OCTOBER 16, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY JIM MCCONVILLE
CORRESPONDENT |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
RIDGEWOOD — Now comes the hard part.
Sitting at 4-1 and atop the North 1, Group 5 power point table, Ridgewood High School would seem to be primed for a postseason run. It’s a position in which the Maroons found themselves one year ago, and RHS fans all know what happened after that.
From 5-0 to 5-5, the 2014 season took a downhill slide, and it all began with a game against Paramus, which administered a 35-0 drubbing that served as the most embarrassing moment of last fall.
For the Ridgewood juniors and seniors who played in that game, they’ve had a year to digest it and understand how not to let it happen again. Their shot at redemption comes tonight, when Paramus visits RHS Stadium for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
The super PAC that has spent nearly $1 million to support Democrats in New Jersey’s Assembly elections next month has received nearly 90 percent of its money from a group affiliated with the state’s largest teachers’ union, records filed with state regulators show. Andrew Seidman, Philadelphia Inquirer Read more
What would you say if you found out New Jersey taxes just went up $540 million? Surprise! They have. And they will grow by a half-billion dollars each year because of the state’s highest-in-the-nation property tax — even with the 2 percent cap. State and local leaders have run away from cutting this burden on homeowners. Why? Who profits from your tax misery? Why is this tax driving people out of state? Paul D’Ambrosio, Asbury Park Press Read more
Schools teach kids to throw bottles, staplers at gunmen
by Deirdre Reilly
Ask your high schooler how his or her day was, and if you’re lucky, you’ll get a brief snapshot — classes, friends, maybe sports or club activities after school.
But have you heard, “Oh, today we had an ALICE drill”?
An ALICE drill is training for students on how to respond if there is an active shooter on school grounds or in the building itself. The training is designed for students of all grades, but it is tailored to age. And it’s quite the controversy among those in the school safety community.
ALICE stands for Alert-Lockdown-Inform-Counter-Evacuate and has similarities to conventional school safety programs that contain alerts, lockdowns, and evacuation plans in the event of a shooter.
The Class of 1980 organizers would like to open up their 35th Reunion to anyone that would like to come to an awesome party…
When: Saturday, October 24th
Where: Mahwah Sheraton from 7p-11p
Cost: $99 + processing fee (link below) – No tickets at the door and ticket window closes Saturday, Oct 17th
I know this is a last minute invite, but unfortunately we don’t have enough people from our own class at this time attending, so if you didn’t go to your last reunion, or just want an excuse to take your honey out for a good time, then come and join us.
Ridgewood Schools on Lock Down this afternoon
October 08.2015
the staff of the Rdiregwood blog
Ridgewood NJ ,Ridgewood Schools on lock down after student said he saw a person dressed in black with a gun just past noon near the school..
At least 6 Ridgewood squad cars and 2 un-marked cars encircled the areas.Police had their rifles out and bullet-proof vets. After approx. 45 minutes, they gave the all clear sign.
Police barred reporters from the sight , but news helicopters arrived just while the search was ending
Ridgewood NJ , Ridgewood PD Patrol Officer Steven Shortway and Ridgewood High School Athletic Director Keith Cook examine damage to an athletic field at Ridgewood High School caused by vandals who burned two (2) separate large images of male genitalia into the artificial turf. No exact dollar estimate of the damage was immediately available, but reports are that it could cost several thousand dollars to repair.
The first candidate to interview, Nicole Richards, stressed that her background as a businesswoman would be integral to her work if she were appointed to the board.
Michael Zuckerman
The second candidate, Michael Zuckerman, explained that his experiences as the son of a board of education member give him insight into what the job requires.
Theresa C. Anzano
The third candidate, Theresa C. Anzano, pointed to things she disapproves of about the board, and gave an impassioned defense of local autonomy in regards to education.
Alexandra Harwin
The fourth candidate, Alexandra Harwin, explained that her experience as a civil rights attorney would help her to work out a solution with the teachers if appointed to the board.
Dana Costache
The fifth candidate, Dana Costache, a native of Romania, explained that she has become disillusioned with the college process that the United States offers, since some people with college degrees are being denied jobs for which they are qualified.
Jennie Smith Wilson
The sixth and final candidate, Jennie Smith Wilson, explained that she would rely on her numerous years of public service for help were she appointed to the board position. She is currently on the Zoning Board of Adjustment and a board member of the Ridgewood Education Foundation.
