The Christie administration submitted an application for up to $400 million in federal education funding that rejected key points the New Jersey Education Association and the governor’s own commissioner of education, Bret Schundler, hammered out last Thursday.
In discarding the compromise, Christie publicly scolded Schundler for agreeing to the deal without his approval.
At the same time, NJEA officials said they were stunned to learn the document submitted to the U.S. Department of Education did not contain the agreements on merit pay and tenure they had worked out with Schundler last week. Those same officials said there is now no chance the union will support the application — which could doom the submission.
The union’s president, Barbara Keshishian, accused Christie of “bait and switch.” She said “the governor has once again chosen the path of conflict.”
The union said it learned of the reversal when it called Schundler’s office Tuesday for an update.
Christie, who has engaged in a sustained attack on the NJEA since last year’s gubernatorial campaign, was unfazed by the union’s reaction. He minced no words in blaming Schundler either, stressing he will not budge from his core beliefs on how New Jersey’s schools can be improved.
“This is my administration, I’m responsible for it, and I make the decisions,” Christie told reporters during a news conference in West Trenton. “I’m sure we’ll have disagreements in the future. Hopefully, we’ll just handle them a little differently.”
>Seeking Residents to Volunteer to Serve on the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment
The Village Council is looking for residents who are interested in volunteering to serve on the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Adjustment.
The Planning Board reviews site plans and subdivision applications; prepares, adopts, and amends the Master Plan; makes recommendations to the Village Council regarding amendments to developmental regulations and the official map.
The Zoning Board of Adjustment hears variance applications and appeals from rulings and determinations arising from the enforcement of Village zoning ordinances.
All interested residents should fill out a Citizen Volunteer Leadership form (found on the Village website under “Forms”), and send it along with a cover letter indicating on which board(s) the resident wishes to serve, and a biography or resume to:
Heather Mailander Village Clerk Village of Ridgewood 131 North Maple Ave. Ridgewood, NJ 07451
David Archuleta Tuesday, June 1st @ 7:00pm American Idol star David Archuleta will sign his book: Chords of Strength Books available June 1st
Anthony Bourdain Wednesday, June 9th @ 7:00pm Host of The Travel Channel’s program Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Anthony Bourdain, will sign his new book: Medium Raw. Books available June 8th .
Bernadette Peters Saturday, June 12th @ 11:00am Famous Movie & Broadway Actress, Bernadette Peters, will sign her new book: Stella is a Star.
Pat Benatar Tuesday June 15th @ 7 :00pm Four-Time Grammy winner, Pat Benatar, will sign her new book: Between a Heart & A Rock Place. Books available June 14th .
Pat McEnroe Wednesday, June 16th @ 7:00pm Current United States Davis Cup Captain and ESPN Tennis Commentator, Patrick McEnroe, will sign his new book: Hardcourt Confidential. Books available June 8th .
Bookends 232 East Ridgewood Avenue Ridgewood, NJ 07450-3816 (201) 445-0726
Census supervisors encouraging enumerators to falsify information on their time sheets. Over the course of two days of training, I was paid for four hours of work I never did. I was told to take a 70 minute lunch break, was given an hour of travel time to drive 10 minutes, and was told to leave work at 3:30pm. I resigned prior to doing any data collection but confronted Census supervisors who assured me, “no one is going to be auditing that that level,” and “nobody is going to be questioning it except for you.” Another Census supervisor only said he’d adjust my pay after I gave him a letter recanting my hours.
RIDGEWOOD – A growing number of parents are opposed to The Valley Hospital’s plan to double in size, fearing years of construction will expose middle school students to health hazards and disruptions in learning.
Even though the issue has been debated for three years in the village, more parents are voicing concerns as the Planning Board is nearing a vote this month on proposed changes to the master plan that would allow the $750 million project.
E-mail chains are circulating urging the Board of Education to take a stand against the proposal. Residents who never thought the plan would get to a vote are distributing fliers and posting them on utility poles.
