RIDGEWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLS WILL HAVE A DELAYED OPENING FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14
DELAYED OPENING: Under the delayed opening plan, the school day will begin two hours later than usual. School bus schedules will operate two hours later. The morning kindergarten will be cancelled; the afternoon kindergarten will follow the regular hours. Children in grades 1-5 who have not ordered lunches must bring a bag lunch to school. There will not be sufficient time for children to go home for lunch when there is a delayed opening.
Ridgewood School district saves green on energy
Tuesday February 11, 2014, 10:00 AM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
The Ridgewood school district has already reaped at least $55,000 in energy savings for the 2013-14 school year, based on the calculations of an energy conservation company.
The savings are the result of the Board of Education’s (BOE) decision last year to hire a new energy specialist and contract with Cenergistic, an energy savings company. The total represents roughly 19.5 percent of what the district would have spent if it had not started the energy conservation program, said specialist Michael Parigi.
Parigi and two consultants from Cenergistic attended the Jan. 27 BOE meeting to explain the results of their work.
Reader Questions BOE judgement on delayed opening ,school closed flip
Why would the BOE call for a delayed opening when the Village OEM has made the following statement of the Village facebook page :
A Winter Storm Warning has been issued for our area from midnight tonight through 6 pm Wednesday.
We are expecting 4-8 inches of heavy, wet snow, and up to 1/3 inch of ice. Heavy snow and ice creates a significant risk of downed trees and power lines, and potential power outages. Prepare now for possible loss of power.
Due to a severe state-wide shortage of road salt, we cannot guarantee enough salt to treat secondary roads. Our priorities are the major arteries, and those roads leading to Valley Hospital. Therefore, we anticipate extremely hazardous driving conditions on most village streets.
The Office of Emergency Management urges all residents to stay off the roads tomorrow for your own safety. If possible, do not drive, stay indoors, and stay away from downed trees and power lines.
The Board will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday, January 27, 2014 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 for the January 27, 2014 Regular Public Meeting.
EMERGENCY MINIMUM DAY/EARLY DISMISSAL ON TUESDAY, JANUARY 21
1.20.14 at 11 p.m.:
Dear Parents/Guardians/Staff,
Tomorrow, Tuesday, January 21, weather conditions are expected to deteriorate after school begins. All students will be dismissed at the Emergency Minimum Day schedule as follows:
End to school lunch deliveries leaves bad taste in Ridgewood
THURSDAY JANUARY 16, 2014, 3:23 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
A non-compete clause in the Ridgewood school district’s contract with its food-service provider took the spotlight at Monday’s Board of Education (BOE) meeting, where several parents and business owners voiced disapproval with the superintendent’s recent decision to discontinue outside vendor lunch deliveries.
Superintendent Daniel Fishbein’s letter to parents about last week’s decision listed concerns about delivery people who are strangers, illegal parking and administrative time spent sorting out the lunches, but the non-compete clause was not mentioned in the letter. Several residents and local business owners brought up the non-compete clause on Monday.
Fishbein said after the meeting that though Pomptonian Food Services had not yet contacted him about the contractual issue, he was personally concerned about the breach of contract.
Experts tell Ridgewood parents: Math studies add up
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 15, 2014, 10:06 AM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The classic advice “the journey is more important than the destination” may conjure up images of laid-back surfers, backpackers and road-trippers. Mathematicians? Not as likely.
Yet this was one of several perspectives on math education that four professionals, each of whom regularly uses math in the workplace, had to offer Ridgewood school administrators.
The professionals, including two Ridgewood High School (RHS) graduates and a parent of former Ridgewood students, engaged in a panel discussion on mathematics in the professional world at a public event hosted by the district last month.
Math is not really about integrals or derivatives or being the first to calculate the answer; it’s about learning how to reason through a problem and think logically in all aspects of life, the speakers emphasized.
>Ridgewood school board interviews six candidates for open seat
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2011
BY JOSEPH CRAMER
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The Board of Education (BOE) interviewed six candidates this week for the seat left vacant by trustee Charles Reilly’s departure last month.
Six candidates applied and were each questioned by board members on Monday night regarding their professional backgrounds, reasons for applying for the position, and goals as a potential BOE trustee. The decision on Reilly’s replacement will be announced at a public meeting on Nov. 7.
Among the candidates – James Morgan, Gwen Sullivan, B. Vincent Loncto, Janice Willet, Rei Shinozuka and Eric Gross – several themes were consistent across the six interviews. All expressed a desire to contribute to the reputation of the Ridgewood school district, which was a primary reason behind moving to the village for many of the candidates.
Issues of communication, whether relating to complex technical matters such as yearly budgets or simple instances of parent feedback, were also paramount in candidates’ responses.
