Tag: Ridgewood schools

Posted on by — 1 Comment

As students opt out of state tests, authorities threaten to withhold funds

standardized-testing

DECEMBER 24, 2015    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

The U.S. Department of Education, which has warned that it could cut, withhold or redirect federal funds where large numbers of students refuse to take standardized tests, has outlined steps to do just that in a letter sent to states this week.

Under federal law, states are required to test at least 95 percent of students, yet thousands of families refused to let their children participate in testing last spring in multiple states, including New Jersey, amid complaints that the tests were confusing, difficult and a drain on time and resources.

States that didn’t meet the mark both last year and this year could face one or more of three possible sanctions, according to the letter from Ann Whalen, acting assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education.

The federal government could withhold administrative funds for a Title I program, used mainly to help low-income schools; could put a specific Title I grant on “high-risk status”; or could withhold or redirect funds from the testing portion of a program called Title VI.

In New Jersey, education officials have long warned about potential federal cuts if too many students refuse to take state tests. David Saenz, a spokesman for the state Department of Education, said the most recent federal communication about testing did not state anything new.

“This letter further reiterates what they have said all along and now that they have data, there are actions they plan on taking,” he said.

Some educators and test opponents, however, have dismissed the warnings as empty threats.

The letter “is intended to coerce states into bullying parents and students into compliance,” said Julia Sass Rubin, a volunteer with Save Our Schools NJ.

The education department, she noted, did not take action when New York had opt-out rates of up to 20 percent last spring. She also said that the administrative funds are a “tiny percentage” of total federal funds.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/feds-detail-penalties-for-test-refusals-1.1479704

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Village of Ridgewood DECEMBER SCHOOL RECESS -Recreation Activities

MAGIC SHOW FEATURING JOE FISCHER

DECEMBER SCHOOL RECESS -Recreation Activities

December School Recess

Special Events with Ridgewood Recreation

MAGIC SHOW FEATURING JOE FISCHER – Monday, December 28th, 11:30 am at the Anne Zusy Youth Center, Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood. Tickets are $5 for all attending (under 2 free).

A show that is sure to amaze.

Be sure to watch for “Secrets of Magic” during our winter session – a 6 week class of behind the scene magic with Joe Fischer, with take home tricks each week.

ARCTIC ANIMALS ART CAMP WITH ABRAKADOODLE – Monday and Tuesday, December 28 and 29, 10 am to 12 noon each day, at the Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood. Grades K-3. $90, all materials provided ($100 non-residents).

Calling all animal lovers! Students will use clay and paint in this camp while learning about some snowy friends! From igloos and polar bears to chilly moose, a fun time will be had by all!

CHILDREN’S CRAFT WORKSHOP WITH MRS. C. – Monday, December 28th, 1 to 3 pm, at the Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood. Grades 2-6. $30, all materials provided ($40 non-residents).

Use your creativity and imagination while learning simple techniques required to draw, paint, and finish a project of your choice. All materials included. Bottle dolls, wood painting, basket weaving, tile painting, beads, jewelry, and a lot more!

MYTHBUSTERS WITH EDUCATION EXPLORERS – Tuesday, December 29th, 1 to 3 pm, at The Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood. Grades 1-5. $45, all materials included ($55 non-residents).

Explore science the Busters Way! Children will participate in a variety of hands-on experiments that put common “myths” to the test. Using scientific method and children’s innate curiosity, they will have fun exploring many STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) principles.

Purchase of tickets for the shows or registration for the program offerings may be made either online at Community Pass, www.ridgewoodnj.net/communitypass or in person at The Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

For additional information, or if special accommodations are needed, kindly contact the Recreation office at 201-670-5560.

Posted on by — 2 Comments

Ridgewood student plans cheer clinic for special-needs children

Sarah Bradley
photo courtesy of Facebook
DECEMBER 19, 2015    LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY KIMBERLY REDMOND
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORDAfter nearly a year’s worth of planning, Sarah Bradley, a Ridgewood High School student and competitive dancer and cheerleader, is set to host a cheer clinic for special-needs children, a program she believes will help boost confidence in kids who may not always have the best self-esteem.

