A new state law requires New Jersey’s Department of Education to study the feasibility and potential benefits or consequences of starting school later at middle and high schools. (Adam Clark, NJ.com) https://www.nj.com/education/
RIDGEWOOD SCHOOL BOARD MEETS ON AUGUST 24, 2015
The Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday, August 24 2015 at 5 p.m.
The public is invited to attend the meeting at the Ed Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3. The meeting will be aired live on FiOS channel 33 and Optimum channel 77. Or it may be viewed live via the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us using the “Link in Live” tab.
Click here to view the agenda and addendum for the July 20, 2015 Regular Public Meeting.
AUGUST 8, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
New Jersey middle and high schools start their day on average at 8 a.m. — on par with other schools in the nation but too early for students to get a good night’s sleep, according to medical experts.
And that, in turn, can contribute to a host of health problems for adolescents, those experts say.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a state-by-state analysis this week showing that school start times for 2012, the most recently available data, averaged 8:03 a.m.
The report came less than a year after the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that middle and high schools begin their days no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Only 17.7 percent of schools — and 14.9 percent in New Jersey — started at 8:30 a.m. or later.
“Getting enough sleep is important for students’ health, safety, and academic performance,” said Anne Wheaton, lead author and epidemiologist in the CDC’s Division of Population Health. “Early school start times, however, are preventing many adolescents from getting the sleep they need.”
Students should get 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep, according to the CDC. Insufficient sleep is common among high school students and is associated with such health risks as being overweight, drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, and using drugs — as well as poor grades, the agency said in its report.
In New Jersey, school start times have been debated for years, but the debate intensified after the pediatrics academy released its 2014 policy paper.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/is-lack-of-sleep-harming-kids-1.1389120
AUGUST 7, 2015, 7:51 PM LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2015, 11:48 PM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
The freewheeling summer celebrated in countless songs and poems isn’t so carefree for many students who come home from school in June with hefty homework assignments that span grades and subjects.
Summer homework isn’t a new thing, but it is a big topic year after year, especially when it spills into family vacation and weekend activities. In one high school, students are even petitioning for homework equity, saying it should be given to all students or none at all.
Parents are conflicted, with some pushing back or grudgingly accepting it, while others say the work keeps kids sharp and competitive and makes the school year easier. Yet all parents seem to long for the summers of their youth when they read what they wanted — if they wanted — and didn’t have the stress of schoolwork hanging over their heads.
“What gets lost is the opportunity for a kid to pick up a book and say, ‘I’ve been dying to read this,’” said Randi Asher, a Glen Rock parent and a homework critic. “To have that entire summer to throw yourself into nature and to experience learning in a way that is different from an assignment. It’s not that they don’t have that opportunity. There is the whole summer, but this detracts from that.”
August 6,2015
Ridgewood NJ, Michele Lenhard has resigned from the Ridgewood Board of Education (BOE) effective Aug. 1, stepping down from the elected position she has held since 2007. School officials told The Ridgewood News this week that Lenhard is relocating out of the district. ( https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/ridgewood-school-board-member-resigns-1.1387946 )
The Ridgewood Board of Education is seeking a qualified candidate to fill a mid-term vacancy on the Ridgewood Board of Education. The vacancy became effective on August 1, 2015.
The Board is delegated by law to serve the children of Ridgewood as the policy-making legislative branch of the School District. Responsibilities of the Board are to:
Monitor student achievement. Set district policies and goals. Provide financial oversight. Approve Human Resources recommendations and hire and evaluate the superintendent. Serve as the communications link between the community and the school district.
To fill vacancies on the Board of Education. Board members are required to attend meetings approximately twice a month and serve on committees that require an additional time commitment.
This position will be effective through our Reorganization Meeting in January 2017. This position will be placed on the ballot at the annual election, scheduled in November 2016. The winner will fill a regular three-year term from January 2017 through January 2020.
Legal Requirements: To become a member of a local Board of Education in New Jersey, you must be: A citizen of the United States of America At least 18 years of age Able to read and write A resident of Ridgewood for at least one (1) year preceding the date of the appointment Have no interest in any contract with, or claim, against the Board Registered to vote in the district Not disqualified as a voter pursuant to NJSA 19:4-1
To Apply: Any qualified Ridgewood resident interested in filling the vacancy on the Ridgewood Board of Education should pick up an application at the Education Center or download one from our website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us and then submit a letter of interest, application and resume by 4 p.m. on September 15, 2015 to: Dr. Alfredo Aguilar ([email protected]) Board Secretary 49 Cottage Place Ridgewood, NJ 07451 The Board of Education will review all applications submitted and interview legally qualified candidates at the public meeting on September 21, 2015. Candidates will be advised of the interview schedule. Any questions should be directed to Dr. Aguilar at [email protected] or 201-670-2700 ext. 10503.
