10 new teachers would need to be hired, each making around $75,000 per year, according to Morgan. Once these amounts are factored in with the cost of resources, the price jumps to over $1 million per year, which is an amount that the board just doesn’t have at this point, officials said.

Morgan said there are major hurdles to surpass if full-day kindergarten were ever to be truly discussed.

 

https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/district-explores-move-to-full-day-kindergarten-1.1403625

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RIDGEWOOD BOE MEETS SEPTEMBER 21st

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RIDGEWOOD SCHOOL BOARD MEETS ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2015

The  Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday, September 21, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.

The public is invited to attend the meeting at the Ed Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3. The meeting will be aired live on FiOS channel 33 and Optimum channel 77. Or it may be viewed live via the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us using the “Link in Live” tab.

Click here to view the agenda and addendum for the August 24, 2015 Regular Public Meeting.

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Fort Lee School trustee resigns because he’s moving to Ridgewood

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AUGUST 29, 2015    LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY LINH TAT
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

FORT LEE – A school trustee in the midst of his third term resigned this week, creating a vacancy on the board that, by law, must be filled before the end of October.

Yusang “Jimmy” Park, the only Asian-American ever to serve as school board president in Fort Lee, said he and his family are moving to a house they purchased in Ridgewood, leaving him no choice but to resign. Trustees are required to live in the town in which they hold office.

Park was the top vote-getter when he was elected in 2007, outperforming the three incumbents in that race. Fellow board members nominated him as president in 2012 after former trustee Arthur Levine resigned.

“Looking back, I ask myself, ‘Are we in a better place than we were seven years ago when I started?’ I would say yes,” Park said, reflecting on the state of the district.

When he was first elected, Park noted, the district was reeling from the fallout of a superintendent who plagiarized a speech delivered to honors students. That was followed in 2009 by a grade-altering scandal when officials found that a high school counselor had tampered with college transcripts, and widespread frustration in the community over an absentee superintendent during the 2012-13 school year. That superintendent eventually parted ways with the district.

Now, Park said, the district has voter-approved funding to build and expand classroom space, has adopted new campus security measures and has hired a new permanent superintendent

https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/fort-lee-trustee-resigns-because-he-s-moving-1.1400539

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Back to School : Ridgewood Schools Opening Day for Students: Minimum Day , September 2,2015

somerville-elementary-school

August 29,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Board of Education Announces Vacancy, Seeks Applicants

The Ridgewood Board of Education is seeking qualified applicants to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Michele Lenhard on August 1. The application deadline is Tuesday, September 15 at 4 p.m

Click here for the application.

Mandatory Re-registration is Open for Parents and Guardians

Skyward Family Access is the district’s primary mode of communication with parents, so the district must have up-to-date email and phone numbers in the system at all times, especially for emergency situations. Beginning August 10 through midnight September 7, parents and guardians must logon to Family Access to complete the Mandatory Online Re-registration process.

Click here for details on Mandatory Re-registration

Lunch service is scheduled to begin on Thursday, September 3, the first full day of school. For information on children’s food service accounts and lunch ordering, please visit the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us and select the Fee Management and Lunch Info tab under the Parents label. Click here to go directly to that page.

Substitutes are Needed

The district has put out a call for additional substitute teachers, nurses and secretaries for the 2015-2016 school year. Substitutes enjoy the freedom of selecting their dates of work according to their personal schedules through a self-scheduling online system. Pay rates for the 2015-2016 school year are as follows: teachers $92 to $125 per diem; nurses $130 per diem; secretaries $12.50 to $17 per hour.