“I’m hoping it will become a fun place for them to be themselves,” said Bradley, 16, who is a cheerleader with a private club, not the high school squad. “I’m also hoping it will teach them to hold their heads high and believe in themselves, no matter what they do or where they go.”

The clinic, scheduled for four Wednesdays in January at Ridgewood High School, is part of Bradley’s efforts to achieve her Girl Scout Gold Award. To earn the award, Girl Scouts must develop and carry out an 80-hour community service project.

When it came time to think about her Gold Award, the high school junior said she wanted to merge her love of performance with helping Sharing the Arts, a non-profit organization where she taught dance as a volunteer several years ago.

The Ridgewood-based group uses performing arts programs as a way to enrich the lives of children with mild to moderate developmental delays, such as Asperger’s syndrome and genetic anomalies. It was founded in 2005 by local mothers, Karen Sheehy and Liz Grossman.

“We both have daughters with chromosome abnormalities and both girls wanted to learn ballet, but we couldn’t find an appropriate program for them so we started one,” Sheehy said.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/dance-steps-for-self-esteem-1.1476789 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

The Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday Night

BOE_theridgewoodblog

BOE Meets on December 21 at 7:30 p.m.
The Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday, December 21, 2015, at 7:30 p.m.

 The public is invited to attend the meeting at the Ed Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3. The meeting may also be viewed on FiOS channel 33, Optimum channel 77 or from computers via the “Live BOE Meeting” tab on the district website.

Click here to view the agenda for the December 21, 2015 Regular Public Meeting.

11.23.15: Board of Education Writes Letter to the Editor
Click here to read a Letter to the Editor of the Ridgewood News, which was published on November 20, 2015.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Ridgewood to conduct studies on housing plans

clock ridgewood NJ

DECEMBER 18, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

The Village Council agreed last week to conduct four impact studies related to proposed multifamily housing projects in Ridgewood.

“It is our intention, per previous conversations, to go forward with four impact studies to look at issues like financial impact, school impact, (municipal) infrastructure as well as traffic,” Mayor Paul Aronsohn said.

These studies, which many residents have been calling for, will be performed by various consultants, according to Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld.

“We’re looking at those four things,” she said, “and we’re telling the consultants that it’s based upon realistic build-out analysis for the four sites under current vs. proposed zoning.”

“We developed some of our own input and we went out to eight potential providers of this kind of information,” Sonenfeld said.

“The current status is that we have one provider who’s provided a very preliminary proposal that includes all four areas and includes some reliance on previously obtained data, and that’s BFJ/Urbanomics,” she said.

Sonenfeld said that other companies submitted proposals for separate areas of study.

“We reached out to Ross Haber in education; we reached out to Heyer Gruel Associates for fiscal impact and education; we reached out to Maser Consulting for traffic and we are in the process of reaching out to the RBA Group for traffic as well,” she said.

She explained that if all goes according to plan, the consultants will come before the council during a special public work session and make presentations before the next council meeting on Jan. 6th.

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/town-government/council-votes-to-conduct-four-impact-studies-1.1475968

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Secret hashtags help teens share dangerous habits

millennials

By Lisa Rapaport

(Reuters Health) – Rule-breaking may be just as irresistible to teenagers today as it was in their parents’ day, but a new study of secret social media hashtags like #selfharmmm suggests that new technology is helping kids share dangerous behaviors more easily than ever before.

When it comes to what’s known as non-suicidal self-injury – cutting, burning and scratching done with damage rather than death in mind – teens can be quite crafty at deploying hashtags that mask their activities, evade content safeguards and advisory warnings, and make it much harder for parents to monitor their virtual lives.

“The online communities that develop around these hashtags can draw in adolescents and provide them a strong sense of belonging and support that is centered on these unhealthy behaviors,” said lead study author Dr. Megan Moreno, a specialist in adolescent medicine at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Research Institute.

“This can make recovery from these behaviors more challenging,” Moreno added by email.