AUGUST 5, 2015, 11:26 AM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2015, 12:00 PM
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SOMERVILLE — A New Jersey judge has ruled that the parents of alleged bullies cannot be held financially liable for their children’s actions.
The ruling came Monday in a lawsuit against the Flemington-Raritan and Central Regional School Districts by the family of a boy who claims to have been bullied by others, saying the schools did not do enough to stop it despite years of complaints.
The school districts attempted to have the parents of 13 alleged bullies held responsible for negligence, arguing that parents share responsibility for their children’s actions even when they’re at school.
Their children are accused of making fun of the boy’s weight, using anti-gay slurs, throwing pasta at him and pulling down his pants. The lawsuit from the alleged victim, now a teenager, did not seek to hold individual classmates responsible.
Ridgewood NJ, School board incumbent Vince Loncto is running unopposed for another three-year term on the five-member Ridgewood Board of Education. Loncto currently serves as BOE vice president.
In 2013, the Ridgewood school board voted to move its election from April to the general election in November. The move also eliminated the public vote on the school budget, as long as the annual school tax increase remains under 2 percent. Election Day is now Tuesday, Nov. 3.
We live in the Hawes district but on the other side of Rt 17N. The school is so crowded that our new neighbors have been told that their Kindergarten daughter cannot go to Hawes but will be bussed to yet another school. If Ridgewood is so overcrowded WITHOUT those apartments, what will happen when they come in? And the school children inventory was not done in any of the garden apartments in town, just the one high rise on Maple. We all know the reason for that!
Taking a population count in the garden apartments would prove that the builder’s have no idea how many children would live in the new apartments, as a good number live in the garden apartments. I really don’t understand why our Planning Board, and now our Council, have not bothered to make our town Planner do something other than” the devil is in the details.”
Posted by Matt Rooney On August 03, 2015 11 Comments
By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog
Governor Chris Christie’s CNN interview continues to elicit strong reactions, Save Jerseyans, and the problem with this controversy, as with similar incidents, is that most folks are focusing on the style points. It’s among the regrettable byproducts of our presidential politics, cultural decline, and hyper-politicization of the education industry. But those are topics for another post…
What about the substance?
Let’s revisit, briefly, what these teachers’ unions are all about and objectively decide whether they deserve to exist (I’m not pulling any punches):
10) The union establishment’s demands are as unrealistic as they’ve been fiscally ruinous. NJEA members will donate $126,000 to pension and health benefits over 30 years but stand to collect $2.4 million in return. Who thought this was a good idea??? Are all of the calculators broken in Trenton? Of course not. It’s all part of an elaborate, decades-old double-whammy of vote buying and problem avoidance. Instead of hating Chris Christie, teachers should direct their ire to the politicians on their own union’s campaign season payroll. They did it.
9) Their chosen tactics are disgusting. Wisconsin’s recent experienceswere horrific, and the physical/verbal violence perpetrated by Big Labor’s storm troopers was 100% one-sided.
8) The system these unions ferociously protect is failing our country’s most vulnerable children, especially those students living in poorer, minority-concentrated school districts. Click here to check out my lengthy run-down of Camden High School’s plight (catalyzed by a give-and-take with my liberal friend of Inky fame Kevin Riordan) for the uncomfortable truth.
7) American Teachers’ unions = Democrat Party affiliates. After self-preservation, the teacher union establishment is primarily concerned with protecting the Democrats whose policies protect their power. A good faith union would avoid colluding with one political party or the other, pursuing and prioritizing the best interests of its membership and their children. Not the teacher’s unions; in this state and most others, and certainly nationally as Chris Christie pointed out, they function as a Democrat Super PAC. The American Federation of Teachers has already endorsed Hillary Clinton before either party held its first debate!
6) Dues tied up in waste and hypocrisy… so teachers lose, too: The NJEA collects a 9-figure annual sum in teachers’ taxpayer paycheck-derived dues; its regular and political arms spend many millions more in lobbying and both direct and indirect campaigning activity to influence public police. What do its members have to show for it???
5) Therefore, these unions have a financial incentive to protect bad dues-paying teachers at the expense of the education system. Much has been written on this topic but John Stossel did a particularly good job of illustrating how difficult it is to purge the suck; it’s a crisis that’s turned even hardened union veterans against the tenure-centric system.
https://savejersey.com/2015/08/chris-christie-teacher-union-punch-video-facts/
AUGUST 3, 2015 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2015, 11:10 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Al Annunziata, district representative from the New Jersey School Boards Association, presented his findings last month on a self-evaluation that Ridgewood Board of Education members undertook earlier this year.
The evaluation, which takes place once a year, includes categories like superintendent relations and board-staff relationships, with scores ranging from zero to a possible high of four. Any score below a 3.0 warrants extra attention, as that is an area that is clearly struggling, Annunziata said.
