September 11, 2020
Dear Ridgewood School Community,
The past six months have tested all of us in extraordinary ways, and I am honored and proud to have been at the helm of this district as we navigated such a challenging time. I have had the pleasure of serving as the Superintendent of the Ridgewood Public Schools for twelve years, and throughout my tenure, my commitment to the children and families of Ridgewood has never wavered.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ,Big changes are coming to Cottage Place. Ridgewood Board of Education administrator Antoinette Kelly resigned more than a month ago with a long notice period effective December 1 st. Superintendent Dr. Fishbein sent an email to the community today informing his resignation will be effective December 10th.
…the rumors have been swirling all day ,the fly has heard unsubstantiated rumors the Dr. Fishbein told the BOE verbally that he was leaving because of the 2 new board members, nothing in writing yet ….
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Village of Ridgewood and Ridgewood Board of Education have dropped lawsuit regarding rejected ballots in May election.
“Is it true that Sheila Brogan is making phone calls to gather support for One Vote? Sheila received one six month extension to her term when elections were originally moved from April to Nov.
In her current term also, she received an extension. Her current term was supposed to expire in Nov 2020. When council moved election to April, the board used tax payer money to file a court case and extended Sheila’s term to April 2021. Now if the election moves back to November, her term will extend again to Nov 2021, giving her a third 6 month extension over the years and making her current term a 4 year term instead of a 3 year term.”
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.
Continue reading Data Says Opening Schools Poses Very low Risk to Students and Teachers
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
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!
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.
Continue reading Superintendent Plots Reopening of Ridgewood Schools
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.
Continue reading Time to Rethink “Crumb Rubber” Turf at Stevens Field
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.
Continue reading Ridgewood Superintendent Lays Out Stevens Field Synthetic Turf Replacement Proposal
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.
Continue reading May 12, 2020 Municipal and Board of Education Elections Ballot Rejections
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 .
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.
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.