Moreno and colleagues used the search term #selfharmmm to identify public posts on the social media platform Instagram, a photo-sharing service popular with teens, that related to destructive habits like cutting and burning.

Then, they used the search results to identify a list of ambiguous hashtags such as #blithe, #MySecretFamily and #SecretSociety123 that were tied to the same dangerous behaviors.

Other hashtags related to mental health conditions through use of common names, such as #Deb for depression, #Annie for anxiety, and #Olive for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The number of search results for self-harm hashtags was high and grew over time.

The broad term #cat, which refers to cutting, had more than 44 million search results in 2014 and more than 56 million in 2015, the study team reports in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Over that same period, use of #selfharmmm also grew, generating 1.7 million search results in 2014 and more than 2.4 million in 2015. In its various permutations, #SecretSociety123 grew by approximately 500,000 search results.

 

https://news.yahoo.com/secret-hashtags-help-teens-share-dangerous-habits-172457957.html;_ylt=AwrC1zFs.HJWTWoA_BjQtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTByOHZyb21tBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg-–

Posted on by — 7 Comments

Ridgewood Teachers deserve praise; taxpayers deserve a break

BOE_theridgewoodblog

DECEMBER 11, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Teachers deserve praise; taxpayers deserve a break

To the Editor:

We will try this again as what one hears cannot be generalized due to individualization. Here is my rebuttal to Michael Yannone’s letter in last week’s Ridgewood News:

1. Ridgewood teachers are paid in the upper percentile/s in the U.S. The starter salary accelerates due to various degree/s, and additional credits, etc. Fine; they are appreciated for a job well done and deserved. My point is: this is an expensive benefit paid for by the taxpayer.

2. About 10 to 15 percent of private company employees receive a traditional pension as the teachers. Calculated individually (as all pension), it “significantly exceeds” the corporate-sector pension. Fine, it is earned so enjoy. My point is: this is an expensive benefit paid for by the taxpayer.

3. U.S. companies offer lower-cost healthcare provider plans than the state teacher’s plan/s. Their “premium” plan/s have always been more generous so private company employees married to NJ teachers use the NJ state plan as their primary provider for themselves and their families both before Medicare or with Medicare as their secondary provider. Fine; my point is: this is an expensive benefit paid for by the taxpayer.

4. NJ teachers receive two paid days in November for a teacher convention whether they attend or not. Fine; this is built into their compensation/time calendar. A minimal amount of teachers attend the state convention repeatedly and not the majority. My point is: this was not the intention when this was originated.

5. U.S. companies are diligently saving money by eliminating employee benefits by contracting out work, outsourcing, mergers and down-sizing. Employees in the private sector pay for their annual escalating healthcare costs as do retirees before and with Medicare. My point is: teachers are not getting slighted by having to pay higher healthcare costs; this is the new norm due to Obamacare, designer drugs, and an aging population. This is not a one-time deal.

6. Companies get rid of older workers when they become too expensive unlike education. Fine; thank you for your continued, dedication. It is appreciated due to number of years worked. My point is: this is an expensive benefit paid for by the taxpayer.

7. The NJ taxpayer cannot afford to pay teachers their annual percentage raises along with their escalating healthcare costs as a benefit as was done in the past. Teachers are significantly more highly compensated with their benefit package than non-state, non-unionized workers.

8. NJ is going bankrupt due to pension and other obligations. People are leaving this state and purchasing out-of-state properties and claiming those places as their primary residence so they can eliminate the “choking” taxes of NJ. They then move to those second homes to retire.

9. The New Jersey Education Association and some (not all) of its members have been very vociferous about their hatred for Gov. Christie. I am not his fan but I do feel he did what was a long overdue necessity. He did a “reality check.”

Janis Belcher

Ridgewood

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/ridgewood-news-letter-teachers-deserve-praise-taxpayers-deserve-a-break-1.1472091

BOE Meets on December 21 at 7:30 p.m.
The Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday, December 21, 2015, at 7:30 p.m.