School board addresses comments by teachers union leader
SEPTEMBER 25, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
BOE addresses union leader’s statements
To the Editor:
Mike Yannone, Ridgewood Education Association (REA) president, made several erroneous statements at the Sept. 21 Ridgewood Board of Education meeting that warrant response.
* A $2.5 million tax burden is being placed on teachers.
It is not a tax. State law known as “Chapter 78,” phased in over four years, requires that all public employees contribute towards their health benefits. The $2.5 million is the sum of this year’s contribution.
* The board passed a resolution to remove collective bargaining rights for teachers and did not provide it to the public.
Last March, the board approved a resolution asking that Chapter 78 be excluded from negotiations. This resolution was posted on the board and superintendent’s web pages at ridgewood.k12.nj.us within 24 hours of the board approving the meeting minutes.
* Contract negotiations are stalled due to a highly paid RBOE attorney spokesperson.
The RBOE has included an attorney on its negotiating team for over 15 years. He is an experienced, reasonably priced attorney. The REA’s negotiating team includes a NJEA representative. The REA collects over $650,000 annually from its members. Some of this money is used to pay NJEA for this service.
* The settlement of the contract is not the top board goal.
This is untrue. On Sept. 21, the RBOE approved a goal “to negotiate with the REA to settle a new contract.” It is a priority for this year.
* The district says its financial hands are tied, which is disrespectful to teachers.
The district’s annual budget is capped at 2 percent on the amount the tax levy can be increased. Law mandates this and it is the reality under which we operate. Disrespecting our staff is not part of the equation. We honor and appreciate the fine work of our staff.
* Each year the board hires new administrators who are doing less work.
In 2008, the board was forced to reduce administrative positions when all categorical state aid was cut. Over the last three years, we have rebuilt our administrative team. We have reinstated five administrators and added 33 teachers. Every staff member — administrators, teachers and support staff — are doing more work, not less.
Mr. Yannone asked if the RBOE was going to Atlantic City again at taxpayers’ expense. Yes, the Board of Education will attend the NJSBA workshop in October. Board members are the only New Jersey elected officials legally required to receive training. Workshop provides this training and opportunities to learn about best practices and hone leadership skills. The district pays for registration and accommodations.
The RBOE has high regard for our talented teaching staff and secretaries. The partnership with our teachers is a longstanding one that values their input in improving education for our students. In negotiating a contract, the board is mindful of the financial reality and tasked to balance this reality with the need to fairly compensate our teachers.
Schedler and Valley people are tired of fighting and people are confused/think it is over anyway.
I am not one of those three but I will tell you this, the worst way to reduce taxes is to have high density housing that is not age restricted. The absolute worst. Actually no, the worst is that they are tricking seniors/empty nesters into believing that this is for them, if it were they would be age restricted. Fact is one of the developers admitted there is not enough market for empty nesters to even get a loan for that purpose so they are well aware that the demand is not there. The apartments will be filled with the people who always move to towns with good schools, young families who use services at a rate much higher than seniors.
So our beautiful town will not only be more congested but you will pay more for it.
SEPTEMBER 25, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Tense contract negotiations between the Ridgewood Board of Education (BOE) and Ridgewood Education Association (REA) ramped up this week.
“The negotiations are not going well,” said REA President Michael Yannone in a conversation with The Ridgewood News earlier this week.
While a number of issues remain to be settled, the main two are salary requirements and healthcare benefits, which are always paired in discussions, Yannone said.
“This board doesn’t believe they should have to negotiate health benefits,” Yannone said.
Without some leeway from the BOE, no progress will be made, he added.
Yannone also spoke at this week’s BOE meeting, flanked by Ridgewood teachers in a sign of solidarity.
“The teachers of this community feel disrespected,” Yannone said at the meeting. “Ridgewood was always a school district that prided itself as being at the forefront of education. Teachers felt respected here and believed their voice had value. Those days are gone.
“Teachers now feel as if they are merely nickels and dimes — a revenue stream for this board — with money going out, and more and more employee money coming back to this board,” he said.
This drew a standing ovation from the assembled crowd of teachers, who so packed the Education Center meeting room that many had to stand.
