the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, In case you missed it, the parent of a 9-year old addressed BOE members during the public comment portion of Monday evening’s meeting and revealed that her son and one of his classmates were, and still are, able to surf porn and other “age inappropriate” videos using their school issued Chrome Books, via the school’s WiFi network, and during school hours.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday, November 19th 7:30 to 10pm .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.
Budget Election Resolution : The resolution approved by the Board at their September 17, 2018 Regular Public Meeting regarding the school budget election.
Continue reading RIDGEWOOD SCHOOL BOARD MEETS ON MONDAY NOVEMBER 19th 7:30pm
by the staff of The Ridgewood Blog
Ridgewood NJ, Giving new meaning to the height of arrogance –
No mention of this November’s Board of Education election was ever noted on the Board’s official website. That’s right fellow taxpayers, the election was never referenced by the Board, at all.
No notice of election date was posted, no candidate bios were posted, no “please vote” message was posted, no election results were posted. NOTHING AT ALL.
What a bunch of arrogant morons the Board has become.
Our advice – VOTE THE BUMS OUT WHEN THE TIME COMES.
Kaufman is clearly normal, in that, he’s not interested in becoming enemies with anyone. But that doesn’t mean he will not start bumping into people in his new role as a member of the district’s board who already have ill will toward him because they are naked partisans or perceive him as a threat to their particular fiefdom. Just add water, and–Poof! Instant enemies.
To my fellow residents, No matter how you voted, we need to remember, we are one community and we all want what’s best for this community, even if our way of achieving that differs from one another. We, as a community, can have different opinions, philosophies or ideas, but that shouldn’t make us enemies. We need to set better examples for our children and our fellow residents. We must learn, or remember, to treat each other with kindness and respect. I tried to run this campaign with a positive message and showed nothing but respect for Mr. Loncto throughout. I may not agree with everything he’s done, but I wish him nothing but the best and appreciate his years of service. To those that did support me during this campaign, I can’t thank you enough. When you have the support system that I had, and the community behind you, you feel like you can do anything. We still have a lot of work to do, but it’s the beginning of change. We are all #RidgewoodStrong.
Cristopher Kaufman
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The BOE Negotiations Committee has issued the following statement:
The Ridgewood Board of Education (BOE) and the Ridgewood Education Association’s (REA) negotiating teams signed a Memorandum of Agreement on October 9, 2018. That agreement states that “Salary distribution and salary guide construction shall be mutually arrived at by the parties and are subject to Board approval.”
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Board of Education appears to have violated the Open Public Meetings Act. On Thursday, October 25, 2018 a special public meeting was called with NO notice appearing anywhere , not even a mass email was sent out to parents and guardians . The Agenda appeared on the board web site 48 hours in advance, yet the BOE appeared to discuss non related items that were not listed on the agenda.
Continue reading Ridgewood Board of Education Violated the Open Public Meetings Act ?
To my fellow residents,
I feel there is currently a disconnect between the board, teachers and residents and a lack of transparency from the board. The Board of Education budget is 65% of our property taxes and spending has increased by over 30 million dollars in the last ten years. It is critical to control spending by sharing services with the Village and working with the Village Council in an effort to stabilize or reduce spending. I want to make sure we are working as one community, the Board of Education and the Village Council should be working together and sharing purchasing opportunities, maintenance costs, security and any other costs that can be shared in an effort to reduce spending.
Continue reading Cristopher Kaufman Makes His Case for the Ridgewood Board of Education
The obvious answer to your questions is No and No. Town members care, but the people in charge act like we don’t exist –so nobody is there, and they all have soundproof earplugs–so nobody cares! They have set up an impenetrable wall between themselves and the voters. They only pretend to care when it is nearing the elections. They pretend to listen to villager complaints but continue on their merry way with excessive spending on ANY project that ANY ONE thinks they’d like to see in Ridgewood. We can’t just vote them all out because they take their turns at election time. Nobody who seems to have a brain in their heads and some financial awareness wants to run. Who wants to take on all the personal attacks they would be subjected to if they try to contradict any of the rotten ideas presented? I am afraid that no-one with a brain or financial ability will stay/or move to Ridgewood.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Board of Education once again appears to be pretending to be open to public input while their mind have already been made up on an issue . The Board for years has stonewalled residents and has demonstrated that they are far more interested in placating their NJEA masters. Lets face it a budget vote would remind residents every year that the school budget is 2/3 of their tax dollars and that at $110,000,000 it is an enormous . The Board appeared to be tone deaf and was also accused of violating the open public meeting act or at lest actively trying to circumvent it. .
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, according to Ridgewood resident Saurabh Dani , “The board members said today at the open public meeting, in their presentation, that next board election will be in April 2020, BY LAW. They did not quote which law when trying to extend their term by 6 months from Nov 19 to April 20.Well, here is the law (they are ignoring the induction schedule requirements):
If a district moves from a November election back to an April election, then pursuant to N.J.S.A. 19:60-1.1 (b)(2) the election of board members goes back to April, therefore the current school board members would have a shorter term in the year of change due to the induction schedule of the members elected at the April election.
Continue reading Ridgewood Board of Education Misquotes Law on Current Members Terms
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ,The Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday, October 8th , 2018. The Board meets at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, at 7:30 p.m. to 10pm .
The public is welcome to attend the meeting, or to watch from home on Fios channel 33 or Optimum channel 77. Meetings are also streamed via the “BOE Webcast” tab on the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us.
Don’t miss an opportunity to voice your opinion on “School Board Elections ” and the “School Budget Vote ” , the BOE often uses the excuse that there is limited public participation at School Board Meetings .
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Board of Education Public Meeting , October 8 2018 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM , at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place .
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood School Board Vice President Jim Morgan , tells the Ridgewood Blog in an email , “You might also find the language in the September 17 resolution of interest. Nowhere does it take a position on the date of the school election. It only seeks discussion. Here is the link to the District website that contains the approved resolution”
He also forwarded us an article from North Jersey media , “Ridgewood weighs moving school elections yet again” https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/ridgewood/2018/10/02/ridgewood-nj-could-move-school-elections-yet-again/1436010002/ Rather telling headline don’t you think?
Which all begs the question if you are not trying to take away residents vote on the Ridgewood School Budget ($110,000,000) why has the Board of Education invited the public and members of the Village Council to attend its Oct. 8 and Nov. 5 meetings for a discussion?
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the feud between the Village Council and the Ridgewood school board has spilled into school safety and the hiring the a School Resource Officer . The current clash is over who should pay for a new school resource officer.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Jim Morgan, Vice President of the Ridgewood Board of Education asks in what some are calling a feud with the Village Council , “What commemorative activity does the village municipal government plan to remember the many friends and relatives of Ridgewood residents that died in the attack? Glen Rock annually has a very moving gathering at their 9/11 Memorial. If Ridgewood has not scheduled anything, I would invite anyone that cares to participate in this civic ceremony. It is scheduled for 6:30 at Veterans Park on Main Street just off Rock Road.”
James,
Please be advised that my comments are personal and are made in my capacity as a Board of Education member. You will note that my posting made no mention of the BOE or my association with the school district. Thanks.
