Ridgewood Schools Budget and Strategic Planning Update
2015-2016 Preliminary Budget Information
Budget includes district staff, academic offerings, extra curricular activities, and transportation; as well as continuing to maintain and improve district facilities
2.00% Local Tax Levy Increase – Within the current state cap
2.04% Overall Levy Increase – Local Tax Levy + Debt Service Levy
$2,566,160 in State Aid – down $37,124 from FY15 (Debt Service Aid).
$1,694,488 Expenditure Increase
Click here to view the presentation on next year’s school budget, given at the March 9, 2015 Board of Education meeting.
Strategic Planning Update
Student Achievement
Communication
Technology
Diversity
Facilities
The Board of Education has approved strategic planning goals.Click here for details..
MARCH 6, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Students should expect to begin classes before Labor Day this coming fall as the 2015-2016 Ridgewood Public Schools calendar, approved on Feb. 23, features an early start, among other minor tweaks.
Although opinions were varied on the individual decisions the Board of Education had to consider, trustees were ultimately able to build a general consensus and approve the new calendar by a 4-1 vote.
Board President Sheila Brogan, Vice President B. Vincent Loncto and trustees Christina Krauss and James Morgan all voted in favor of the updated calendar.
The final calendar contains a convocation date of Aug. 31, which is a Monday, for teachers and staff, followed by a professional development day and students arriving on Sept. 2.
A three-day break will take place from Feb. 15 through Feb. 17 and the last day of school for students – Ridgewood High School (RHS) graduation – will fall on June 20, 2016. The calendar also includes two built-in snow days.
Ridgewood refines policies as opt-out movement gains steam
February 14, 2015 Last updated: Saturday, February 14, 2015, 9:30 AM
By Darius Amos
Staff Writer |
The Ridgewood News
Elisabeth Rose’s daughter used to enjoy going to school. She loved to read and loved to learn.
But all that changed once her child’s third-grade class began preparations for the state-mandated PARCC exams.
“She couldn’t understand the text and the questions … she’s not liking school anymore,” Rose said, speaking candidly at Monday’s Board of Education (BOE) meeting.
She further described her daughter’s transformation as one that “breaks my heart,” particularly after days when the student came home crying.
“It’s really sad because she can’t be the only one who’s having trouble in the elementary school setting. There was a time when [students] weren’t taught to test; they had the freedom to learn,” Rose added. “Please put something in place so the students have an option.”
Ridgewood school board trustees discuss changes to district calendar
FEBRUARY 13, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Ridgewood school officials are expected to approve the 2015-16 district calendar later this month after a period of gathering and weighing the opinions of parents and teachers alike.
During their Feb. 9 meeting, Board of Education trustees whittled Superintendent Daniel Fishbein’s original list of five calendar options to one. The majority of board members opted for an academic year beginning with the annual Teachers’ Convocation on Thursday, Sept. 3 and followed by a professional development day on Sept. 4.
Under the proposed calendar, which will be open to public comment and up for board vote at the Feb. 23 meeting, students will report for the first day of class on Tuesday, Sept. 8. The last day of instruction and Ridgewood High School graduation are slated for June 22, 2016.
One of the most significant differences between the anticipated calendar and the second alternative is the length of the February recess. Like this year, the 2016 February break will only be two days.
Ridgewood BOE Updates Procedure in the event a parent refuses to have their child participate in a Statewide assessment
February 12,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blogUpdate on BOE Policy 2622 – Student Assessment
Ridgewood Nj, The New Jersey Department of Education, pursuant to State law and regulations, requires all students to take State assessments as scheduled. There is no provision for a student to opt-out of Statewide assessments. Therefore, the Board requires all students to take Statewide assessments and the Board cannot grant permission to a parent for their child to opt-out of required Statewide assessments.
The procedures outlined below shall be followed in the event a parent refuses to have their child participate in a Statewide assessment.
At its February 9, 2015 meeting, the Board of Education approved, with revisions, Policy 2622 – Student Assessment as a First Draft. Click here to read the draft policy with revisions.The Board also made to revisions to new Procedure 2622. Click here to read the draft procedure with revisions
Ridgewood Schools District-Wide State Testing Report: 2013-2014
Cheryl Best
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
December 15, 2014Click here to read the 2013-2014 state testing report presentation, reviewed at the Board of Education meeting on December 15, 2014.