The public is invited to attend the meeting at the Ed Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3. The meeting may also be viewed on FiOS channel 33, Optimum channel 77 or from computers via the “Live BOE Meeting” tab on the district website.

Click here to view the agenda for the December 7,, 2015 Regular Public Meeting.

Click here to view the minutes of the November 16, 2015 Regular Public Meeting.

11.23.15: Board of Education Writes Letter to the Editor
Click here to read a Letter to the Editor of the Ridgewood News, which was published on November 20, 2015

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

A new plan for U.S. schools; testing likely to remain key in New Jersey

RHS_BEST_theridgewoodblog

DECEMBER 9, 2015, 11:43 AM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015, 11:18 PM
FROM STAFF AND NEWS SERVICE REPORTS |
WIRE SERVICE

In New Jersey, the federal education reform bill that seems certain to get the president’s signature Thursday means local and state educators, not the federal government, get to determine what to do to save a failing school, and the threat of costly sanctions for slumping schools would go away.

What’s unlikely to end in New Jersey, education experts said on Wednesday, is the reliance on students’ test scores to evaluate how well teachers are performing, a point of fierce dispute between New Jersey administrators and unions that the reform legislation relegates to the states.

The Senate on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly, 85-12, to approve legislation rewriting the landmark No Child Left Behind education law of 2002.

It was hailed as a “Christmas present” for 50 million children across the country by Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican who leads the Senate Education Committee.

One key feature of No Child remains: Public school students will still take the federally required statewide reading and math exams. But the new law encourages states to limit the time students spend on testing, and it will diminish the high stakes for underperforming schools.

Under No Child Left Behind, schools that failed to meet annual progress targets could be shut down or converted into charter schools, a policy that critics said led schools to focus too heavily on tests.

Schools that don’t meet annual progress targets, under the new legislation, no longer will be considered to be failing and won’t be subjected to federal sanctions.

States will be required to intervene in the lowest-performing 5 percent of schools, in high schools with high dropout rates and in schools with stubborn achievement gaps.

David Hespe, the state education commissioner, said the biggest change under the reform legislation would be the new flexibility permitted to states to help struggling schools. “We can develop our own interventions,” Hespe said.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/education-law-rewrite-passes-congress-1.1470503

Posted on by — 13 Comments

Ridgewood Schools Projected Declining Enrollment sighted as an opportunity to accommodate a much prized full-day kindergarten

BOE_theridgewoodblog

December 9,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ in a recent study for the Ridgewood Board of Education , Demographer Ross Haber conducted a population survey that projected that the district’s student population will decrease by a little under 3% or 169 students over the next five years.

The decline in student population is being touted by the BOE  as an opportunity ie the necessary facilities to accommodate a much prized full-day kindergarten program and perhaps continue to justify the $100 million plus school budget.

The same declining enrollment numbers are also being used in an attempt to mitigate the possible strain on the school district for the proposed building of high-density housing in four different locations in the central business district.

School Enrollment 2010-11 2015-16 – Percent 2020-21  
District Total 5,753 – 5,527 -169 -2.97%
Hawes 408-435 7.14%
Orchard 343 -283 -20 -6.60%
Ridge 496-441  -2.65%
Somerville 524-401  -6.74%
Travell 405 -380  -0.78%
Willard 489 -486 -2.61%

https://curriculum-instruction-and-assessment.ridgewood.schoolfusion.us/modules/locker/files/get_group_file.phtml?gid=1063615&fid=29366154&sessionid=5003a85af7dbdfc4ba593b561cc80278

Posted on by — 1 Comment

The unanswered PARCC question: How many N.J. kids opted out?

standardized-testing

The question buzzed throughout New Jersey schools for months. As the state prepared to administer new standardized tests in English and math last spring, parents, teachers and administrators wondered how many students would refuse to participate, the hallmark of a small but growing “opt out” movement in New Jersey. Adam Clark, NJ.com Read more

Posted on by — 1 Comment

America’s top SAT tutor explains why no one should take the SAT in 2016

o-STANDARDIZED-TESTS-facebook

Mar. 4, 2015,
Caroline Moss

Over the summer, we profiled Anthony Green, the SAT and ACT tutor to the 1%. Green tutors the offspring of some of the country’s wealthiest folk, and all of his sessions are conducted over Skype for a whopping $1,000 an hour.