Fourteen years ago, a leading drug maker published a study showing that the antidepressant Paxil was safe and effective for teenagers. On Wednesday, a major medical journal posted a new analysis of the same data concluding that the opposite is true.
That study — featured prominently by the journal BMJ — is a clear break from scientific custom and reflects a new era in scientific publishing, some experts said, opening the way for journals to post multiple interpretations of the same experiment. It comes at a time of self-examination across science — retractions are at an all-time high; recent cases of fraud have shaken fields as diverse as anesthesia and political science; and earlier this month researchers reported that less than half of a sample of psychology papers held up.
“This paper is alarming, but its existence is a good thing,” said Brian Nosek, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, who was not involved in either the original study or the reanalysis. “It signals that the community is waking up, checking its work and doing what science is supposed to do — self-correct.”
Ridgewood NJ, The results of the Board of Education’s 2015 parent/guardian survey are out. Individual school reports and district-wide results have been emailed to parents and guardians.
The survey was conducted via email from May 5-15, 2015 using SurveyMonkey software. Email invitations with private survey links were sent to all district parents and guardians with email addresses on file. Survey respondents participated on a secure survey website. Only one response was allowed for each email address. The survey was completely anonymous. Numerical data were compiled and charts were created using SurveyMonkey. District data were compiled from the grade-level surveys by members of the Ridgewood Public Schools Information Technology Department. The superintendent, administrators and school board members reviewed the data and all comments. How many parents and guardians participated in the 2014-2015 survey? How will these survey results be used? The data in this report reflect survey results for the district as a whole. Questions specific to a school or grade level have been included here with separate notation. District and individual school survey results have been provided to each principal, as well as the central administration and the Ridgewood Board of Education. The data will be used as one of several resources for the ongoing review and refinement of the programs of the Ridgewood Public Schools.
As of 5.31.15 # Enrolled Students 5682 , Emails on File 7786 , Survey Responses Participation Rate In-District 2773 35.6%
85.9 % of all respondents Agree or Strongly agree that they are satisfied with the overall quality of their child’s education, compared to 87% of all respondents during the previous survey.
80.8% of all respondents Agree or Strongly agree that they are satisfied with the academic progress of their child compared to 82.3% of all respondents during the previous survey.
74.8% of all respondents Agree or Strongly agree that the academic challenge for my child is appropriate ,compared to 75.7% of all respondents during the previous survey.
56.1% of all respondents Agree or Strongly agree that the schools give opportunities to help my child do his or her best ,compared to 54.9% of all respondents during the previous survey.
69.1% of all respondents thought the amount of homework was just right compared to 69.2% of all respondents during the previous survey.
23.5% of all respondents supplement their child education with professional tutors ,compared to 31.9% of all respondents during the previous survey.
82.1% of all respondents Agree or Strongly agree that the condition/quality of the athletic facilities are acceptable compared to 80.5% of all respondents during the previous survey.
77.3% of all respondents Agree or Strongly agree that the parent or guardian was well informed as to the child’s progress compared to 80.4% of all respondents during the previous survey.
68.9% of all respondents Agree or Strongly agree that they had opportunities to express their opinions or concerns regarding their child compared to 74,3% of all respondents during the previous survey.
The homemade clock Ahmed Mohamed brought to school was mistaken for a bomb. (Irving Police Department)
Why a ninth-grader’s arrest over a home-built clock struck a chord across America
A week after 9/11, a lapse of judgement ?
By Abby Phillip and Sarah Kaplan September 16 at 6:20 PM
Ahmed Mohamed just wanted to impress his teachers with a homemade invention. The story of what happened next has made the 14-year-old from Irving, Tex., the object of national outrage and attention.
Eager to show off to his engineering teacher, Mohamed walked into MacArthur High School on Monday morning with his hastily assembled invention: A digital clock.
Hours later, the ninth-grader was escorted out of the school in police custody after teachers mistook the device for a bomb.
The incident has triggered allegations of racism and made a Texas school district the target of outrage that began online and quickly spilled into the most powerful offices in the land.
As the story spread, along with a photo of Mohamed in a NASA T-shirt and handcuffs, support came flooding in.
“Cool clock, Ahmed,” President Obama wrote in a tweet Wednesday. “Want to bring it to the White House? We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It’s what makes America great.”