Testing Approach
•
Audit lasts approximately 4 weeks
•
Not just an audit of the Business Office, but of the entire District
•
Test controls over all of the District’s major processes:
•
Payroll
•
Revenue/Cash Receipts
•
Expenditures/Cash Disbursements
Click here to read the 2014 audit report presentation, reviewed at the Board of Education meeting on December 15, 2014.
KING OF COMMON CORE PEARSON CLOSES CHARITABLE FOUNDATION AMID LEGAL TROUBLES
Breitbart.com ^ | 21 Dec 2014 | DR. SUSAN BERRY
Posted on 12/21/2014, 8:08:18 PM by dontreadthis
Publishing giant Pearson Inc. is set to rake in billions of dollars in profits related to the implementation of the Common Core standards, but the corporation is now dealing with legal problems exposing some of its suspicious methods that have led to its status as the King of Common Core. snip As Breitbart News reported in December of 2013, the Pearson Foundation agreed to a $7.7 million settlement with the state of New York after accusations by the state’s attorney general that the foundation helped develop Common Core-aligned courses for Pearson, Inc., its corporate parent.
DECEMBER 16, 2014 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014, 9:39 AM
BY JODI WEINBERGER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The Ridgewood Board of Education (BOE) this month joined with the municipality in furthering its mission to be Sustainable Jersey certified.
At a board meeting on Dec. 1, trustees voted to participate in Sustainable Jersey for Schools to focus attention on the environment and pursue initiatives toward certification.
The program pushes concepts like reduce, reuse, recycle; adhering to green building standards for construction and renovation; and encourages making eco-friendly purchases for things like paper, equipment and cleaning products.
In passing the resolution, the district will form a Sustainability Leadership Team of students and teachers to seek out opportunities for improvement in these areas.
Toward that goal, the board also passed another resolution to “reduce and reuse rather than recycle.”
Ridgewood schools to give update to special needs program
DECEMBER 10, 2014 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014, 10:50 AM
BY JODI WEINBERGER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Ridgewood is revamping its innovative special needs program with a new name and different structure to better reflect how it works and benefits students.
The Ridgewood Board of Education on Dec. 1 unanimously voted to rename the Ridgewood High School SAIL (Strategic Actions and Innovations for Learning) program to PREP (Practical, Real-Life Education and Preparation), to better describe what it does.
The program will also have a delayed start going forward, and students will not be moved into it until their sophomore year of high school.
Currently students are assigned to the program in eighth grade, but next year will be assigned at the end of ninth grade so they will have a year of classes in the high school’s resource room program before being designated as PREP students in their sophomore year.
The program, which readies students for vocational jobs, has allowed many special education students to stay in district, a benefit to both students and the district’s coffers.
High-performing N.J. school districts will no longer have intensive state monitoring
DECEMBER 3, 2014, 1:42 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2014, 9:04 PM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Print
TRENTON — High-performing school districts will no longer have to participate in an intensive state monitoring and evaluation system used to measure schools, education officials said Wednesday.
Districts can now request waivers from the commissioner of the state Department of Education if they meet certain benchmarks, Acting Education Commissioner David Hespe announced Wednesday. The move will allow schools to focus more time and resources on students and instruction and free up the department’s time and staff so they can work more closely with struggling schools, he said.
To get a waiver, schools must score 80 percent or higher in all areas of review under the system, known as the Quality Single Accountability Continuum. The areas are instruction and program, fiscal management, governance, operations and personnel.
The exempt districts will have to submit proof that they remain high-performing, in lieu of receiving a full review every three years.
Hespe said that about half of all districts could be exempt, but that it will remain a critical method to assess struggling districts.
The changes will help ease the burden on school districts, which have complained about the time and paperwork associated with the review. The typical performance review takes several months to complete and consumes large amounts of time for district and county staff to complete.
Richard Bozza, executive director of the New Jersey Association of School Board Administrators, welcomed the decision.
“This effort to streamline the process, increase efficiency, and provide flexibility for educators are educational reforms that the NJASA supports and changes that will benefit New Jersey’s students,” he said.
Reader says its time for Ridgewood to consider later start times for School
The science on kids and sleep is the driver. The studies point to the need for more sleep, the fact that teens can’t physically go to sleep before 11 and the positive impact on the brain to getting 8hrs sleep.