In 2016, the SAT returns to a 1600-point test, combining the current 800-point Reading and Writing sections back into the single 800-point “verbal” section that characterized the old exam.

In a recent interview, Green told Business Insider no one should take the new SAT in 2016, which he’s also argued on his site.

“I’m recommending that none of my students take the first three rounds of the new SAT (March, May, and June of 2016),” Green said. “Why let students be guinea pigs for the College Board’s marketing machine?

https://www.businessinsider.com/sat-tutor-says-dont-take-the-new-sat-2015-3

Posted on by — 2 Comments

Ridgewood December School Recess -Recreation Activities

MAGIC SHOW FEATURING JOE FISCHER

December School Recess

Special Events with Ridgewood Recreation

MAGIC SHOW FEATURING JOE FISCHER – Monday, December 28th, 11:30 am at the Anne Zusy Youth Center, Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood. Tickets are $5 for all attending (under 2 free).

A show that is sure to amaze.

Be sure to watch for “Secrets of Magic” during our winter session – a 6 week class of behind the scene magic with Joe Fischer, with take home tricks each week.

ARCTIC ANIMALS ART CAMP WITH ABRAKADOODLE – Monday and Tuesday, December 28 and 29, 10 am to 12 noon each day, at the Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood. Grades K-3. $90, all materials provided ($100 non-residents).

Calling all animal lovers! Students will use clay and paint in this camp while learning about some snowy friends! From igloos and polar bears to chilly moose, a fun time will be had by all!

CHILDREN’S CRAFT WORKSHOP WITH MRS. C. – Monday, December 28th, 1 to 3 pm, at the Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood. Grades 2-6. $30, all materials provided ($40 non-residents).

Use your creativity and imagination while learning simple techniques required to draw, paint, and finish a project of your choice. All materials included. Bottle dolls, wood painting, basket weaving, tile painting, beads, jewelry, and a lot more!

TRIVIA MANIA WITH MAGIC CUBE – Tuesday, December 29th, 1 to 2:15 pm, at The Anne Zusy Youth Center, Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood. Grades 3-6. Tickets are $5 for all attending.

Come enjoy a live interactive trivia game show with buzzer system, lighting and sound effects, fun contestant games, musical competitions, audience participation activities, prizes, and two exciting co-hosts.

MYTHBUSTERS WITH EDUCATION EXPLORERS – Tuesday, December 29th, 1 to 3 pm, at The Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood. Grades 1-5. $45, all materials included ($55 non-residents).

Explore science the Busters Way! Children will participate in a variety of hands-on experiments that put common “myths” to the test. Using scientific method and children’s innate curiosity, they will have fun exploring many STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) principles.

Purchase of tickets for the shows or registration for the program offerings may be made either online at Community Pass, www.ridgewoodnj.net/communitypass or in person at The Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

For additional information, or if special accommodations are needed, kindly contact the Recreation office at 201-670-5560

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Ridgewood Board Of Education Meeting December 7th ,7:30pm

BOE_theridgewoodblog

BOE Meets on December 7 at 7:30 p.m.
The Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday, December 7, 2015, at 7:30 p.m.

 The public is invited to attend the meeting at the Ed Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3. The meeting may also be viewed on FiOS channel 33, Optimum channel 77 or from computers via the “Live BOE Meeting” tab on the district website.

Click here to view the agenda and addendum for the November 16, 2015 Regular Public Meeting.

Click here to view the minutes of the November 2, 2015 Regular Public Meeting.

11.23.15: Board of Education Writes Letter to the Editor
Click here to read a Letter to the Editor of the Ridgewood News, which was published on November 20, 2015.

