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>A3242 bill would allow students to be surveyed "without" parental permission

>A3242 bill would allow students to be surveyed “without” parental permission

In essence this bill would allow students to be surveyed “without” parental permission.  The parents would only have to be “informed.”

As Art Gallagher wrote in his column:

Back in 2001 there was a bill passed and signed into law that prohibited school districts from gathering such information unless they had the informed written consent of the student’s parent or guardian.  Now the legislature is on the verge of amending that law (P.L.2001, c.364) so that the school districts can gather the information from students so long as the parents have been notified in writing, NOT consented in writing.

Like the marketeers who assume you will be too busy or disinterested to cancel your book club or credit monitoring service, the Legislature and the school districts are assuming that parents are not giving consent to the schools asking about their political affiliation, sexual behavior or embarrassing mental illnesses because they are too busy, don’t care, or haven’t opened their mail.

Please call these members on the Education Committee:  

Joan Voss  – 201 346 6400 (Joan Voss is running for Freeholder in Bergen County – tell her you are watching her vote))
Scott Rumana  – 973 237 1362

Governor Christie: 609-292-6000

Text of Bill: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2010/Bills/A3500/3242_I1.HTM

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>New Recruit in Homework Revolt: The Principal

>New Recruit in Homework Revolt: The Principal

GALLOWAY, N.J. — After Donna Cushlanis’s son kept bursting into tears midway through his second-grade math problems, which one night took over an hour, she told him not to do all of his homework.

“How many times do you have to add seven plus two?” Ms. Cushlanis, 46, said. “I have no problem with doing homework, but that put us both over the edge. I got to the point that this is enough.” …

Ridgewood High School in New Jersey introduced a homework-free winter break in December. Schools in Bleckley County, Ga., have instituted “no homework nights” throughout the year. The Brooklyn School of Inquiry, a gifted and talented program, has made homework optional…

https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/16/education/16homework.html?_r=2&ref=nyregion

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>Against own party’s wishes, Sweeney pushes overhaul to pension system for N.J. public employees

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Against own party’s wishes, Sweeney pushes overhaul to pension system for N.J. public employees

Despite a rising chorus of opposition from fellow Democrats, the Senate president and Assembly speaker pressed forward Tuesday to overhaul health and pension benefits for the state’s 500,000 public employees.  (Renshaw, The Star-Ledger)

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>66% Say Private Sector Employees Work Harder Than Government Workers

>66% Say Private Sector Employees Work Harder Than Government Workers
Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Most Americans still believe government workers work less and make more money than those employed by private companies. Yet while the majority also thinks government workers enjoy more job security, they’re less convinced of that than they were a year ago.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that only 11% of Adults think those employed by the government work harder than workers in the private sector. Sixty-six percent (66%) say those employed by private companies work harder. Twenty-three percent (23%) are not sure.

https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/business/jobs_employment/june_2011/66_say_private_sector_employees_work_harder_than_government_workers

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Report: Pedestrian bridge at Ridgewood High School needs work

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Report: Pedestrian bridge at Ridgewood High School needs work

FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 2011  
BY KELLY EBBELS
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

A pedestrian bridge that connects the two athletic fields at Ridgewood High School (RHS) – crossed by hundreds of students each day – has structural deficiencies that have yet to be addressed by the school district, and vehicles have been seen using the bridge despite a weight limit, according to a village resident who lives near RHS.

The pedestrian bridge connecting Stadium and Stevens fields at Ridgewood High School was closed following flooding in April.
More than two years ago, the Ridgewood school district received an engineering report on the pedestrian bridge over the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook between athletics fields at Ridgewood High School (RHS), citing concerns with the bridge’s structural integrity.

The report, prepared by Mark Micucci of Micucci Engineering and delivered to the district in January 2009, notes that the exposed top side of the bridge is in “relatively good condition” and its underside in “fair condition,” but reveals problems with the structure of its abutments, particularly its southern abutment.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/123598184_Report__Pedestrian_bridge_needs_work.html

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>Amend Salary Ordinance

>VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE COUNCIL REGULAR PUBLIC MEETING

JUNE 8, 2011 8:00 P.M.

3300 – Amend Salary Ordinance for Management Personnel – Amends this salary ordinance to  reflect that management personnel are receiving   a 0% salary increase in 2010 and 2011.  In   addition, management personnel are eligible for  an incentive increase of 0% – 4% over the two-  year period, based on a performance evaluation,  with one-half of the incentive increase being   paid from January 1, 2010 and the other one-half  of the incentive increase being paid from  January 1, 2011. 

3301 – Amend Salary Ordinance for Non-Union Personnel – Amends this salary ordinance to reflect that  non-union personnel are receiving a 0% salary  increase in 2010 and 2011.  In addition, non- union personnel are eligible for an incentive increase of 0% – 4% over the two-year period,  based on a performance evaluation, with one-half   of the incentive increase being paid from  January   1, 2010 and the other one-half of the  incentive increase being paid from January 1,  2011.

