Ridgewood NJ, Tonight during the Budget presentation, Dr. Fishbien spoke about the stellar SAT scores among Ridgewood High School students. When asked how many families pay for private SAT tutoring, he replied that about 40% of parents responded to a survey, and of those about 40% self-reported that they paid for private SAT prep for their children. I think that number is likely quite a lot higher. It seemed like everyone I knew (in the late 1990’s) was paying for Kaplan or Huntington or some private individual to help improve SAT scores. Depending on how high the numbers actually are, this could mean that the stellar SAT scores are more a reflection of wealth (or the decision to allocate funds toward this effort) than it is a reflection of the Ridgewood High School preparation of students for this standardized exam. Just wondering whether my thoughts on this are off base.
Free talk: Graydon sycamore assessment and removal
Have you been wondering what led the village to remove the historic sycamore tree from the island in Graydon–and even whether it was really necessary?
The expert consultant himself, Wayne Cahilly, will describe his assessment procedure at next Tuesday’s meeting of the Ridgewood Shade Tree Commission.
The public is invited to attend and to ask questions. For those still mourning and perhaps questioning the loss, this presentation may promote closure. Anyone wishing to learn how tree professionals make such decisions would benefit as well.
o What: “Risk Assessment in Municipal Arboriculture: The Graydon Sycamore Case Study”
o Who: Wayne Cahilly, Cahilly’s Horticultural Services, LLC, Dumont, NJ
o When: Tuesday, April 10, 7 PM
o Where: Ridgewood Public Library auditorium, 125 N. Maple Ave., Ridgewood, NJ
Shade Tree Commission chair Andrew Lowry, quoted in a press release from the group, said, “The Graydon sycamore was an icon in our village. Many residents had strong feelings about its removal. We hope this presentation will help people understand what went into making this tough decision and the complexities of risk assessment more generally.”
Adapted from the Shade Tree Commission press release:
Speaker’s background
In 35 years of working with trees, Wayne Cahilly has assessed the structural condition and health of more than 60,000 trees in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and elsewhere. A graduate of the New York Botanical Garden School of Professional Horticulture, he has served the Garden as Forest Manager, Arborist, Manager of the Arboretum and Grounds, and Manager of the Mapping Department. He lives in Dumont, New Jersey.
About the Ridgewood Shade Tree Commission
The purpose of the Ridgewood Shade Tree Commission is to protect, preserve, and enhance the village’s shade trees, defined as trees planted next to streets on village property. Goals are to foster public-private partnerships to educate the community about the contribution to the Village environment made by shade trees and to increase the number of shade trees in the village by actively promoting community tree-planting programs.
We hope to see you there.
Swimmingly,
The Preserve Graydon Coalition, Inc., a nonprofit corporation
“It’s clear—we love Graydon!” [email protected] PreserveGraydon.org
At this time, many of our teachers and other public workers are paid more than many of the residents who pay them. The long term teachers are in the high middle class and lower upper class, and are above the pay grade of many of the residents that pay them. When you add in the benefits and pension, the majority are well above the average Ridgewood residents. We all know that a certain percentage of our residents are “rolling in it” and receive some of the highest pay in the nation. We also know that the teachers, when striking, seem to be demanding to be in the pay range of these really highly paid individuals. We also know that the benefits and pensions that our teachers receive put them at such a high total income level that many of our residents only dream of obtaining. Many of our residents are also business owners or in business for themselves. These people have to pay even more for their employees insurance and the employees pay between 20-25% of that while having high co-pays and deductibles. A $10.00 co-pay is a joke in the real world. To top it off, Ridgewood’s quality is declining by a huge amount while the teachers who are apparently not teaching get higher annual raises. Many residents have not seen a raise or bonus in years. We really can’t cry for the “poor teachers”.
Ridgewood NJ, Stop the Bleed Day, a National Initiative program, held at Ridgewood Emergency Services drew an full house of interested citizens
to learn how they can be the first line of defense in helping to saving a life.
The Stop the Bleed program is a national awareness campaign and a call to action. Stop the Bleed is intended to cultivate grassroots efforts that
Ridgewood Emergency Services will actively participate in. No matter how rapid the arrival of professional emergency responders, bystanders will be
the first on the scene. Stop the Bleed trains and empowers the bystander to stop active, life threatening bleeding. Similar to how the public learns and
performs CPR, the public must learn proper bleeding control techniques, including how to use their hands, dressings and tourniquets. Victims can
quickly die from uncontrolled bleeding within 5 to 10 minutes from onset.
