Residents need to consider what they want village to be
MARCH 28, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2014, 12:32 AM
Residents need to consider what they want village ‘to be’
E. Martin Walker
To the editor:Kudos to Citizens for a Better Ridgewood (CBR) for challenging real estate planner’s preposterous projections of limited school impact. In our globalized economy characterized by free information flows, it’s unrealistic to assume families willing to live in one-bedroom apartments won’t move here simply for the schools. Projections based on “similar” communities are utterly meaningless for the simple reason that there aren’t any.We should be grateful that CBR responded to higher density proposals before the Planning Board. Its calling for “vision” around the “bricks and mortar” part of our future is a necessary, but insufficient condition for going forward. Can we now hear from a community planner? Without arriving at consensus about the kind of community we want, quibbling over building heights, number of units and traffic is like re-arranging chairs on the Titanic.
What do you want us to be? The OED defines “village” as a “collection of dwelling houses and other buildings, larger than a hamlet and smaller than a town…” Ridgewood began as a railroad town centered around shipping farm goods to NYC and the settlement of north Bergen by those seeking homes in the most desirable physical environment on earth (at least for nine months of the year) while making money in what was then one of the least desirable. Suburbanization changed the definition of “villages” and “towns” by creating communities no longer organized around trade, and Ridgewood is currently a perfect example of a community now fully organized around the economy of growing families. The surplus created by families is not money, but people, and nobody does it better!
Ridgewood News Editorial: Coin caper calls for change
MARCH 28, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2014, 12:32 AM
A former public works inspector’s admission to the brazen theft of approximately 1.8 million quarters is troubling on many fronts. As The Record detailed last week, the effort to make off with what amounted to more than $460,000 in coins is astounding.
Fishbein: It’s budget season
March 28, 2014 Last updated: Friday, March 28, 2014, 12:32 AM
By Daniel Fishbein
As is historically done at this time of year, last week the Ridgewood Board of Education (BOE) approved the district’s 2014-2015 preliminary proposed budget for submission to the executive county superintendent. The total budget for next year, which was developed with detailed input from administrators and principals in combination with figures from existing labor agreements, insurance estimates, General Fund revenues plus state aid and debt service, comes in at just under $100 million, at $99,405,376.
These dollars will provide an education for more than 5,800 Ridgewood Public Schools students, which constitute 25 percent of the village’s residents. This proposed budget, as always, is largely supported by the local tax levy, which I am happy to report is the lowest increase in a decade, 1.908 percent.
I use the term proposed budget because until the executive superintendent approves it and a public hearing is held at our regular public meeting on April 28, the budget cannot be formally adopted by the board. Please note that this year the BOE voted to move the annual school board elections from April to November, thereby eliminating the annual voter referendum on the proposed general tax levy that is at or below the statutory tax levy cap (currently 2 percent).
Each year it is an ongoing challenge to create a fiscally responsible budget while upholding the district’s mission of excellence. Excellence requires:
Proposed N.J. cap on college tuition faces stiff resistance
A bill to mandate a fixed-rate four-year tuition at the state’s colleges and universities would, if made into law, put New Jersey in the vanguard of states trying the tactic in an effort to hold down college costs.
But the measure — introduced as the “signature piece” of a 20-bill higher education reform package last week — is likely to face stiff opposition from the schools and critics who say there is no evidence that it will stem tuition in the long run.
“There’s reason to oppose any bill that caps tuition,” said Paul Shelly, spokesman for the New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities. “We’re already at 1990s levels of state funding and now you’re going to handicap the colleges from raising the money they need?”
There are different variations of fixed-rate tuition plans around the country. Rates can be locked in for four, five or even six years. Some colleges just fix tuition and not fees, while others include housing. Some schools charge more for the fixed-rate plan at the outset, with families hedging against future tuition increases.
The trend is still small, with less than 7 percent of the nation’s colleges and universities offering fixed-rate plans last year, according to the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. But the numbers are growing. The legislatures in Illinois and Texas have both approved bills requiring that public colleges offer a fixed-rate plan. (Alex/The Record)
Column: How Democratic donors benefit financially from climate policy
BY: Matthew Continetti
March 21, 2014 5:00 am
Some lies just won’t go away. In February the Washington Post published an article with the following headline: “Why There’s No Democratic Version of the Koch Brothers’ Organization.” It was the umpteenth attempt to explain, in a particularly simplistic manner, how the millionaires and billionaires who donate money to the Democratic Party are nothing, absolutely nothing, like those meanie cancer research philanthropists Charles and David Koch.
The author, Reid Wilson, interviewed “Democratic strategists who deal frequently with high-dollar donors,” and these Democratic strategists told him, strategically, that their high-dollar donors are better than Republican ones. “For the Koch brothers, electing the right candidate can mean a financial windfall,” Wilson wrote. “Democratic donors revolve more around social issues.” On the one hand you have petty, greedy rich men, and on the other you have committed liberals willing to sacrifice for causes they believe in. The morality play writes itself.