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>57% of Likely U.S. Voters see the president as more liberal than they are

>57% of Likely U.S. Voters see the president as more liberal than they are

Most voters still believe President Obama is more liberal than they are, while just one-out-of-four say they share the same ideological views as the president.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 54% of Likely U.S. Voters think Obama is more ideologically liberal than they are, while only 13% view him as more conservative. Twenty-four percent (24%) say their political views are about the same as the president’s. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The number who see the president as more liberal than they are stayed at 57% in three-out-of-four previous surveys conducted since August of last year. That number climbed to 61% in late February. The number who view the president as more conservative ranged from nine percent (9%) to 12% in that same period.

https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_administration/june_2011/only_24_say_they_share_obama_s_political_views

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>30% of companies say they’ll stop offering Health Insurance coverage due to Obamacare

>Firms to cut health plans as reform starts: survey
30% of companies say they’ll stop offering Health Insurance coverage due to Obamacare 

By Russ Britt, MarketWatch
LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) — Once provisions of the Affordable Care Act start to kick in during 2014, at least three of every 10 employers will probably stop offering health coverage, a survey released Monday shows.

While only 7% of employees will be forced to switch to subsidized-exchange programs, at least 30% of companies say they will “definitely or probably” stop offering employer-sponsored coverage, according to the study published in McKinsey Quarterly.

The survey of 1,300 employers says those who are keenly aware of the health-reform measure probably are more likely to consider an alternative to employer-sponsored plans, with 50% to 60% in this group expected to make a change. It also found that for some, it makes more sense to switch.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/firms-halting-coverage-as-reform-starts-survey-2011-06-06

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Chris Christie and the "black helicopter theory"

>Chris Christie and the “black helicopter theory”


Desperate to nail Christie the main stream media pulls out the “black helicopter” theory .
Perhaps the mainstream media wouldn’t mind telling everyone where they were during the creation of $56 billion Pension deficit or the $66 billion health care problem or perhaps the $500 million more for the failed Abbott schools ? And what about the $6.4 billion gone missing from the school construction authority or the $3 billion gone from Highway Transportation trust fund ? Where was the media during the 9% or was it 13% pay raise for state workers ,but hey the State of New Jersey only has an annual $10 billion dollar deficit . Should I go on it’s gonna be a long night…..


In Ridgewood we spend more for golden toilets at Vets field  than the Governor did .Sorry folks but what Ridgewood parent wouldn’t fly to their kids LAX game in a chopper if they could or they probably do . It’s for the children and you know you would . Sorry but this helicopter story is just too much of an insult to everyones intelligence even in a state that brought you the Jim McGreevy follies , ‘the Jersey Shore   ” and the “Jersey House Wives”  TV shows.


PJ Blogger

Gov. Christie calls Assemblywoman Vainieri Huttle a ‘jerk’ for criticizing his use of State Police copter

Gov. Chris Christie Thursday criticized Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen) for criticizing him for using a State Police helicopter to fly from Trenton to Montvale Tuesday to watch his son Andrew play in a high school playoff baseball game. Vainieri Huttle charged the governor wasted taxpayers dollars flying to the game where he then stayed until the 5th inning before flying off to a political meeting in Princeton.  (Hester, New Jersey Newsroom)

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>Hackensack University Medical Center formally applied for state permission to reopen Pascack Valley Hospital

>Hackensack University Medical Center formally applied for state permission to reopen Pascack Valley Hospital 

Hackensack formally applies to reopen Pascack Valley Hospital in Westwood

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 2011 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY JUNE 1, 2011, 8:47 PM
BY LINDY WASHBURN AND MARY JO LAYTON
STAFF WRITERS
THE RECORD

Hackensack University Medical Center formally applied for state permission Wednesday to reopen Pascack Valley Hospital in Westwood as a 128-bed full-service community hospital. If approved, the for-profit hospital would open late next year.

The Westwood hospital closed due to bankruptcy in November 2007.
The new plan aims to address the state’s looming physician shortage as well as provide patient care to the northeastern part of Bergen County, which has been underserved since Pascack closed due to bankruptcy in November 2007, said Robert C. Garrett, Hackensack’s president and chief executive officer.

The application is “the next phase of restoring much needed healthcare services to the Pascack Valley and Northern Valley,” Garrett said.

Although a final decision on the application is not expected until November, Hackensack’s joint-venture partner appears confident enough of the application’s success to have named a chief executive officer for the new facility.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/Hackensack_formally_applies_to_reopen_Pascack_Valley_Hospital_in_Westwood.html

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>Abbott Ruling : How one justice wound up speaking for seven

>How one justice wound up speaking for seven


There are seven seats on the state Supreme Court. Four votes are normally required to issue a binding opinion and order action. The ruling of the court last week on public school funding, mandating a half-billion-dollar increase in state aid for poor districts, was written by Justice Jaynee LaVecchia.  (Ahearn, The Record)

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>The Co-op’s Trike a Thon Helps St. Jude’s

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Dylan+and+Mrs+Cordes theridgewoodblog


The Co-op’s Trike a Thon Helps St. Jude’s

Students at the Cooperative Nursery School of Ridgewood took to their tricycles on May 24th to help St. Jude’s.  The children participated in the Trike a Thon to raise money for the research center. They got to help out a great cause, have fun and learn about riding safety.  This is just one of the many fun events that children participate in while at the Co-op. 