11.19.15: Free Parent Program Explores the Workings of NJ Education
“A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Public Education” will take place on Saturday, December 5 from 9-11:50 a.m. at Jackson Liberty High School. Click here for details.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Ridgewood Reads Aloud

Library-Books

Reading programs unite Ridgewood communities

DECEMBER 2, 2015    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015, 10:11 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Two book-related programs have been taking place at village schools recently, as explained at recent Board of Education (BOE) meetings.

The programs, “All School Read-Aloud” and “One School, One Book,” are intended to increase reading among students while also exposing them to literature they may not have otherwise chosen.

All School Read-Aloud

The “All School Read-Aloud” program, which was explained at the Nov. 2 BOE meeting, brings Travell School students together for an assembly, where a story is read aloud to them while the book pages are displayed by projector screen.

After the assembly, the children return to their classes, and often have the book re-read to them by their teachers to keep its message in mind, Travell School Principal Margaret Leininger explained.

“The Travell Home and School has been really great to us,” she said. “They have purchased one book for every classroom so that the teachers go back, reread and discuss them.”

The books, which are carefully selected by staff, have their own sets of queries, adding to the discussion.

“Some of these books are really great because in the back, they have questions that the teachers can ask the kids later,” Leininger said.

Leininger also adds in her own questions and thoughts for the students and teachers to discuss.

“I generally try to put out a little blurb with each book, giving the teachers some questions and ideas of things they can talk about, while making sure they visualize things and create a detailed, vivid image,” she said, adding that she asks students what they learned from the second reading of the book in addition to asking what ideas they think each story contains.

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/reading-programs-unite-ridgewood-communities-1.1465774

Posted on by — 10 Comments

Ridgewood Teachers should be thankful

BOE theridgewoodblog.net

NOVEMBER 27, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Teachers should be ‘thankful’

To the Editor:

As a 33-year resident of Ridgewood, I am perplexed by the dissent of the Ridgewood teachers and their union about their current contract. The teachers are unhappy about paying for the increase in their healthcare costs. Everyone today is paying for their healthcare increases: medical personnel, retirees, and pharmaceutical company employees. The reason healthcare costs are continually rising (and will be in the future) are: Obamacare for the masses, an aging baby boomer population now requiring geriatric, cardiac, cancer, psychiatric, specialty care and designer drugs to help everyone live a longer life. Did the New Jersey Education Association think its Democratic-endorsed, union wishes for a national healthcare program would be absorbed by the public when in fact other municipalities in New Jersey and other states have opposed the taxpayer absorbing this substantial cost? Who did they think would pay for this? Ridgewood taxpayers should not be penalized for their selfish/unrealistic union demands.

New Jersey teacher’s pay ranks second highest in the nation. Teachers in Ridgewood earn a six-figure salary within five years. In addition, master’s degrees, additional credits, tutoring, tutoring for SAT’s allows them to earn additional/substantial monetary compensation. Their annual increases are more generous than some state employees. There shouldn’t be a financial problem for any teacher to absorb the costs as they are earning a 1 percent upper compensation in the United States in education. There are places that are more expensive to live in than Ridgewood. In the past, certain teachers who were unhappy with contract negotiations refused to give recommendations to the seniors for college.

The teachers have job security (unlike the corporate sector), do not face age discrimination, receive 80 percent of their salary in a pension as well as a taxpayer-payer paid two-day vacation in November for a teacher convention. I say “vacation” because I have never met anyone who goes to Atlantic City for the convention but goes to a destination such as Florida.

Unfortunately their healthcare provider, Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield, of the New Jersey Education Association is the most expensive. As a matter of fact, some teacher’s spouses working in corporate America have dropped their corporate health plan (Cigna, Aetna, etc.) coverage because the state employee plan is more lucrative. The taxpayers of NJ are paying for the healthcare benefits of these teacher’s families.

In summary: I think the teachers of Ridgewood and New Jersey should be most “thankful” for the generosity of the Ridgewood taxpayer this Thanksgiving Season and not “thankless.” I sincerely hope the arbitration board will take a firm stand on their role in representing the Ridgewood residents.

Janis Belcher

Ridgewood

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/ridgewood-news-letter-teachers-should-be-thankful-1.1463539