Click here for full information on the requirements and process. For further information, please contact Eileen Rix at 201-670-2700, ext. 10542 or [email protected].
SCHOOL CROSSING GUARDS
The Ridgewood Police Department is accepting applications for School Crossing Guard Positions. Applications are Available at the Police Desk located at 131 North Maple Avenue Ridgewood NJ. P/T position, 10 hours per week (2 hours per day) starting at $17.49/hr. Send application to Police Chief John Ward, Ridgewood Police Dept, 131 N. Maple Ave., Ridgewood, NJ 07450 or return the application to the Police Records Room. The Village of Ridgewood is an EOE and civil service community.
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Back to School : Ridgewood School News

Tradition_of_excellence_theridgewoodblog

RIDGEWOOD SCHOOL BOARD MEETS ON AUGUST 24, 2015

The  Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday, August 24 2015 at 5 p.m.

The public is invited to attend the meeting at the Ed Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3. The meeting will be aired live on FiOS channel 33 and Optimum channel 77. Or it may be viewed live via the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us using the “Link in Live” tab.

Click here to view the agenda and addendum for the July 20, 2015 Regular Public Meeting

Re-registration is Open for Parents and Guardians

Skyward Family Access is the district’s primary mode of communication with parents, so the district must have up-to-date email and phone numbers in the system at all times, especially for emergency situations. Beginning August 10 through midnight September 7, parents and guardians must logon to Family Access to complete the Mandatory Online Re-registration process.

Click here for details on Mandatory Re-registration.

Board of Education Announces Vacancy, Seeks Applicants

The Ridgewood Board of Education is seeking qualified applicants to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Michele Lenhard on August 1. The application deadline is Tuesday, September 15 at 4 p.m. Click here for details..

Back-to-School Night Schedule is Out

Click here to view the 2015-2016 Back-To-School Night schedule.

Substitutes Teachers are Needed

The district has put out a call for additional substitute teachers, nurses and secretaries for the 2015-2016 school year. Substitutes enjoy the freedom of selecting their dates of work according to their personal schedules through a self-scheduling online system. Pay rates for the 2015-2016 school year are as follows: teachers $92 to $125 per diem; nurses $130 per diem; secretaries $12.50 to $17 per hour.

Click here for full information on the requirements and process. For further information, please contact Eileen Rix at 201-670-2700, ext. 10542 or [email protected].

School Calendars are Approved
Click here to view the 2015-2016 school calendar.
Click here to view the 2016-2017 school calendar.

 

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Ridgewood school officials respond to low score on teacher evaluation

Tradition_of_excellence_theridgewoodblog

AUGUST 14, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2015, 12:31 AM

BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Ridgewood education leaders this week expressed disappointment with the recently released AchieveNJ Teacher Evaluation chart, saying the scoring system doesn’t tell the entire story.

Village teachers scored collectively low in the evaluation, a tool used by the state to gauge which educators and schools are the most effective. Specifically, the chart showed which teachers fall into the “effective” and “highly effective” categories, and gave a percentage of the total number of teachers in the school who were highly effective.

The highest-ranking Ridgewood school was Benjamin Franklin Middle School, with a 46.15 percent highly-effective rating (24 highly effective teachers out of 52). George Washington Middle School scored 25 percent highly-effective, or 14 highly-effective teachers out of 56.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/district-critical-of-new-system-1.1392414

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Christie agrees to study later school start times

RHS

A new state law requires New Jersey’s Department of Education to study the feasibility and potential benefits or consequences of starting school later at middle and high schools. (Adam Clark, NJ.com) https://www.nj.com/education/2015/08/new_jersey_will_study_later_school_start_times.html#incart_river

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RIDGEWOOD BOE MEETING AUGUST 24th, 5PM

BOE_theridgewoodblog

RIDGEWOOD SCHOOL BOARD MEETS ON AUGUST 24, 2015

The  Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday, August 24 2015 at 5 p.m.

The public is invited to attend the meeting at the Ed Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3. The meeting will be aired live on FiOS channel 33 and Optimum channel 77. Or it may be viewed live via the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us using the “Link in Live” tab.

Click here to view the agenda and addendum for the July 20, 2015 Regular Public Meeting.