“There are quite a few people who are up in arms,” said resident Lorraine Reynolds. “A lot of people didn’t think it would get this far.”
“The Board of Education is here to protect our children and the only way they can do this is to take a stand against the proposed plan,” she said.
The Planning Board is scheduled to hold a meeting on the issue this evening at Village Hall, though opponents had hoped it would be moved because a major school event is also scheduled for tonight.
If approved by the Planning Board, the master plan changes would allow the hospital to double in size to 1.17 million square feet and permit a building that could reach 94 feet high within 40 feet of the property of Benjamin Franklin Middle School. A six-story parking garage, with four floors above ground, would also be permitted on the property.
A crucial concern for parents is the proposed construction of the North Building adjacent to the middle school, which could take nearly seven years to complete. Half of the public school students in Ridgewood attend this middle school at some point. Concern about the impact on students in this school has swept in parents from the all over the east side of the village.
Fliers are warning: “The impact lasts forever. Once the hospital doubles in size, our children will go to school next to a massive complex that will spew more exhaust, cause more traffic, more noise.” They warn that children with asthma and other respiratory issues will not be able to attend the middle school or a nearby elementary school.
Last year, Board of Education member Sheila Brogan testified at a Planning Board meeting that the board’s intention was “not to get intertwined in the debate.” Noting the “unprecedented size, scope and duration of the project,” however, Brogan said, the board wanted the hospital to pay for air and noise monitoring.
But Carrie Lewis thinks the board has a responsibility to get involved.
“The board and the superintendent ask us for support for their budget when it comes to saving jobs, but they aren’t standing up for us on an issue that will affect our children’s health while at school and their ability to learn in the midst of years of construction.
“I think the Planning Board and our school board has no understanding that this project will have a lasting impact on the students on this side of town. This is not just a neighborhood issue. I don’t live in that neighborhood, but my children will be affected because that is our middle school.”
Parents have been passing around literature about how children near high-traffic areas suffer higher rates of asthma and difficulties learning. A pink flier posted around the four schools on the east side warned that Valley’s assurances that it will mitigate noise and air issues didn’t work during previous hospital construction projects, when middle school students couldn’t hear their teachers and practices on the fields outside were held amid dust from construction.
Resident Lisa Baney said she questioned if Valley Hospital “will or actually can comply with the Board of Education’s requests for assurances of a healthy, safe, effective learning environment at Benjamin Franklin Middle School, Travell and the nearby community.”
“Saying assurances will be made to manage the issues of air quality, health, safety and an effective learning environment is like British Petroleum saying every state-of-the-art measure has been taken to stop the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico,” Baney said.
Baney also noted that health and environmental impact studies have not been completed, a concern shared by many other residents. The Planning Board has said those studies are not part of the master plan review process, but could be required during site plan review if the master plan changes are approved.
Neither Superintendent Daniel Fishbein nor Board of Education President Michele Lenhard could be reached for comment.
However some residents who have corresponded with trustees said the board would request specific safeguards for student health, safety and learning if the project gets to the point of site plan review.
The board is not expected to vote at tonight’s meeting. The board added June 7 because some parents will be attending a concert at Benjamin Franklin Middle School this evening. Meetings are also scheduled for June 14 and 15.
If the board approves master plan changes, the Village Council would also vote on new ordinances. If the council approves the changes, the hospital would then begin site review before the Planning Board.
Hospital spokeswoman Megan Fraser said Valley officials have met with members of the Federated Home and School Association on several occasions, as well as with parent groups to explain the many items that are monitored by the village through a developer’s agreement.
“As health care providers, the safety of our patients, staff, neighbors and the students is our greatest concern,” Fraser said.
“I think it is important to reinforce that Valley has done this before and, now as then, we look forward to working with the Board of Education and parents to resolve construction issues,” Fraser said.
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>Gas tax hike: Are there any reasonable alternatives?