>Interviews will be held on Monday, October 24, 2011 for Vacant Board Seat
APPLICATIONS RECEIVED FOR VACANT BOARD MEMBER POSITION
As of Friday, October 21, 2011, 4:00 p.m., the district has received applications for the vacant Board Member position from the following people:
Eric Gross
B. Vincent Loncto
James Morgan
Rei Shinozuka
Gwen Sullivan
Janice Willett
Interviews will be held starting at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, October 24, 2011, at the Regular Public Meeting, in the Board Room on the third floor of the Education Center.
Ridgewood school board seeking input from ‘no’ voters
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
BY KELLY EBBELS
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Staff Writer
The Ridgewood Board of Education (BOE) Finance Committee is reaching out to residents to get a sense of why they cast their ballots in favor of or against the most recent school budget.
The committee will host two open meetings with residents about the budget ballot question; the first will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, May 16 at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place. A second meeting date will be determined at a later date, officials said.
Committee members said they would especially like to speak with those who voted against the $83 million budget for the 2011-2012 school year. The budget vote and election was held on April 27; 1,817 residents voted for the budget, with 1,448 voting against it.
>Are Ridgewood Schools a place where some of the kids in Ridgewood get the idea that they can freely criticize and bully others I can see where some of the kids in Ridgewood get the idea that they can freely criticize and bully others.
You should examine his/her own cruel attacks and why he/she feels comfortable making fun of a teen on this blog. We are talking about a child here – 16 years old. You should not post hurtful opinions about him to make your point. Get help before your kids adopt your insensitive mind. Really? You did not like his choice of Halloween Costume? Grow up.
Sadly this post reveals, once again, there are bullies, who call themselves teachers, right here in Ridgewood! I wish Matt would out the teacher(s) that participated in the taunts against him. Past posts on this blog have openly discussed the names of bullies who are being paid big dollars to teach our kids! How can anyone expect kids to reject bullying when over and over teachers lead the charge.
Out the teacher bullies and fire them. The same teachers are complained about every year for the bullying tactics they use against our kids! I hope Matt Zimmer reads this and I hope he names the teacher(s)!
RIDGEWOOD – A growing number of parents are opposed to The Valley Hospital’s plan to double in size, fearing years of construction will expose middle school students to health hazards and disruptions in learning.
Even though the issue has been debated for three years in the village, more parents are voicing concerns as the Planning Board is nearing a vote this month on proposed changes to the master plan that would allow the $750 million project.
E-mail chains are circulating urging the Board of Education to take a stand against the proposal. Residents who never thought the plan would get to a vote are distributing fliers and posting them on utility poles.
“There are quite a few people who are up in arms,” said resident Lorraine Reynolds. “A lot of people didn’t think it would get this far.”
“The Board of Education is here to protect our children and the only way they can do this is to take a stand against the proposed plan,” she said.
The Planning Board is scheduled to hold a meeting on the issue this evening at Village Hall, though opponents had hoped it would be moved because a major school event is also scheduled for tonight.
If approved by the Planning Board, the master plan changes would allow the hospital to double in size to 1.17 million square feet and permit a building that could reach 94 feet high within 40 feet of the property of Benjamin Franklin Middle School. A six-story parking garage, with four floors above ground, would also be permitted on the property.
A crucial concern for parents is the proposed construction of the North Building adjacent to the middle school, which could take nearly seven years to complete. Half of the public school students in Ridgewood attend this middle school at some point. Concern about the impact on students in this school has swept in parents from the all over the east side of the village.
Fliers are warning: “The impact lasts forever. Once the hospital doubles in size, our children will go to school next to a massive complex that will spew more exhaust, cause more traffic, more noise.” They warn that children with asthma and other respiratory issues will not be able to attend the middle school or a nearby elementary school.
Last year, Board of Education member Sheila Brogan testified at a Planning Board meeting that the board’s intention was “not to get intertwined in the debate.” Noting the “unprecedented size, scope and duration of the project,” however, Brogan said, the board wanted the hospital to pay for air and noise monitoring.
But Carrie Lewis thinks the board has a responsibility to get involved.
“The board and the superintendent ask us for support for their budget when it comes to saving jobs, but they aren’t standing up for us on an issue that will affect our children’s health while at school and their ability to learn in the midst of years of construction.
“I think the Planning Board and our school board has no understanding that this project will have a lasting impact on the students on this side of town. This is not just a neighborhood issue. I don’t live in that neighborhood, but my children will be affected because that is our middle school.”
Parents have been passing around literature about how children near high-traffic areas suffer higher rates of asthma and difficulties learning. A pink flier posted around the four schools on the east side warned that Valley’s assurances that it will mitigate noise and air issues didn’t work during previous hospital construction projects, when middle school students couldn’t hear their teachers and practices on the fields outside were held amid dust from construction.