School asks kids to be at their most alert when they are not, why not maximize the learning opportunities to the brain. A better educational experience is the best preparation for the real world.
It is more the science of sleep and impact on learning than preparation for a post-college life so the science is there…the test case in nearby Wilton, CT is there…when will Ridgewood start considering this?
Guilford weighs later start times for high school students
By Kate Ramunni
Posted: 11/29/14, 4:19 PM EST |
GUILFORD >> An extra hour of sleep is considered a luxury to most, but many say it’s a necessity for high school students. And now several school districts are considering giving that extra hour to its older students, not because they’re feeling magnanimous, but for the safety, physical and academic benefits that extra hour of sleep brings.
The Guilford Board of Education is one district contemplating the change. As the board begins its 2015-16 budget process, its list of priorities includes the investigation of the benefits of later starting times for the older students.
“It’s been on the table for years,” said Board of Education Chairman William Bloss. “It’s really driven by medical science — it seems like every year or two there is a study that describes the advantages to later start times for teens and how medically and educationally it is in the students’ best interest.”
Parking kunundrum upcoming in Cottage Place lot November 6,2014 Boyd A. Loving 9:48 AM
Ridgewood NJ, Based on discussions held during 11/05’s Village Council Work Session, beginning in early 2015, the Cottage Place municipal parking lot may become an authorized destination for the following “all day” parkers (in addition to retaining its role as a lot open to all who want to “pay as you go” using coins):1) Vehicles displaying “unlimited parking – resident” hang tags – available for $750 per calendar year to Ridgewood residents (this hang tag will entitle Ridgewood residents to park all day in any municipal parking lot, including Cottage Place – additional sticker required for parking at train station lot, but the sticker is free).
2) Vehicles displaying “unlimited parking – non-resident” hang tags – available for $1500 per calendar year to non-Ridgewood residents (non-Ridgewood residents may park all day only in the Cottage Place lot).
3) Vehicles displaying “unlimited parking – employee” hang tags – available for $80 per month (non-resident employees of Ridgewood businesses may park all day only at the Cottage Place municipal lot, or at the Ken Smith Motors lot).
Coincident with the introduction of the new hang tag offerings, time limits will be reduced to three (3) hours on all parking lot meters and the hourly rate will be changed.
I am wrong to think that some, not all, of the those who should be paying $1500 per year to park in the Cottage Place lot will try to find someone who can get them either a $750 per year resident tag, or an $80 per month employee tag?
What technology, if any, will be used to ensure that the Resident and Employee hang tags are actually being displayed on vehicles being used by those who were entitled to purchase the tags?
Ridgewood High School Learning Commons , Whats in a Name?
October 24,2014
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, In September 2012 The Ridgewood High School (RHS) Home and School Association (HSA) launched an aggressive fall fundraising campaign to pay for the transformation of the RHS library into a space better suited for 21st century learners. At the time it was thought that the renovation would potentially cost $850,000.The new RHS Learning Commons was needed to replace a library that has not been renovated since it was originally designed in 1963. After a little debate the Village embraced the idea and the needed funds were raised .
The Learning Commons is an attempt to bring the modern world of technology in to the library for all students to enjoy and use . The idea was originally the brain child of former Ridgewood High School principle Principle John (Jack) Lorenz. Jack had a stormy tenure as principle often clashing with the BOE . A reader summed it up best by saying ,”Jack Lorenz is one of the most highly regarded persons in Ridgewood. The educats at Cottage Place and the BOE fear and are jealous the public’s regard for him.”
Sources have confirmed to this blog that the BOE had promised to name the Learning Commons after Jack but has since reneged on the idea . While recent years have witnessed a decisive turnaround at the BOE with the reintroduction of the idea of the pursuit of excellence ,some things sadly have not changed.
Reader asks have we received signed assurances that our children would not be tracked?
Why do we have an online system that is a hodgepodge? Multiple signons. Skyward, blackboard, Google groups and that awful system to pay fees.
Do we have any assurance from Google that they will not be tracking our children? Teachers use Google class management. Is Google tracking the student’s grades and progress in school?
In California parents pushed for and received signed assurances that their children would not be tracked. Do we have the same guarantees?