A nonsectarian school, The Co-op also offers morning and afternoon classes for 2, 3 and 4-year-olds, as well as Mommy & Me classes and Kindergarten enrichment.  Setting the school apart from other nursery schools, The Co-op is organized and run by the 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 on the school or to set up an appointment to visit, please call (201) 447-6232 or email the school at [email protected]. 

Ready+Set+Go%2521 theridgewoodblog

Jack+%2526+sydney theridgewoodblog

groupcoop theridgewoodblog

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>New Jersey Choral Society Concert Benefits Center for Food Action

>New Jersey Choral Society Concert Benefits Center for Food Action

Experience the passion, spirituality, and richly diverse musical legacies of Antonin Dvorák and Leonard Bernstein as the New Jersey Choral Society presents “Legacy” on Friday, June 3 at 8:00 pm in Ridgewood’s West Side Presbyterian Church and on Saturday, June 4 at 8:00 pm in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Montclair. Under the direction of dynamic conductor Eric Dale Knapp, the New Jersey Choral Society concludes its 30th Anniversary Season with a reflective and uplifting program featuring Antonin Dvorák’s lyrical meditation Mass in D Major with its tuneful, folk-like melodies and Leonard Bernstein’s famous Chichester Psalms(Ridgewood performance only), a rhythmic, dramatic, yet fundamentally spiritual choral work of a number of Hebrew psalm texts. Ralph Vaughan Williams’ romantic and transcendentalToward the Unknown Region, based on the poetry of Walt Whitman, will conclude the program. Linda Sweetman-Waters will be featured on the organ. Solists for this event are Katie DeLavega, soprano, Alicia Luick, mezzo-soprano, Daniel Lynch Jr., tenor, Bruce Cain, bass, and Jake Lucas, boy soprano. Come one hour prior to concert times for The Inside Line, a complimentary lecture for all ticket holders. Hosted by the NJCS Board of Trustees (Emily Hewetson, President) and friends, the lecture will feature “A New Jersey Choral Society 30th Anniversary Retrospective: where we have been and the exciting future of NJCS.” In support of the Center for Food Action, the New Jersey Choral Society will be collecting nonperishable food items at each concert. Donated food items can be deposited in one of the receptacles in the lobby.

The Center for Food Action is a non-profit organization that provides emergency food, rental and utility assistance, counseling and advocacy for people in need. Advance tickets are $20.00 for general admission, $17.00 for students, seniors, and patrons with disabilities, and $12 for children 12 and under (Add $5.00 at the door). Season subscriptions and group discounts are available. The West Side Presbyterian Church and the Church of the Immaculate Conception are wheelchair accessible and large print and Braille programs are available with two weeks notice. For reservations or more information, call the New Jersey Choral Society at (201) 379-7719 or visithttps://www.njcs.org. Funding has been made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, through grant funds administered by the Bergen County Department of Parks, Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs.

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>Comin’ this summer… $5 gas

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theridgewoodblog GAS

 Comin’ this summer… $5 gas

By PAUL THARP

Last Updated: 7:10 AM, May 29, 2011

Posted: 10:34 PM, May 28, 2011

The forecast for the summer driving season: Hit the road early. Not to beat the traffic, but to beat the higher gas prices expected in mid-July.

Goldman Sachs’ crystal ball is proclaiming that oil will soon soar to $135 a barrel, and likely have service stations jacking up fuel prices to $5 a gallon in New York just like the summer of 2008 that preceded the recession.

Read more: https://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/the_living_easy_the_driving_is_hard_9mzb1aAfj4bpC8X63YYKhI#ixzz1NqkN5PXr

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>Taxpayers’ Guide to Education Spending – May 2011

>Taxpayers’ Guide to Education Spending – May 2011
Introduction

The Taxpayers’ Guide to Education Spending (Taxpayers’ Guide) provides officials and the public the opportunity to view and compare all dollars spent on students for which public schools must provide services.  Since previously reported per pupil costs did not include all expenditures, the Department has created a new variable that includes the total amount that is actually spent on students from preschool through grade 12.

 The “Total Spending” calculation enhances the Budgetary Per Pupil Cost (formerly known as the Total Comparative Cost) by adding previously omitted categories of spending.  Specifically, the Department added the following expenditures to arrive at the total  spending number:  transportation, special revenues, pension and benefits paid by the state, facilities (including debt service), equipment, total food services, judgments against the school district, and tuition/costs for students sent out of district (except payments to Charter schools). Consistent with the decision to include tuition for students sent out of district, the associated students are added to the enrollment denominator.

In addition to the new total spending measure, the Budgetary Per Pupil Cost Indicators are included to allow districts to review and compare various components of a school district’s annual budgeted data with other districts in the state through a series of “indicators” presenting costs on a per pupil basis. The Budgetary Per Pupil Cost is the amount that districts publish in their User-Friendly Budgets prior to the school election. It was formerly called the “Total Comparative Cost.” Unless otherwise noted in the indicator descriptions, districts are ranked from lowest to highest
costs.

https://www.state.nj.us/education/guide/2011/intro.pdf

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