Resident Lisa Baney said she questioned if Valley Hospital “will or actually can comply with the Board of Education’s requests for assurances of a healthy, safe, effective learning environment at Benjamin Franklin Middle School, Travell and the nearby community.”
“Saying assurances will be made to manage the issues of air quality, health, safety and an effective learning environment is like British Petroleum saying every state-of-the-art measure has been taken to stop the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico,” Baney said.
Baney also noted that health and environmental impact studies have not been completed, a concern shared by many other residents. The Planning Board has said those studies are not part of the master plan review process, but could be required during site plan review if the master plan changes are approved.
Neither Superintendent Daniel Fishbein nor Board of Education President Michele Lenhard could be reached for comment.
However some residents who have corresponded with trustees said the board would request specific safeguards for student health, safety and learning if the project gets to the point of site plan review.
The board is not expected to vote at tonight’s meeting. The board added June 7 because some parents will be attending a concert at Benjamin Franklin Middle School this evening. Meetings are also scheduled for June 14 and 15.
If the board approves master plan changes, the Village Council would also vote on new ordinances. If the council approves the changes, the hospital would then begin site review before the Planning Board.
Hospital spokeswoman Megan Fraser said Valley officials have met with members of the Federated Home and School Association on several occasions, as well as with parent groups to explain the many items that are monitored by the village through a developer’s agreement.
“As health care providers, the safety of our patients, staff, neighbors and the students is our greatest concern,” Fraser said.
“I think it is important to reinforce that Valley has done this before and, now as then, we look forward to working with the Board of Education and parents to resolve construction issues,” Fraser said.
>Charlie, you’re perspectives are reasonably well stated, but are unfortunately hopelessly outdated. I rarely derive much insight from your comments. Usually, you just come off sounding like a sycophant.
Years of stone-faced neglect and brainless posturing on the part of the Ridgewood district’s BOE have led us to the current curriculum crisis. In no small part, this is due to people, like yourself, who fail to take seriously the role a BOE trustee fills in seeing to it that the school district serves the interests of its residents and taxpayers, and those interests only.
The Ridgewood district does not exist to provide Assistant Superintendent Botsford with a big-budget playground to conduct her constructivist experiments, or to curry favor with Pearson Publishing, or to scoop up a fancy doctorate degree from Montclair State University, or to hold great sway when she jets down to the Big Easy to provide lectures to like-minded curriculum development administrators, as she plans to do next month.
There’s no question you have a right to speak your mind. And the fact that you tend to do so in complete sentences places you a cut above many who frequent this board. But for once, could you take a breather from your single minded support of the current BOE trustees? Even if they are comfortable having you as their sole defender in the Village of Ridgewood, which I tend to doubt, you should let them speak for themselves. In consideration of the upcoming election involving the seats currently held by Ms. Brogan and Mr. Bombace, I would much rather hear a straightforward defense/explanation of the BOE’s recent actions/inactions coming from the respective mouths of these two incumbents, or even from Ms. Brogan’s buddy Laurie Goodman, than to continue to be lectured by you.
>Regarding the Ridgewood News editorial on Fri. 11/30/07 describing as “shameful” the lack of public participation in the recent BOE meeting held to receive public comment relating to the ongoing search for a new super for the the school district:
It was not only the BOE critics that were absent from the recent meeting, but also BOE supporters. It was not only reform math opponents that were absent, but also its adherents. To whom, then, should this label “shameful” apply? One presumes that it must apply to each and every resident in Ridgewood, since everyone was equally absent.
How can a newspaper that is the namesake of a town justify indicting an entire town full of its own residents?
It is perhaps easier for the writer of such an editorial to lapse into that sort of lazy ‘badmouthing’ attitude if that same person does not live in Ridgewood. Otherwise, wouldn’t this be a self-indictment? No rational person would indict themselves without explaining the reason for such self-hatred (I couldn’t help myself), the motivation for such an epiphany (gee, upon further reflection, I really should have gone), or the particular reason why the indictment does not apply to them (my car broke down).
For what its worth, it’s also hard to see why an entire town full of residents should feel shame for failing to keep company with a Board of Education, the trustees of which are incapable of feeling any such emotion for the predictable results of their past actions/inactions/blatant negligence.
Sincerely:
An anonymous Ridgewood resident who blew off the BOE meeting for good reason–THEY COULDN’T CARE LESS WHAT I HAVE TO SAY, AND I WOULD PREFER TO AVOID THE INVIDIOUS RECRIMINATION THAT WOULD SURELY BE ADMINISTERED BY MY CHILD’S PRINCIPAL AS PUNISHMENT FOR MY FOOLISH DECISION TO PUBLICLY REBUKE THE TRUSTEES.
