Tag: NJEA

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Reader says , “Teachers and administrators should get over themselves “

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“the costs to bring our school buildings to an adequate level of safety for students and staff are astronomical.”

There’s no need to do any of that.

New Jersey’s top high school graduates, as a group, outstrip the academic achievements, performance, and potential of those of every other state. This is borne out by the fact that the cutoff for National Merit Semifinalist status, which in every state consists of the top half of the top one percent of PSAT test scores among Junior Year PSAT test takers in that particular state (the Junior year being the only year that counts for purposes if National Merit competition), is higher in New Jersey than it is for every other state, year in, year out. In fact, in recent years, the PSAT cutoff in New Jersey for achieving National Merit Semifinalist status has typically been only one point away from a perfect score. Mind you, every Junior in every U.S. state who elects to take the PSAT to get involved in the National Merit competition takes the exact same version of the PSAT test on the exact same day. So there is no funny business involved, and it becomes possible to do a perfect apples-to-apples comparison data between states to see which states are producing the greatest number of top-shelf college-ready students as a proportionate to the total number of high school graduates they certify in a given year.

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NJEA: “there is no way the state can push to re-open schools in a way that would account for the health, safety, and educational integrity of our schools and all that enter them”

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Steve Beatty Secretary-Treasurer of the NJEA  said in a Facebook post  ,”At our meeting with the acting commissioner of the Department of Education and his staff last week (and our on-going meetings), we engaged in a discussion, albeit mostly one-sided, on the issues and concerns surrounding the re-opening of schools in September.
Our clear message was that there is no way the state can push to re-open schools in a way that would account for the health, safety, and educational integrity of our schools and all that enter them.
We have been consistent in our guidance and growing insistence along with our education stakeholder partners and an ever growing chorus of our members.
Keep the pressure up. On the local level by joining and/or communicating with your re-opening committee. On the state level by calling and emailing your elected representatives and the governors office as well as the commissioner and state board. We know the power of sustained and organized collective action. Our voice is being heard and must be heeded! New Jersey Education Association New Jersey Department of Education Governor Phil Murphy”

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Ridgewood Board of Education Special Public Meeting July 23, 2020 5:00 p.m.

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood BOE member Mike Lembo said in a Facebook post  ,”The Ridgewood School Board has called for a Special Meeting this coming Thursday July 23rd at 5pm. The topic will be the school reopening plan for the district. We know that parents, teachers, and students have many concerns, questions, and comments on the issue. Please let your voice be heard, as we called this meeting for all of you.
The meeting is going to be held remotely, you can find the BOE Webcast link to the meeting on our website homepage. Members of the public can call in comments during the public comment period of the meeting or write-in comments online prior to, and during, the Board Meeting. These comments will be heard, but any offensive, lewd, or obscene language will not be tolerated. There will be two public comment portions, one at the beginning of the meeting and one at the end. Do not forget to mute your broadcast when speaking to minimize sound feedback and do not forget to identify yourself before speaking!This is a special meeting concerning the school reopening plan only, the regular Board of Education meeting will be held on Monday July 27th. Comments, questions, and concerns related to other issues besides the reopening will be more appropriate then.”

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School districts across the country are beginning to release their school reopening plans

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, School districts across the country are beginning to release their school reopening plans. Many plan to remain online throughout the fall. As the next several weeks unfold,  The Ridgewood School district and many of our neighboring  districts will start to roll out their plans.

Continue reading School districts across the country are beginning to release their school reopening plans

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Reader says NJEA Runs the Schools will effectively hold veto power on any and all changes that are proposed

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“Changes will ultimately be decided by the NJEA and dictated to state government and the various school districts. At the very least, the NJEA will effectively hold veto power on any and all changes that are proposed to life in our public schools in response to COVID-19. For their part, the powers that be know not to push too hard for changes of which the NJEA will not approve. The final plan will preserve all of the jobs, pay and benefits the teachers and administrators currently enjoy, and disadvantage students more or less exclusively. It will amount to a huge middle digit to parents of current students, and to sheep-like taxpayers who diligently fund this nonsense year-in and year-out.”

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Debate Heats up Over School Openings in the Fall

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the staff of the Ridgewod blog

Ridgewood NJ,Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield said Thursday that the health risks of keeping schools closed are greater than those of opening them, amid a push by President Trump to have students in classrooms this fall. “I’m of the point of view as a public health leader in this nation, that having the schools actually closed is a greater public health threat to the children than having the schools reopen,” Redfield told The Hill’s Steve Clemons.

At the Ridgewood Board of Education during the discussion of the Infant/Toddler Development Center , “Due to the pandemic, the district may have to pivot at any time; therefore, we cannot guarantee that schools will not be directed to close buildings and transition to remote learning.” The district is currently surveying parents and prepping for the opening  .