Ridgewood NJ, Note: These streets are not listed in order of paving. The order of paving will be determined by the contractor and the Village Engineering Department. The paving season is April through November 2018, and some streets listed may be delayed until spring 2019, depending on weather conditions and logistical issues that may arise during the paving season.
Street – From – To
E. Ridgewood N. Maple Paramus Rd.
Bergen Spring Court
Somerville Spring E.R.A.
Spring S. Pleasant East End
Addison Irving Southern Parkway
Beveridge Norman Stratford
Bingham E. Saddle River Eastbrook Road
Chesterfield Sheffield Fairfield
Deerfield Sheffield Fairfield
Doremus Ackerman Godwin
Eastgate VanEmburgh Ave. Town Line
Fairway N. VanDien N. Pleasant
Fox Dead End East Side
Hamilton Norman Stratford
Hillcrest Morningside N. Monroe
Jefferson South End Orville
Jefferson Orville Hampshire
John Wyndermere Linwood
Litchfield Sheffield Fairfield
Madison N. Hillside N. Monroe Ave.
Madison N. Monroe Crest
Maynard To Dead End W. Ridgewood Ave.
MonteVista N. Monroe Heights
N. Hillside W. Ridgewood Ave. N. Monroe
N. Monroe W. Ridgewood Ave. Monte Vista
N. Pleasant E. Ridgewood Ave. Linwood
N. Pleasant Linwood E. Glen
Pershing Wall Linwood
Randolph Doremus East End
S. Irving Spring E. Ridgewood
Salem Van Emburgh West End
Sherman Godwin Washington
Sherman Washington Place North End
Terhune W. Saddle River East End
ValleyView N. Monroe Heights
ValleyView Heights Crest
Wall Pershing East End
Washington S. Monroe W. Ridgewood
West End Lincoln Bellair
West End Bellair Godwin
William Jefferson South End
William North End Jefferson
Woodland N. Monroe Crest
Ridgewood NJ, Drugs and alcohol continue to be a pervasive problem in New Jersey’s cities as well as suburban areas. The New Jersey Department of Education released its most recent data of substance abuse cases reported by each school district . In the current list of the school districts cases in 2016-17, Ridgewood Schools broke the top 50 coming in 3rd in Bergen county and 49th over all with 17 reported cases , trailing only Englewood with 19 and tying Ridgewood field park with 17.
The state Department of Education has cautioned that these numbers are reported by each district, each jurisdiction is self reporting and is responsible and required by law for reporting its results fairly and accurately.
Ridgewood NJ, The Board of Education has approved the preliminary 2018-2019 school budget. Public presentations will be given at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 3 at George Washington Middle School Auditorium and on Monday, April 16 at Benjamin Franklin Middle School Auditorium.
This budget is out of control and the unions are to blame. Time for new teachers to be put into 401Ks – the pension system is broken beyond repair. Time to do away with tenure. Time for union employees to pay the same for insurance coverage as those of us that pay their salaries. The time for change is now as the status quo is not sustainable.
Why do they get platinum health insurance when most private sector plans are bronze level coverage? If you want it, pay much higher premiums. Why should Villagers be subsidizing better health care coverage for Village and BOE employees than our own family coverage? Makes no sense.
Reader says ,“We must attend the budget meetings at schools and speak up. Last night I watched budget meeting on TV and a gentleman protested that it was insanity to spend close to 800 thousand dollars alone on new windows for Ridgewood School Board of Ed . He said he and other residents were having a hard time making ends meet because of new tax laws on property taxes. Loncte and Fishbein were completely unsympathetic and rigid about spending all that money. Loncte said they had to spend that money in order to keep house sales high , because people chose Ridgewood for there good schools. Thanks to James we known that Ridgewood ranks less than other less expensive towns in Bergen County.”
Mr. Damiano’s article is more than a little self serving. Stores sometimes fail because people just don’t want to buy what the store is selling – not because they had to drive around the block to find a parking spot. Local businesses cannot expect taxpayers and local government to support their entrepreneurial ventures. It actually works the other way around – businesses should be contributing to the local tax base by selling things that people want to buy. Nobody said this was going to be easy Tony.