The fiscal “fuel” gauge on the state Transportation Trust Fund, which pays for major road bridge and rail projects, is in the red zone and headed for “E.” By next year, all revenue from the state’s 14.5 cent-per-gallon gasoline tax will be used to pay off $11 billion in debt racked up over the years. That would leave no money to do road, bridge and transit projects, and would potentially jeopardize more than $1 billion in federal money the state needs to match. (Higgs, Gannett)
Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30. It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country.
The first large observance was held that year at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.
The ceremonies centered around the mourning-draped veranda of the Arlington mansion, once the home of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Various Washington officials, including Gen. and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, presided over the ceremonies. After speeches, children from the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphan Home and members of the GAR made their way through the cemetery, strewing flowers on both Union and Confederate graves, reciting prayers and singing hymns.
Local Observances Claim To Be First Local springtime tributes to the Civil War dead already had been held in various places. One of the first occurred in Columbus, Miss., April 25, 1866, when a group of women visited a cemetery to decorate the graves of Confederate soldiers who had fallen in battle at Shiloh. Nearby were the graves of Union soldiers, neglected because they were the enemy. Disturbed at the sight of the bare graves, the women placed some of their flowers on those graves, as well.
Today, cities in the North and the South claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day in 1866. Both Macon and Columbus, Ga., claim the title, as well as Richmond, Va. The village of Boalsburg, Pa., claims it began there two years earlier. A stone in a Carbondale, Ill., cemetery carries the statement that the first Decoration Day ceremony took place there on April 29, 1866. Carbondale was the wartime home of Gen. Logan. Approximately 25 places have been named in connection with the origin of Memorial Day, many of them in the South where most of the war dead were buried.
Official Birthplace Declared In 1966, Congress and President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, N.Y., the “birthplace” of Memorial Day. There, a ceremony on May 5, 1866, honored local veterans who had fought in the Civil War. Businesses closed and residents flew flags at half-staff. Supporters of Waterloo’s claim say earlier observances in other places were either informal, not community-wide or one-time events.
By the end of the 19th century, Memorial Day ceremonies were being held on May 30 throughout the nation. State legislatures passed proclamations designating the day, and the Army and Navy adopted regulations for proper observance at their facilities.
It was not until after World War I, however, that the day was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars. In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress, though it is still often called Decoration Day. It was then also placed on the last Monday in May, as were some other federal holidays.
Some States Have Confederate Observances Many Southern states also have their own days for honoring the Confederate dead. Mississippi celebrates Confederate Memorial Day on the last Monday of April, Alabama on the fourth Monday of April, and Georgia on April 26. North and South Carolina observe it on May 10, Louisiana on June 3 and Tennessee calls that date Confederate Decoration Day. Texas celebrates Confederate Heroes Day January 19 and Virginia calls the last Monday in May Confederate Memorial Day.
Gen. Logan’s order for his posts to decorate graves in 1868 “with the choicest flowers of springtime” urged: “We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. … Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.”
The crowd attending the first Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery was approximately the same size as those that attend today’s observance, about 5,000 people. Then, as now, small American flags were placed on each grave — a tradition followed at many national cemeteries today. In recent years, the custom has grown in many families to decorate the graves of all departed loved ones.
The origins of special services to honor those who die in war can be found in antiquity. The Athenian leader Pericles offered a tribute to the fallen heroes of the Peloponnesian War over 24 centuries ago that could be applied today to the 1.1 million Americans who have died in the nation’s wars: “Not only are they commemorated by columns and inscriptions, but there dwells also an unwritten memorial of them, graven not on stone but in the hearts of men.”
To ensure the sacrifices of America ’s fallen heroes are never forgotten, in December 2000, the U.S. Congress passed and the president signed into law “The National Moment of Remembrance Act,” P.L. 106-579, creating the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance. The commission’s charter is to “encourage the people of the United States to give something back to their country, which provides them so much freedom and opportunity” by encouraging and coordinating commemorations in the United States of Memorial Day and the National Moment of Remembrance.
