Tag: Ridgewood Board of Education

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Data Says Opening Schools Poses Very low Risk to Students and Teachers

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the staff of the Ridgewood Blog

Ridgewood NJ, Dr. Scott Atlas, senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and former chief of neurology at Stanford University Medical Center appeared on Martha MacCallum’s FOX News show to discuss the “hysteria” of opening schools in the fall despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Dr. Scott Atlas told Martha MacCallum on Fox News , “there’s two points that I want to make. One is that teaching is a young profession. In the United States half the teachers are 40 or less and a quarter of them are under 30. Ninety percent are under 60 in public schools.

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The Ridgewood Board of Education Meets Today Friday, July 10, 2020 via videoconferencing 9:00 a.m.

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the staff of the Ridggewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Due to the Governor’s Executive Order 104 citing the CDC’s recommendation for cancellation or postponement of gatherings of fifty or more people, the Regular meeting will be held utilizing videoconferencing.

Public comments can be called in during the public comment period of the meeting by dialing:
Phone Number 646-558-8656
Meeting ID 839 6431 1444
Password: 856526

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Happy 4th of July from the Ridgewood blog

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On this day, 244 years ago, the Second Continental Congress voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence. Even though they had already declared independence two days earlier, the American people were so moved by the Declaration that thereafter July 4th became our birthday. Happy Birthday America!

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Superintendent Plots Reopening of Ridgewood Schools

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June 26, 2020

Dear Ridgewood School Community,

In a news conference this afternoon, Governor Murphy announced that the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) is releasing its guidance regarding the reopening of schools for the 2020-2021 school year. At this time, schools will be able to open in some capacity for in-person instruction; however, each district will develop plans to best meet its needs with the priority being the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff.

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Time to Rethink “Crumb Rubber” Turf at Stevens Field

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To the members of the Ridgewood Board of Education,

I am writing to implore you to change the decision you made last night, authorizing the installation of crumb rubber on Stevens Field.
I am completely supportive of the remediation of this heavily used field. I do not object to using artificial materials for this field (although in a perfect world I would prefer grass). But I am asking you to please use a product that is safer for the health of the children and the environment.

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Ridgewood Superintendent Lays Out Stevens Field Synthetic Turf Replacement Proposal

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Dr. Fishbein presented the Ridgewood High School Stevens Field Synthetic Turf Replacement Proposal. The field is used seven days a week, during the school day for physical education, as well as by RHS athletics, youth sports, and adult community programs. Dr. Fishbein provided background on the field, explaining that Stevens Field was first completed during the 2009 referendum.

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May 12, 2020 Municipal and Board of Education Elections Ballot Rejections

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Late last week, we were made aware that 710 ballots in the May 12, 2020 Municipal and Board of Education Elections were rejected and, therefore, not counted in the results. There is not a lot of exact information available at this time as to why so many ballots were rejected. I can tell you that the Village Council and the Ridgewood Board of Education are exploring our legal options to determine why such a large number of ballots were rejected and determine if there is a remedy. Currently, based on the defeated budget, the Village Council required and the RBOE accepted a $630,000 cut from the proposed 2020/2021 budget due to its defeat. Additionally, we have been informed that we will have at least a $440,000 reduction in state aid for the 2020/2021 school year. We will work to make all necessary cuts to have the least impact on the student experience as possible.

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Ridgewood Board of Education Member Saurabh Dani Announces that he will no longer be Group Administrator for Several Facebook Groups

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, newly elected Ridgewood Board of Education member Saurabh Dani has announced that he will no longer be group administrator for Ridgewood Moms and Dads With Free Speech and It Takes a Ridgewood Village. The announcement was made in both Facebook groups on Saturday June 6th .

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Over 700 Ballots Rejected in connection with the May 12, 2020 Board of Education, Board of Education Budget, and Village Council General Election

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by Boyd Loving

Ridgewood NJ, In response to an Open Public Records Act request I recently submitted to the Bergen County Clerk’s Office, I have just received a list containing the last name, first name, middle initial, and street address for every Ridgewood voter whose mail in ballot was REJECTED in connection with the May 12, 2020 Board of Education, Board of Education Budget, and Village Council General Election.