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Readers says RHS Alumni and Ridgewood Residents Behind Protests

“You you think that some of these poster would have figured that out.“Among the demands are four specific ones, related to education in Ridgewood. But let’s march everywhere but in front of the Board of Ed.

I hope your Ridgewood parents are proud . Go to the twitter feed post above and you will more of this . @RW4BL

Ridgewood for Black Liberation

We are a group of RHS alum and Ridgewood residents who are committed to anti-racist work and non-hierarchical organizing in Ridgewood, NJ. #BLM ”

 

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Reader says, “It is very possible that 99.9% of BLM protesters are being manipulated without their knowledge”

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photo courtesy of Boyd Loving

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, a reader made some interesting observations and adds some valuable advice :

“It is very possible that 99.9% of BLM protesters are being manipulated without their knowledge, so do not condemn these children, and the participants in this photo appear to be mostly children. How can they be held responsible for their actions? They are children because… Hey, Google, when does the human brain develop fully? ANSWER – it takes at least 20-30 years (you cold look it up).

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Did Protesters Drive Away Shoppers and Dinners and Will they Return to Ridgewood

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photos by Boyd Loving

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ,  a reader asked , “Do you think that the Village had intelligence that there would be a protest like this and that’s why they cancelled the CBD restaurant mall  ?” It does appear to be the case and the Village can be commended for taking action to ensure the safety of residents ,businesses and protesters ,but it does raise some issues as to why the Central Business District continues to get the shaft from the Village. Will Ridgewood CBD continue its comeback attempt to once again be a viable post pandemic downtown  or will shoppers and dinners flee and not return do to protests and unrest ?

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Ridgewood “Black Lives Matter” Protesters Demand a more “Woke” Classroom

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photo courtesy of Boyd Loving

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, the “Black Lives Matter” protesters  made the following demands to create a more “woke” classroom in Ridgewood . The demands clearly put ideology over learning and  attempt to drag Ridgewood’s $115 million dollar school budget into the “cultural revolution” ie even more Marxism.  We are left to wonder how long Ridgewood residents  will continue to pay exorbitant property taxes and what impact this will have on the quality of education.

“Among the demands are four specific ones, related to education in Ridgewood. One, that the village’s “Eurocentric” curriculum be dismantled. Two, that there be “mandatory anti-racist training’s for students and teachers.” Three, that there be “more Black teachers, staff and leadership.” And four, that there be a “Ridgewood Public Schools Resource office” to support students of color.

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New Teacher Healthcare Plans Claims to Save Teachers and Taxpayers Money

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Governor Phil Murphy today signed legislation providing substantial health care cost savings for New Jersey’s educators while reducing costs for taxpayers, removing longstanding and onerous provisions resulting from a 2011 law known as Chapter 78. 

The legislation (A20/S2273) is the result of collaborative negotiations between the Murphy Administration, legislative leadership, and the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA). 

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Political Correctness : Pascack Valley Regional High School Board Votes to Remove Mascots

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Montvale, NJ,  the Pascack Valley Regional High School District Board of Education meeting on June 22, the Board voted to remove the “Cowboy” and “Indian” as the Pascack Hills and Pascack Valley High Schools’ respective mascots.  This decision was in response to ongoing presentations and discussions with students, faculty, staff, and administration regarding how such mascots are not inline with the district goal of equity and inclusivity.

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Time for School Choice : New Jersey Is the 10th Worst State for Racial Equality in Education

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photo by ArtChick

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, In his State of the Union remarks, President Donald Trump expressed his desire to expand school choice options for all American children.”No parent should be forced to send their child to a failing government school,” he said.

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Feds to Investigate Safety of Crumb Rubber Turf Fields

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by Linda McNamara

The Ridgewood Board of Education is proposing more artificial turf for Stevens  Field,a district owned field,  despite mounting evidence that it  presents significant  health and safety concerns for those using the fields and to the environment. A recent article in the NJEA Review Magazine ,” Use it? Ban it? quotes  the following statements from Dr. Philip Landrigan, a  Public Health and Pediatrics Professor at Mount Sinai :“ The companies that are marketing the fields don’t talk about the heat hazards, they don’t talk about the chemical hazards,  they don’t talk about the costs that are going to be associated with dismantling the fields when they reach the end of their natural life span, when they must be treated as hazardous waste ….. a better solution is to build fields that are properly drained and are planted with tough species of grass that do not require pesticides.”

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Schools Out Forever : Pandemic Brings New Demands for Home Schooling and Home Schooling Technologies

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Until the coronavirus pandemic closed schools, only a minority of children were taught at home. In the United States, an estimated 1.7 million children were homeschooled out of a national school population of 56.6 million.

School closures due to the COVID-19 outbreak mean millions of parents and guardians who have grown accustomed to sending their children to traditional schools are now faced with the task of educating them at home.

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