Tag: Ridgewood Real estate

>Bob Hutton addresses James Morgan’s letter to the editor

FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2012
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
To the editor:

I welcome Mr. Morgan as my opponent for the one-year unexpired seat on the Ridgewood Board of Education (BOE). I believe public dialogue about public education and its finances is a vital democratic exchange.

Given my time on the board, numerous quotes of mine are available from numerous sources. I will be the first to admit that I have said, “We know what the answer is” many times at the board table. In light of our preliminary budget discussion on Feb. 27, I did say that remark in light of the state-mandated 2 percent spending cap and the resulting $1.8 million maximum increase Ridgewood Public Schools could have in its 2012-2013 budget.

Mr. Morgan’s letter in this space last week (“Morgan running for BOE seat; March 2; The Ridgewood News; page A6) classified me as having a “we have it, let’s spend it” attitude. On this point, Mr. Morgan is completely off base and willfully misstating my actual comments. When addressing at the recent board meeting the increase proposed for the 2012-2013 budget, I stated the following facts that cannot be disputed. If one was to sum up the contracted and currently under discussion salary increases, the projected net increase in the district’s health benefit costs, and the cost to roll out the new science program, the district is already in excess of the state-mandated $1.8 million cap. That is not a “narrow view” as Mr. Morgan states. It is simply math.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/142021593_Letter__Hutton_addresses_claims_of_letter_writer.html

>
RHS Grad a Franklin Institute Presenter at 24th Annual Super Science Saturday March 10

Super Science Saturday, a celebration of science and technology in our daily lives, returns for its 24th year on Saturday, March 10, from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Ridgewood High School, 627 East Ridgewood Avenue. Admission is free.

The event features a science show from the well-known Franklin Institute of Philadelphia. One of the presenters will be Sarah Rowley, a 2005 graduate of Ridgewood High School. A magna cum laude graduate of Mount Holyoke College, with a master’s degree in Special Education, Ms. Rowley has enjoyed a lifelong interest in science. She volunteered at Liberty Science Center and was a
presenter at the Buehler Challenger & Science Center. At the end of the Franklin Institute Show, scheduled from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m., Ms. Rowley will create a rain cloud indoors.

Super Science Saturday, the greatest science extravaganza in Northern New Jersey, offers everyone with an interest in science a fun-filled day to explore hundreds of science experiments appropriate for all age groups. This year, visitors can enjoy interactive exhibits from dozens of professional and amateur scientists, including auto-guided, stealth aircraft; how to computer-model molecules; technology used by our police, fire and EMT professionals; plus the environment, medicine and much more.

The Hall of Science will feature science experiments from well over 200 students from elementary through high school level. The day also includes traditional favorites, such as “The Great Paper Airplane Contest,” finding out how things work at the “tinker table” and live model rocket launches on the high school football field at 1:20 p.m. Refreshments will be available in the Rainforest Café throughout the event.

Super Science Saturday Super Science Saturday is underwritten for the fourth-consecutive year by The Valley Hospital, provider of a wide range of state-of-the-art medical, emergency and preventive care in Northern New Jersey, and the Ridgewood Education Foundation, which supports innovative learning programs and enrichment activities for Ridgewood Public Schools.

To learn more about the event, visit: www.supersciencesaturday.org.

>My name is Jane Shinozuka and I am running for Village Council

My name is Jane Shinozuka and I am running for Village Council. Ridgewood has been my home for 17 years. My husband and I are raising our three children – each in different levels of our school system: RHS, BFMS and Hawes – in a community that enriches our family life. I currently sit as a member of the Ridgewood Planning Board, Officer of the BF HSA executive board as well as BF’s Liaison to the Federated HSA Safety Committee. I participate as a Group Leader for the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel CCD program and also serve on the Board of Governors for the Salem Ridge Association. My association with these and many other groups over the years have strengthened my aspiration to be elected to Village Council.

Ridgewood is undeniably a wonderful place to live and raise a family. It’s filled with intelligent and compassionate residents who consistently contribute time, effort and financial help to important causes. We respond to each other in times of need with genuine help and concern. It is our civic identity and the force that drives our instinct to protect what we have in this Village. Beyond the magnanimous nature of the community, we enjoy lovely surroundings, good schools, comprehensive municipal services and overall safety. But like so many towns in Bergen County, Ridgewood is clearly struggling to maintain the day to day that we’ve all come to expect.  As a Councilmember, I will endeavor to protect and strengthen those things which make Ridgewood special through realistic and prudent management.

To that end, it’s important to prioritize the careful examination of projects that most impact the Village and its residents. We need to focus on reliable emergency management procedures and flood mitigation solutions – determining what already works well and drafting strategies for improvement. Our DPW faced an unusually difficult year and the strain left some residents feeling underserved. The hurricane and the early snow storm heightened awareness of the need for emergency planning that can deliver more consistent service. Reinvigorating our CBD is also a priority and needs an interactive plan to improve efficiency in terms of permit and procedure for new businesses, pedestrian safety and parking issues for anyone visiting or doing business in the CBD.  