The National Moment of Remembrance encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation. As Moment of Remembrance founder Carmella LaSpada states: “It’s a way we can all help put the memorial back in Memorial Day.”
This Memorial Day, nearly three-out-of-four Americans (74%) have a favorable opinion of the U.S. military, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Just 12% hold an unfavorable opinion, and 13% are not sure.
These figures have held steady for the past two years.
Thirty-five percent (35%) of Adults say they have a relative or close friend currently serving our country in Iraq or Afghanistan, down nine points from a year ago.
Forty percent (40%) also say they’ve lost a relative or close friend who gave their life while serving in the military. Fifty-two percent (52%) have not lost a relative or close friend in the line of duty, but eight percent (8%) more are not sure
>Patrick & Sons Super Cellars 32 South Broad St, Ridgewood 201.444.0012
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Corona Extra or Light Your choice 24-12oz bottles loose pk case
$22.99 Our local distributor offered us a one shot sale on this most popular of traditional summer brews and we’ve passed the savings on to you. We haven’t seen this price in several years. Let’s hope its de’ja vu all over again! While supplies last thru 6/30/10
Start the summer right……..on the hammock….…we sell limes!
>Towns Challenge New Jersey Voters’ Wishes By WINNIE HU Published: May 27, 2010
“To have the Village Council go through and save a dollar a month is a joke,” said Greg May, 39, a recording engineer who is among the 25,000 residents of Ridgewood. “It almost makes me feel like what good was my vote? I think that’s the general consensus.”
Ridgewood’s school budget was defeated, by a vote of 2,639 to 2,537, for the first time since 2003. Afterward, school officials identified $100,000 in lower-than-expected transportation costs, and the Council decided not to seek any further reductions. (The district had already planned to lay off 21 teachers and 33 classroom aides to offset an expected $3 million reduction in state aid.)
The result: the average tax bill will increase by $355 instead of $367.
James Foytlin, 48, who runs a popular Web site, The Ridgewood Blog, said there was now talk in town of recalling members of the Council. “It’s just ridiculous,” he said of the $100,000 cut. “I’m sure the school board spends more on paper clips.”
Even so, the $100,000 cut was still too much for one councilman, Paul S. Aronsohn, 43, a public relations consultant, who wanted to reduce the municipal budget rather than school spending to lower property taxes. “I felt like the budget was being balanced on the backs of students,” he said. “I completely understand the need for tax relief, but I don’t think we should take it all out of the schools.”
Patrick A. Mancuso, another member of the Council, acknowledged that the $100,000 cut would make little difference, but said it was a start. He has asked village and school officials to begin looking for ways to save money in the 2011-12 budget by sharing equipment and services like vehicle and property maintenance.
“People say, ‘Are you kidding?’ ” he said. “At least we’re trying to demonstrate that we hear you, we’re going to try harder, we’re going to start now, and that’s important.”
RIDGEWOOD – Village officials plan to lay off 27 staffers by early August, according to Village Manager Ken Gabbert.
The layoffs include 24 full-time employees, Gabbert said in a press release. There will be eight retirements this year. An additional three staffers are no longer employed by the village.
“The Village will offer retiring and laid off staff support services during this difficult time,” the release said. “Services will include Job Assistance Workshop, Department of Labor Information Session, Employee Assistance Program and Local employment resources. Services will be offered directly to any staff desiring the assistance.”
The New Jersey Civil Service Commission approved the reduction and elimination with the initial layoffs effective in mid-July.
Amendments to the 2010 Village budget will be introduced on June 2 and adopted on June 9. This year’s budget shows a 5.2% increase in municipal taxes, a total of $3,588 per average residence and $182 over last year. Expenditures in 2010 have been cut by $802,039, a 1.9% reduction from last year’s level, according to Gabbert.