The list contains the names of 710 voters. That is, 710 of the ballots submitted for the aforementioned election were rejected/not counted. The reasons for rejection are not specified in the document I received. However, many appear to have been received after the specified cut off date of Thursday, May 14, 2020.If my calculations are correct, approximately 15% of the total ballots submitted were rejected/not counted. Wow! That’s alarming, to say the least. I do not know whether the County Clerk’s Office has a notification process in place for rejected ballots. Thus, some of these voters may not know that their ballot was rejected.

 

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Ridgewood Village Council agrees to cut $630,000 from the defeated Board of Education budget

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Village Council agrees to cut $630,000 from the defeated Ridgewood Board of Education budget .Councilwomen  Bernie Walsh  commented that the curriculum and programs would not be impacted or result in any layoffs .  She suggested the BOE put out a list of line items of what was actually cut . Deputy Mayor Knudsen stressed no impact on programs or quality of education and called it a win/win.

Mayor Ramon Hache said state school aid would be cut $447,000 ,and according to Deputy Mayor  Knudsen  was actually less than anticipated and factored in .

This means overall about $1.1M cut to the school budget. Murphy announced a cut of about $447,000 last week, in state aid. The Council resolution stated last night that as per school administration, this will not affect any programming.

The council approved the cut in a 4 to 1 with Councilmen Voigt as the lone dissenter.

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Ridgewood BOE meets tonight at 7:00 p.m.

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Due to the Governor’s Executive Order 104 citing the CDC’s recommendation for cancellation or postponement of gatherings of fifty or more people, the Regular meeting will be held utilizing videoconferencing.

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Ridgewood Board of Education Still Reviewing Options for Graduation

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The governor announced that in-person graduations can happen in July. Specific guidance regarding graduations has not yet been provided. Dr. Fishbein has a county roundtable meeting for superintendents, and graduation ceremonies are an agenda item to be discussed. With social distancing, we still face significant hurdles, having a graduating class of approximately 440 students. Managing crowds is also something that must be evaluated to determine the best way to hold graduation that is both special for the Class of 2020 and safe.  Another concern is in the area of liability, as pandemics are not covered by our insurance policy. All of these factors are being carefully considered.

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Ridgewood Board of Education Begins Facing a “New Normal” in State Aid

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, at the Ridgewood Board of Education meeting on Wednesday evening Ms. Brogan shared information on the financial outlook for the state, as outlined in a report by the state treasurer, which is available online. Additionally, Ms. Brogan and Dr. Fishbein attended a Garden State Coalition of Schools meeting earlier in the day, where they heard from some legislators. The state is struggling financially with their response to COVID-19, and there is a huge unknown for the financial outlook of the state and how schools will be impacted. The recommendations outlined in the report appeared to indicate that there will be a cut of new state aid for the district. The current recommendation is to flat fund the 2020-2021 school year at the amount of the 2019-2020 school year. This impacts the $654,000 of new state aid that we anticipated, and it is likely that there will be additional state aid cuts. On top of cuts, there will be a delay in state aid payments to the district from September to October, as well as a delay in extraordinary aid payments, which the district budgeted at $1.5 million. Extraordinary aid is reimbursement for high special education costs based on an application that the district completes in the spring. Typically, extraordinary aid is granted by the state in July, but this year, it is being postponed until September, which will be the next budget year. These are significant unknowns and concerns because we rely on our state aid.

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the Ridgewood Blog says a Big Thank You on this Memorial day

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On this Memorial Day weekend, we remember those who sacrificed their lives for “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who are grieving. May we, as Abraham Lincoln famously said, “highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain–that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom–and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

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Reader says Ridgewood BOE Trustees should pay this legal fees

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“Morgan and Brogan should pay this legal fee. They acted illegally. They were told to stop. They kept right on with their despicable behavior. They’ve been told to stop AGAIN. And now they are pouting and refusing to pay. What the fuck. Are we in grade school? Pay the damn fee you two. Do this one thing right, would you????”