I’m sure if you ask any commercial real estate broker, they will tell you that if a particular store is not a ‘destination’ (anchor), the others rely upon ‘foot traffic’ generated by those ‘anchors’ for their success. For those of you newbies here, we lost many ‘anchors’ years ago, despite their size. McHughs, Sealfons, Winchells, Drapkins, Bobby Knapps, Purdues, and lets not forget Al and Harrys’. Whether due to pressure from malls, rising rents, or changing shopping habits, these were all stores that attracted my family members to come into town. None of them remain, so our shopping takes us to a mall, and I can’t recall the last time I went into town to purchase anything other than an occasional meal. Its a sad commentary on how a CBD has evolved into its present state. Years ago there were gas stations on every corner of Franklin Ave. The only one remaining is getty. We had mobil, Sinclair, arco, Phillips 66, Texaco, amaco, exxon, , and a few more that I forgot. (11 total). On Ridgewood ave there was a liquor store on almost every corner. Now we have banks, that I’m guessing will vacate upon lease renewals leaving more space. (its a lot easier to use a drive-in bank) It’s anyones guess what the future holds, but these small shops ‘treading water’ to remain in business are looking for taxpayers to subsidize their failing business models. Its no different than re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Fix/change/adapt or fail. A garage won’t bring shoppers to town if you don’t have a product they desire. Take a walk in town on recycling days. At least half the homes have cardboard amazon boxes waiting for pickup. Another HUGE factor.
credit to Tony Damiano for saying this. He wrote this original quote in his Facebook post
The majority of cars on the street are employees. I watch them feed the meters all day
The majority of cars on the street are employees. I watch them feed the meters all day
The majority of cars on the street are employees. I watch them feed the meters all day
The majority of cars on the street are employees. I watch them feed the meters all day
The majority of cars on the street are employees. I watch them feed the meters all day
The majority of cars on the street are employees. I watch them feed the meters all day
The majority of cars on the street are employees. I watch them feed the meters all day
The majority of cars on the street are employees. I watch them feed the meters all day
The majority of cars on the street are employees. I watch them feed the meters all day
The majority of cars on the street are employees. I watch them feed the meters all day
Ridgewood NJ, The driver of a 4-door Hyundai sedan was transported by ambulance to Hackensack University Center’s main campus after crashing her vehicle into a utility pole located in front of 414 Linwood Avenue, Ridgewood on Monday afternoon, 04/02. Ridgewood Police, Fire department, and EMS personnel responded to aid the victim. A paramedic team from The Valley Hospital assisted Ridgewood EMTs with patient evaluation and care. The wrecked Hyundai was removed from the scene by a hydraulic lift tow truck. A representative from PSE&G’s Electric Division responded to assess damage to the pole and attached infrastructure. The victim’s injuries appeared to have been non life threatening.
The preliminary 2018-2019 Ridgewood School budget exceeds the 2% annual property tax increase cap for the first time since the current cap was enacted.
The draft budget was accepted by three of the five board members. Two abstentions were noted by members who believe more can be done to reduce the overall expenditures.
Options to ameliorate budgetary pressures have been discussed, however, input from residents is critical in determining if those options will be used. It is imperative that members of the community participate in the process, attend the budget presentations and voice their opinions.
Four years ago, a majority of the BOE voted to move the school elections to November. Associated with that change was the removal of a vote on the annual school budget, provided property tax increases remained within the 2% cap required by law. This does not mean that voters cannot have an impact on the annual budget.
For the next five weeks, the Board is discussing the budget in a series of public budget meetings, the first of which is on April 3 at 7:00 at George Washington MS and another on April 16 at 7:00 at Benjamin Franklin MS. The Board also has regularly scheduled meetings on April 2 and April 23 at 7:30 in the Ed Center. These meetings are an opportunity for everyone in the Village to voice their thoughts directly to the Board and Superintendent.
After these presentations conclude, the Board will have a formal budget hearing and vote on the final budget on May 7.
We urge all concerned citizens to attend and engage.
Christina Krauss, BOE Member Jim Morgan, BOE Vice President
“Emperor Superintendent Deems a Dog’s Tail a Leg”
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The following column appeared in The Ridgewood News on March 30, 2018.
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The other day a request came in to include information on the League of Women Voters’ upcoming Candidates Night in our district enews. Now, since the League is non-partisan, non-profit and local, the flyer easily passed our requirements for publishing. But the notice got me thinking in general about the important mandate that public school districts be strictly non-partisan while still encouraging our students’ intellectual curiosity and passions. It can be a delicate balance on occasion.
