Ridgewood NJ, its simply amazing that the Ridgewood Planning Board has not posted the agenda yet on the Village website for march 3rd ,that according to Northjersey.com contains the draft of Ridgewood’s new master plan.
“The new master plan will cap nearly three years of work by a four-person subcommittee that includes Joel, Deputy Mayor Susan Knudsen and planning board members Joel Torielli and Melanie McWilliams.
The plan has seen amendments during the past few decades but hasn’t had a complete overhaul since 1983.
NV5 is scheduled to present a draft plan to the Planning Board March 3.”
Ridgewood NJ, Dr. Fishbein presented an update on the Orchard Elementary School soil remediation project. A letter was emailed to the district community on February 14, 2020, prior to the February recess. The Remedial Action Workplan (RAW) was submitted to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), and we received the NJDEP Alternative Remedy Approval. All of the documents associated with this project can be found on the Public Information page of the district website. To access this section of the website, please click here.
Dr. Fishbein shared that he has continued to make a weekly request to the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) for a date and time for the public meeting, but he was unable to secure a date yesterday. Dr. Fishbein hopes to schedule this meeting as soon as possible. This week, soil permits will be submitted to the Village of Ridgewood, Bergen County, and the NJDEP. Finally, the district is preparing to begin public bidding during March. Click here to view the presentation.
“And for the record, at 1 hour 13 minutes into last night’s BOE meeting, Mr. Morgan stated his belief that candidates should have children in or about to graduate from the Ridgewood schools. In my opinion this is dead wrong, and it is absolutely not a requirement (which he does admit). Anyone who runs for this office is presumably deeply invested in doing the absolute best for the Ridgewood schools. Even if they never had children. Even if, like Jennie Smith Wilson, their children went to private school. Even if, like Jim Morgan, their children are long gone from the schools. In my opinion, someone who is willing to run and does not have children in the system must be remarkably dedicated. It could even be argued that those with children currently in the system are too personally involved. I think Morgan’s is a nonsensical statement and should be ignored. All candidates should be evaluated on their merits, their stances on the issues, not on whether they have children in the Ridgewood schools.”
“In 2012, the voters of Ridgewood elected me to the Board of Education and in two subsequent elections, I was reelected. In all, I will have served eight years on the board, the last three as Vice President. It has been a challenging and rewarding experience to serve as a volunteer Trustee of our District. I want to thank the Village residents for offering me this opportunity.
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Board of Education will hold its next Regular Public Meeting on Monday, March 2, 2020. The Board meets at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3 at 7:00 p.m.
The public is welcome to attend the meeting or to watch from home on Fios channel 33 or Optimum channel 77. Meetings are also streamed via the “BOE Webcast” tab on the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us.
Meeting webcasts are immediately available on the district website.
re-posted from a Saurabh Dani Post in the It takes A Ridgewood Village Facebook Group
Ridgewood NJ, Two elections are coming up in April and May where you can exercise your right to vote. School Board in April and Village Council in May.
Ridgewood NJ, Come support the Ridgewood Cheer Team at their sendoff for their national competition!
Can’t make it to Maryland to watch the performances? Want to support the Ridgewood Cheerleaders? Come see the RHS Cheer Team perform their routine one last time before they hit the road.
Ridgewood NJ, Dr. Fishbein presented a Facility Improvement Recommendation Proposal, which outlined the facility needs assessments conducted over the past several years. He provided a breakdown of high priority projects by school, as well as information about other identified facility needs, including the replacement of ceiling tiles and built-in cabinetry. The final items discussed were renovations and additions to the performing and practical arts instructional spaces at the high school and the addition of an auditorium.
While Dr. Fishbein wants to recommend moving forward with all of the projects mentioned, he is not ready to do so until all questions and concerns of the Ridgewood Board of Education have been addressed. He summarized the outstanding issues and asked Board members if they had additional questions. Click here to view the presentation
Ridgewood NJ, Benjamin Franklin Middle School (BFMS) students have been busy helping their community! The BFMS annual SOUPer Bowl resulted in a collection of 1,674 cans of soup to be donated. The Student Council also worked with the Social Service Club to collect donations for Tackle Kids Cancer, which supports pediatric cancer research. The students raised $950, and all donations are matched by Eli Manning. Well done!
“While New Jersey is currently one of the ‘Most Educated States’ in the nation, our outmigration problem many put this notable statistic at risk in the future. Many high school graduates choose to attend college outside of New Jersey. Once these students leave, many never return to New Jersey to help build our workforce, support their families, or contribute to our communities. This is because our state is simply too expensive.
“This ‘brain drain’ really hurts our state, and it’s something we must understand better if we are to counter it successfully. My bipartisan legislation to study this outmigration pattern passed the New Jersey Senate last year.
“After investing so much to educate our next generation in grade and high school, it would be a real boost to have more of our talented high school graduates plant roots at home in the Garden State.
“A culture that encourages innovation and entrepreneurship attracts businesses and creates jobs. Raising taxes will not create that culture. Lowering costs across the board – for students, for families, for businesses, and for retirees – will make New Jersey more competitive. Healthy competition spurs the best innovation, leading to economic growth and job creation for generations to come.”
“not surprising that the BOE swept this issue (Orchard Field) under the carpet in 2007. It’s sad that instead of making sure today that every school and school property are safe, they would rather spend the money on an auditorium, parking garage and many other capital projects. Seems like their priorities are not in the best interest of our children…”
Ridgewood NJ, The next Regular Public Meeting of the Ridgewood Board of Education will be held on Monday, January 27, 2020 at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3 at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will be aired live on television, FiOS channel 33 and Optimum channel 77, and via the “BOE Webcast Live” tab on the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us. Meeting webcasts are generally posted immediately to the district website.
Saurabh Dani from the Facebook Group “It takes a Ridgewood Village”
“”CONSENT AGENDA” in a meeting exists to make the meetings faster / save time when there are many items to cover and “standard / repetitive / procedural items can be bundled in one agenda item”, or when items that were already discussed at a previous work session and agreed to in public can be added to a consent agenda for approval.
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Board of Education will hold its next Regular Public Meeting on Monday, January 27, 2020. The Board meets at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3 at 7:30 p.m.
The public is welcome to attend the meeting or to watch from home on Fios channel 33 or Optimum channel 77. Meetings are also streamed via the “BOE Webcast” tab on the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us.
Meeting webcasts are immediately available on the district website.
Ridgewood NJ, In 2019 the Ridgewood Friends of Music held its first annual Emerging Composers Contest. There were five categories: Elementary School, Middle School, High School, College, and Adult. Composers were asked to submit an original piece of any genre, style, and length, and scored for any combination of instruments and/or voices. Submissions were received for the middle and high school categories and were judged by local, professional composers and music teachers Kenny Brescia, Jay Friedman, Lisa Plasse, and Joseph Turrin.