Now, these liberals are not totally selfless, Wilson cautions. They are human beings; they have egos; they seek affirmation. “Donors like being recognized for their philanthropic gestures.” Hedge-fund billionaire and radical environmentalist Tom Steyer, for example, “cooperated with the New Yorker when it wrote a profile of him last year.” Charles and David Koch, though, “didn’t cooperate when the magazine took a look at their political activities,” presumably because “no one needs to send the message that the better-known Koch brothers are there for Republican candidates.” So that’s why the Kochs didn’t talk to Jane Mayer.
Does Reid Wilson believe in Santa Claus? His willingness to suspend disbelief when confronted with the image of a mythic creature—the un-self-interested liberal—suggests as much. The words “labor” and “union” appear nowhere in his article, despite the fact that unions are 6 of the 10 top all-time donors recently compiled by OpenSecrets.org, despite the fact that unions spent some $4.4 billion on politics between 2005 and 2011. (Incidentally, every member of the OpenSecrets.org top ten either leaned Democratic or split money evenly between the two parties. The Democrats are not hurting for money.)
Unions, their leadership, and their staff see political giving as “an investment,” any non-cross-eyed observer of the political scene would agree, with donations laundered back to the SEIU, AFSCME, NEA, UAW, and others in the form of generous and unsustainable pensions, wage laws benefiting closed shops over free labor, government-mandated dues and contracts, and job protections that make it difficult even for child predators to be fired from schools. That’s an ROI the hosts of the Shark Tank would envy.
NJ lawmakers introduce sweeping education reforms aimed at lowering college costs
MARCH 20, 2014, 11:28 AM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 2014, 11:53 PM
BY PATRICIA ALEX
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
A package of bills that would dramatically change everything from how college students pay for their meals and textbooks to how quickly tuition could rise was introduced Thursday by Democratic lawmakers who want to force the state’s colleges to graduate more students and keep costs in check.
But the 20-bill initiative faces several political and practical hurdles in a state that is home to the most expensive higher education in the nation.
The New Jersey Statehouse.
The proposals include a four-year tuition freeze, a tax-credit for student loans and provisions to shut down schools with low-graduation rates. The concepts behind the bills — introduced in the Assembly on Thursday — have appeared elsewhere as states try to grapple with the national problem of escalating college costs, but the sweeping scope of the New Jersey package appears unique.
PARCC Field Test Goes Online as Exam Moves Closer to Full Development
Kudos and controversies aside, New Jersey is about to undergo a sea change in the way it evaluates students, schools, and teachers.
PARCC is finally here — or at least pretty close.
Starting on Monday, more than 1,200 schools across New Jersey will start field-testing the new online state exams that are part of the 17-state Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC).
The testing is a change in the way New Jersey assesses how its public schools are performing and students are learning, fully aligned with the national Common Core State Standard.
For the first time, the tests will be administered entirely online. (Mooney/NJSpotlight)
Readers says Ridgewood Planning Board Backs off Gail Prices all or Nothing Comments
The PB meeting was interesting last night. The meeting started with a discussion about the downtown assisted living/garage proposal. I think Blaise said that the project is only financially viable if they can build 60 fee high with no compromise on the number of spaces. This PB agreed with the Mayor and sent the project to council who will vote on an ordinance and then the whole thing goes back to the PB. Based upon statements made by PB members, there seems to be strong PB support for this project.
The PB then began the H-zone discussion by stating the The Record, CRR and the residents who attended the meeting misunderstood statements made at the last meeting and changes can be made to Valley’s proposal if it is consistent with the findings of experts. After that heated discussion came to a close, the PB hospital expert testified that Valley had submitted a good plan which for all intents and purposes means that the Valley proposal cannot be altered , correct?? Anyway, you can’t make this stuff up.
JUST SOLD! 320 Meadowbrook Ave, Ridgewood NJ
Michael Fidanza
March 19.2014
9:11 AM
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I love to help anyone with their Real Estate needs. Always feel free to contact me if you have a question and I’m happy to answer. When it comes to something as important as your home, it pays to have the right team on your side.
Common Core money man Bill Gates defends K-12 experiment in ABC News interview
March 17, 2014
Ben Velderman
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Microsoft founder Bill Gates appeared on a Sunday talk show to respond to criticism of Common Core, the one-size-fits-all math and English learning standards that are being used in schools in 45 states.
In a softball interview with ABC “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos, Gates addressed concerns that Common Core will undermine local and state control over public education.
“The Common Core is not a curriculum. It doesn’t tell you how to teach. It’s not a federal takeover. Nobody’s pushing for that,” Gates said.
Gates – whose personal foundation has reportedly spent nearly $200 million to get the Common Core experiment off the ground – said the nationalized learning standards are better than states’ previous learning expectations because they emphasize genuine understanding of the material, instead of rote memorization.
“I believe 10 years from now, kids’ competence in math, kids’ scores in math, can be improved a lot,” Gates predicted.
“I think this is going to be a big win for education.”
There are a couple of major problems with Gates’ answers. We’ll start with his predictions that Common Core will help America compete in the global marketplace.
The Common Core standards were not piloted on actual students before they were adopted and implemented back in 2010 and 2011. The fact is no one can say with certainty if Common Core’s approach to math – which emphasizes “critical thinking” over memorizing basic information – is going to produce a generation of more and better mathematicians.