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A great example of successfully walking this line occurred at Ridgewood High School on March 14, when we permitted our students to organize a 17-minute walkout in conjunction with the national anti-gun violence event commemorating victims of the Parkland school shooting and raising awareness for violence-free schools. Simultaneous to this event another group of our students staged a sit-in in our Campus Center to highlight Second Amendment rights. [So is this how it goes? Two political wrongs make an apolitical right?]
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Intellectual and emotional passion energized a large body of our students that day. Of varying political views, those who either walked out or sat in paid respectful tribute to the Parkland shooting victims while raising their voices for change. RHS Principal Tom Gorman and staff helped guide our students’ planning to assure that in addition to a feel-good moment they would be enriched by a living civics lesson on the process of peaceable assembly and its value and power to effect non-violent change in a democratic society. At Ridgewood High School that day, our students lived out their textbook lessons on the meaning of freedom of speech. They also learned, as Dr. Gorman summarized aptly in a letter to the RHS community, that change is not a 17-minute event but takes a lifetime of work. In his words, Your strength and purpose happens in what you do in the 18th minute and beyond. I commend Tom’s letter to you, found in the Communications section of the RHS web pages at https://www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us.
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March 14 was a historic day for the Ridgewood Public Schools. We had never done anything like it in recent history, and while other districts chose to disallow their students’ request to participate in the national walkout, I am pleased and proud of our decision to endorse this event and also proud of and thankful for all who were involved on many levels to ensure its success as a meaningful day of memorial, awareness raising and civics in action, while remaining strictly non-partisan.
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In particular, I am proud of our students for their interest and passion to make a difference, and their desire to grapple intellectually and respectfully with contemporary societal issues. [What’s next, Dan? Dueling Pro-Life/Pro-Abortion protests? An excellent case can be made for a convenient “tie-in” that pro-life students are protesting the gravest kind of violence done to the youngest of children, whom had they not been killed, would have become their fellow RHS students. Or, are you, by this self-congratulatory letter, simply trying to head such an eventuality off at the pass? You are not the judge of your own case, Dan. Superintendent or not, if you, in fact, stepped in it by personally fomenting one or more political protests by students during the school day and on school property, no amount of after-the-fact whitewashing on your part will transform wrongdoing into inspired charity.]
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I am equally proud of, and thankful, too, for our very professional staff and for their expertise and attention, not just to the curricular matters but also for their personal commitment, and for their ability to focus on the common ground we all share on the importance of safe schools that are free of violence.
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I am further proud to be living and working in a community that supports [Not so fast, Dan!] the efforts of its public school administrators in navigating the sometimes tricky terrain [Much as all this tickles your fancy, Dan, you and your administrator friends are not paid to help students explore a career in Obama-inspired community organizing. Please get back to doing your real job.]. These past few weeks have seen a more than a flurry of snow and the tight grip of winter; there’ve been many spirited conversations and a number of district communications* about safety, security and students’ rights to assemble on school property without repercussions. [Without repercussions! Ah yes, there’s where you went wrong. The real world is not so forgiving, Dan. You’ve deprived your charges of the best lesson you might have taught them! No letter from a Birmingham jail is possible in the scenario you’ve created…] These are real issues, real concerns. [Ooh..that’s a pithy little gem. We can tell you’re just dying to get your first entry into Bartlett’s Quotations. Keep trying.]
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It’s a community’s desire to put politics aside on occasion and walk the line with us that makes a difference in achieving our mission of excellence in a safe, non-violent school setting. I am so very appreciative of that willingness to engage. [Quite a slippery slope you’ve erected here, Dan. Enthusiasm may be your strong suit. But foresight? Not so much.]
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As always, please feel free to get in touch with any questions or concerns. [Who are you kidding…]
Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D.
District Superintendent
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* Please see my March 1, 2018 letter on school safety, found on the Superintendent’s page of the district website at https://www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us.
Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D., is Superintendent of the Ridgewood Public Schools. Dr. Fishbein can be reached at 201-670-2700, ext. 10530, or via e-mail at [email protected]. For more information on the Ridgewood Public Schools visit the district website at https://www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us, the district Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RidgewoodPublicSchools, or follow us on Twitter @RwdPubSchools.
