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Ho-Ho-Kus Schools Could Face Staff Cuts Without $3.1M Referendum

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Ho-Ho-Kus Schools Could Face Staff Cuts Without $3.1M Referendum

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ho-Ho-Kus NJ, the future of education in Ho-Ho-Kus is currently on the ballot. This March, borough residents are being asked to decide on a $3.1 million bond proposal that the school system claims could mean the difference between maintaining current standards or facing a radical restructuring of the local school system.

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Mysterious Absence: Ramapo High School Principal Travis Smith Missing from Latest District Update

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Leadership Shakeup at Ramapo High School: Principal Travis Smith “Missing” from School Announcement

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

FRANKLIN LAKES, NJ — Parents and students at Ramapo High School (RHS) were left with more questions than answers this week following a cryptic message from the district office.

On Wednesday, January 14, 2026, a text notification informed the community that Assistant Principal Claudia Dargento is “presently in charge” of the high school. However, the message notably failed to mention the school’s long-standing leader, Principal Travis Smith, or explain his sudden absence.

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Hackensack Schools in Crisis: Students and Parents Rally as $15M Deficit Threatens Massive Staff Cuts

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Hackensack Faces Massive $15 Million School Budget Crisis

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

HACKENSACK, NJ — The halls of Hackensack High School were filled with more than just students on Tuesday night; they were filled with a community in mourning and a city demanding answers.

Hundreds of residents, educators, and alumni gathered for a sobering town hall to address a staggering $15+ million budget deficit that threatens to gut the district’s essential services.

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Montclair’s $20 Million Abyss: Taxpayer Fury Erupts as School Board Blamed for “Trust Deficit” and Massive Budget Hole

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Corruption in Education? Furious Montclair Parents Demand Audit as $20M Deficit and “Botched” Referendum Expose Massive School District Failures!

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Monclair NJ, Financial Disaster: The Mystery of Montclair’s $20 Million Hole . The Montclair Board of Education meeting on Wednesday night turned into a boiling cauldron of frustration, anger, and demands for accountability. The focus of the community’s fury? A mysterious, enormous $20 million financial deficit in the school district’s budget, which now threatens to decimate crucial educational programs.

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Passaic County Teacher Charged with Sexual Assault of 9-Year-Old Student

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Bergen County Man Identified and Facing Serious Felony Charges

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

LEONIA, NJ — Authorities have announced the arrest and charging of a Bergen County man who worked as a teacher in Passaic County, following allegations of sexual assault against a nine-year-old student.

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Montclair State University Dismantles Humanities College, Sparking Faculty Outrage

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Making  humanities “relevant for career growth”

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Montclair, NJ – Montclair State University (MSU) is undergoing a radical and controversial restructuring that will dismantle its entire College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS), eliminating 15 departments—including English, Psychology, and History—by the summer of 2026.

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Pompton Lakes Teacher Accused of Taping Student to Desk Surrenders Teaching License

Lenox Hill Elementary Teacher Todd Lewis Agrees to Permanently Relinquish Certificates Amid Investigation

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

POMPTON LAKES, NJ—A former elementary school teacher at Lenox Hill Elementary School in Pompton Lakes, who was accused of using masking tape to secure a student’s head to his desk, has permanently forfeited his right to teach in New Jersey.

Todd Lewis voluntarily agreed to relinquish both of his teaching certificates to the New Jersey State Board of Examiners in August 2025, effectively ending his career in the state’s public school system.

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Steep Health Care Premium Increases Loom for NJ Public Workers in 2026, Treasury Report Warns

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

TRENTON, NJ — Hundreds of thousands of New Jersey public employees, including teachers, police officers, and local government workers, could face major health care premium hikes in 2026, according to new recommendations presented by the state Treasury Department on July 9.

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NJEA Spends Over $500 Per Vote Backing Sean Spiller in NJ Governor Race — Finishes 5th

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

TRENTON, NJ – June 11, 2025 — The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) invested a staggering $45 million to help elect its president, Sean Spiller, in the 2025 Democratic gubernatorial primary. But despite the unprecedented support, Spiller finished fifth out of six candidates, capturing just 11% of the vote — a result that amounts to over $500 spent per vote.

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Former Lodi Teacher Has Teaching License Revoked After Child Endangerment Conviction

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Lodi NJ, a former Lodi public school teacher, Stephanie Carafa, officially had her teaching license revoked in April after pleading guilty in October 2024 to endangering the welfare of a child — a second-degree crime stemming from an inappropriate incident with a student in 2018.

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Glen Ridge School Officials Placed on Leave Amid Grooming Allegations at Ridgewood Avenue School

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Glen Ridge NJ, in a developing story that has sent shockwaves through the local community, Principal Michael Donovan and Vice Principal Jonathan Heitmann of Ridgewood Avenue School have been placed on indefinite administrative leave following disturbing allegations of a long-term grooming case involving a former teacher.

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Ridgewood Eyes Community School Model: A Political Shift in Public Education?

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, as New Jersey continues to reshape public education, Ridgewood Public Schools may soon become the first district in Bergen County to embrace the Community School model—a structure already implemented in Paterson and Newark as part of their agreement with Governor Phil Murphy to restore local control after decades of state oversight.

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The Trouble with New Jersey Public Schools is They are Always Trying to Teach the Wrong Lesson: Critical Race Theory’s Experiment with Public School Discipline Practices

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Page one of Critical Race Theory: An Introduction places the reader into an elementary school classroom where they are asked to observe the following scene: “A child raises her hand repeatedly in a fourth-grade class; the teacher either recognizes her or does not” (1). Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic, the authors, then ask the reader to imagine receiving messages from others as a white person: “are you annoyed? Do you, even for a moment, think that maybe you are receiving this treatment because of your race? Or might you think that all these people are merely having a bad day? The authors question the reader if a sense of anger or depression arises within if a person of color delivered that negative message. Delgado and Stefancic then ask the reader to imagine being a person of color: “do you immediately think you might be treated in these ways because you are not white?” (1)

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US Department of Education: Wasteful Federal Spending with no Measurable Improvement in Student Performance

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, in a bold move to reshape American education, President Donald Trump has declared that most of the programs within the Department of Education provide no value to students and will be eliminated, redirecting funds directly to the states.

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