I look forward to sharing these and my other ideas with Ridgewood residents over the next two months. Thanks to everyone who signed my petitions and gave me the opportunity to be placed on the ballot. Speaking one on one with residents reinforced my belief that I can be an asset to the community.  I am a firm believer in non-partisan government and if elected I’ll be an ethical and impartial addition to the Village Council.

>

Co-op’s Open House March 22, 2012 

The Cooperative Nursery School of Ridgewood (the Co-op), a nonsectarian school, will hold an Open House for the 2012-2013 school year on Thursday, March 22nd from 9:30-11:30 and 12:30-2:30. The school is located at 100 Dayton Street in Ridgewood.

The Co-op offers classes for children from 1 ½ to 5 years old.  Classes range from Mommy and Me to four day per week classes for 4 year olds.  Kindergarten enrichment classes are also offered. The school has both morning and afternoon classes.  There are also a variety of different extended day options available to students, including Discovery Fridays, a program designed to supplement the class curriculum.

The school’s seasoned teaching staff guides students toward social, emotional and physical well-being.  Children learn and play in an environment ideally suited to their needs as developing individuals.  The program encourages independence, self-discipline and a love for school.

Setting the school apart from other nursery schools, The Co-op is organized and run by parents. This enables parents to actively participate in their child’s early learning experience.  Music, physical education, field trips, indoor and outdoor play time and an in-house library are just a few of the experiences to which the children are exposed as supplements to the daily education plans.

For more information or to set up a private tour, please call the school at (201) 447-6232 or email [email protected] .

>Academy of Lady Tuition Assistance Program

The Academy of Our Lady in Glen Rock is hosting its 10th Annual Ladies’ Night Out fundraiser on Friday, March 30th in Mount Carmel Parish Center, Ridgewood.  Ladies’ Night Out is the school’s only tricky tray gift basket fundraiser to raise money for the school’s scholarship program.

The Tuition Assistance Program(TAP) began ten years ago with an initial need of $8,000 dollars; this year it has increased to $40,000.  The scholarship program supports the education of children from local towns, including Glen Rock, Hawthorne, Paterson, North Haledon, Fair Lawn and Ridgewood.

The program was designed to assist parish families with the cost of Catholic education and is named in honor of a former pastor of St. Catharine Church who cared deeply for the children of the school.  Monsignor Holmes believed all parishioner children whose parents desired a Catholic education should be able to attend the Academy.

The majority of the funds for the TAP are raised though “Ladies’ Night Out”. In addition to those funds, many school families decline the parish subsidy that they would receive and request it be applied to Tuition Assistance Program for a needier family.

In order to qualify for the Tuition Assistance Program, families must be parishioners of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Ridgewood or St. Catharine’s Church in Glen Rock. They fill out an SSS application (School and Student Services sponsored by National Association of Independent Schools) by June 1 for the following school year. School and Student Services notifies the school of the applicant’s eligibility. The Academy uses an outside company to keep financial information confidential and objective.  The amount of financial awards given is determined by the amount of funds collected or donated via Ladies’ Night Out and other sources.  We cannot give more than we receive, that is why the success of Ladies’ Night Out ties directly with the success of the Tuition Assistance Program.

 Ladies’ Night Out is a favorite among school mothers, grandmothers, their neighbors and friends. Traditional donations have included gift certificates, merchandise, services and money.  Over 200 Bergen County ladies attend this event.

 If you would like to make a monetary contribution, you have the option to be an advertiser in our program.  Program advertisements are sold by full or half pages.  A full page ad is $250 and a half page ad is $125.

 Every sponsor is listed in our event program.  We create a gift bag for each attendee and are happy to include your samples, coupons or brochures.  (Please allow for 220 gift bags.)

 Your tax-deductible donation in support of this event goes to the Monsignor Holmes Tuition Assistance Program, which is a yearly commitment that the Academy makes to keep our school accessible, affordable and available to all families.

 If you are interested in donating to this event, please contact Vanessa Hamilton [email protected], or Joan OKeefe [email protected] .

>I would welcome the possibility of competing for great teachers

In order to get a mix of salaries you establish a mix of experience levels. It’s possible to have high performers across experience levels. It happens every day in all sorts of businesses.

I would welcome the possibility of competing for great teachers versus our system today where we are stuck with teachers that have no economic reason to improve or even stay current outside of the union pay scale for their degrees. Communities would get to choose what they paid for the level of teacher performance they wanted in their schools.

Sure there could be disagreements within communities but eventually that would be fixed, again by simple economics. That happens every time a family decides to move out of Ridgewood to a place with lower property taxes and another family chooses to move in for great education.

You’re trying to defend the economic benefit to the community of tenure but there is none to defend. The only beneficiary of tenure is the tenured.