In fact, there are a number of thoughtful scholars who expect Common Core will have a disastrous effect on the national goal of preparing students for a career in a STEM field (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
That same uncertainty applies to Common Core’s English standards which focus on non-fiction, “informational texts” at the expense of classic literature.
Gates and company believe more practical reading assignments will better prepare students for the ever-changing economy. Critics say the standards will produce an ignorant citizenry that won’t be prepared to think seriously about history, culture and politics.
This means Gates’ prediction that the “higher standards” will yield great academic fruit is just a wild guess. The opposite could just as easily turn out to be true.
But Gates’’ biggest misstatement was his assertion that Common Core doesn’t represent a “federal takeover” of America’s public education system.
While we agree that Common Core isn’t an outright takeover of the nation’s public schools, we believe it does give D.C. bureaucrats backdoor access to the nation’s classrooms.
Reader says We do not need pitchforks to say NO to over development
Much like the valley hospital situation, these people need an exception to the master plan. We do not need pitchforks to say NO. We do not even need a middle ground. These entities are all looking to build/expand so that they can make more money. Nothing personal, it’s just business.
What is in it for the town? More traffic, more kids in the schools and even less parking?
Siobhan Winograd charged the unnamed busybody “Ridgewood Soccer Mom” with “tarnishing” her picture-perfect family’s reputation.Photo: Facebook
Ex-exec sues “Ridgewood Soccer Mom” for ‘tarnishing family reputation’
By Julia Marsh and Josh Saul
March 14, 2014 | 5:19pm
A New Jersey soccer mom is defending her husband’s honor by filing a lawsuit against an unknown woman who badmouthed her youth-coach hubby for “fixing tryouts” and “engaging in misconduct relating to sportsmanship during the season,” a new lawsuit says.
Former Tiffany’s Co. executive-turned-stay-at-home mom Siobhan Winograd charged the unnamed busybody – named in the suit only as “Ridgewood Soccer Mom” – with “tarnishing” her picture-perfect family’s reputation “within their small community” and stirring “up public contempt for [her] and her family.”
Attorney Michael Winograd and his wife started volunteering for their 10-year-old son’s traveling soccer team in 2011 and have been subject to a pattern of anonymous harassment ever since, the Manhattan Supreme Court suit says.
“Defendants filed anonymous written complaints with the village travel soccer organization claiming that [Winograd’s] husband had fixed the tryouts for the team,” the suit states.
The next Regular Public Meeting of the Ridgewood Board of Education will be held on Monday, March 17, 2014 at 7:30 p.m.
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 atwww.ridgewood.k12.nj.us using the “Link in Live” tab.
Click here to view the agenda for the March 3, 2014 Regular Public Meeting.
Click here to view the webcast of the March 3, 2014 Regular Public Meeting.
2014-2015 Budget Information
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Daniel Fishbein has announced three public presentations on the 2014-2015 school budget. The presentations will offer residents the opportunity to hear the budget details and ask questions of the superintendent, business administrator and Board of Education members.
The 2014-2015 school budget presentations will be offered as follows: Thursday, April 10 at 1 p.m. at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3; Thursday, April 10 at 7 p.m. at Benjamin Franklin Middle School Auditorium, 335 North Van Dien Avenue; and Wednesday, April 23 at 7 p.m. at George Washington Middle School Auditorium, 155 Washington Place.
Taking effect this year, the Ridgewood Board of Education has opted to move the annual school board elections from April to November, thereby eliminating the public vote on the proposed general tax levy if it is at or below the statutory tax levy cap. Since next year’s proposed budget falls within the mandated cap, it will not be put to public vote.
The Board will continue to discuss the proposed budget at upcoming regular public meetings on March 17, April 7 and April 28. Residents are welcome to attend these meetings and speak at the public comment portion of the agenda. The Board is expected to approve the final budget at its Regular Public Meeting on Monday, April 28.
Click here to view the Preliminary 2014-2015 Budget Presentation presented at the March 3, 2014 Regular Public Meeting.
MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2014 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY MARCH 10, 2014, 12:22 PM
By ALFRED P. DOBLIN
RECORD EDITORIAL COLUMNIST
JEFF SPICOLI would have been right at home in Ridgewood. The fictional Spicoli went to high school in Southern California in the early 1980s. In “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” Spicoli was a stoned teen played by Sean Penn with a serious case of the munchies.
When I lived in Ridgewood, I often proposed solutions to Ridgewood’s many problems.
They were all good ideas. They were mostly ignored.
After 40 years, I had to move because of the village’s high taxes, but I still follow news about Ridgewood and now there is an issue I really can solve.
Some 400-plus kids in the village can’t cope with lunch that is provided by the schools or in a home-fixed brown bag.
Maybe their parents don’t like bags or don’t want to be bothered. So these kids need personal lunches.
Understandably, school staffers don’t want their days disrupted delivering personalized lunches and worrying about an extra threat to school security. Not so understandably, some parents who want personalized lunches for their kids – and some delis – are suing the school system.
There is a solution so simple no one can oppose it: Let the delis deliver a lunch to each child at home, just before he or she leaves for school.