A look at Ridgewood’s scores showed that almost all of them were very high, exhibiting the high regard the board members have for the school system, and demonstrating their satisfaction with current arrangements, he said.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/board-hears-results-of-self-evaluation-1.1385442
JULY 30, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2015, 11:07 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Ridgewood will have a new maintenance company serving its schools this upcoming year.
Aramark, a food service, facilities and clothing provider, will be taking on the role in 2015-2016, providing services to the district.
“Thank you for allowing us to serve this community,” said Patrick Gallagher, New Jersey district manager for Aramark, at last week’s Board of Education meeting. “We’re very excited about this opportunity.”
“We’re committed to work with problems as they arise, with the goal of service improvement and support for the district, district’s administration and goals,” said Joseph Aidala, general manager of Aramark Education.
The company, founded in 1959, has served schools, sports facilities and healthcare centers.
“Our on-site management team is active throughout the district and is interacting with our employees and the district stakeholders,” Aidala said. “Our sites are currently on a summer cleaning program for the school opening.”
For the summer cleaning, Aramark not only makes sure everything is neat, but also examines everything in the classrooms and offices, ensuring all is in working order, company officials said.
JULY 31, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Wealth shouldn’t determine future of community
To the Editor:
The litigation with Valley Hospital over its $780 million expansion plan is in the news again. I’m having a lot of trouble trying to reconcile Valley’s position with my understanding of what democracy is all about. I thought the people in the village, through elected officials, determine the nature of the village. We have established a master plan that presumably gives guidelines of a general nature about the village, such as defining ourselves as a residential community as opposed to, say, a home for heavy industry like the oil refineries that we see from the NJ Turnpike. We also have zoning specifying the maximum height of buildings, etc. All these plans and regulations were established by officials elected by the citizens of Ridgewood.
Now along comes Valley who seems to be saying: “Your master plan and zoning regulations are restricting our expansionary vision. Change your regulations!” Valley has been here for a long time, and it certainly knew our regulations when it decided to build and operate in Ridgewood, but now it has decided it wants to change the regulations established by the citizens of Ridgewood. Hmm. I know a number of people who have settled in Ridgewood because they like the community as it is, its ambiance, its schools, its zoning and other regulations. If we now give in to Valley, have we not abandoned an implicit trust?
The Valley litigation says to me democracy is not about the majority of citizens deciding on our regulations. No, instead it says to me it’s about wealth deciding the fate of the community. Valley, with its $780 million allocated for expansion (where did a non-profit, suburban hospital get $780 million anyway?), can out-litigate the Village of Ridgewood simply because the village doesn’t have Valley’s budget of discretionary funds. This is democracy?
Martin Cohen
Ridgewood
$40 + Million for BOE Ridgewood Schools All renovations
$15 Million for VOR Parking Garage bonded by public funds
$5 Million for Ridgewood Library renovations (mix of private / public funds)
$ ? Millions ? Unknown for Performing arts center Building next to library/VOR
Running Total Estimates so far at $60 + MILLION
Estimates are just that, estimates, and tend to go over.
Lots of questions need to be asked about the funding of these Wish Lists projects. Detailed answers to specific financials, the percentages of NJ State funding/ VOR / public funding needed to be appropriated for these projects, as well as the County and NJ Transit in the case for the parking garage with the expected/ projected parking revenues. What would be the time line for all these debts to be paid off, and the breakdown on the taxpayers.
JULY 28, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2015, 9:38 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Representatives of architecture firm EI Associates gave estimates on the cost of renovations to Ridgewood school buildings at last Monday’s Board of Education meeting.
“Over the past school year, we have been working with EI on some facility projects,” said Superintendent of Schools Daniel Fishbein. “The focus of tonight is on the facility review of all our schools.”
Mike Wozney, the director of all educational projects at EI Associates, described the way in which the firm travels to schools, inspects buildings, and estimates how much it would cost to spruce them up. However, as Wozney made clear, the numbers are hypothetical, and subject to change.
“These numbers are conceptual in nature,” Wozney said. “Any time we do a project for a district, we first identify the deficiency; put a budgetary number to it. As you move that project along, the next step would be schematic design. The numbers would be more accurate, and obviously with a detailed design, very accurate.”
https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/renovation-costs-reviewed-by-ridgewood-district-1.1381853
JULY 27, 2015 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, JULY 27, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY GREG MATTURA
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
John Driscoll has set his sights on winning the New Jersey Junior Championship and has given himself five years to do it.
New Jersey’s reigning Boys champion is foregoing his final two years of eligibility in that 15-and-under division and stepping up in class against many of the Garden State’s premier 18-year-olds.
The 14-year-old from Ridgewood hopes to join a prestigious list of golfers who have won the New Jersey State Golf Association’s Boys and Junior titles since the former debuted in 1971. Six have won both, most recently Wayne’s Anthony Alex in 2009.
“I just wanted to give myself an opportunity to do it,” Driscoll said.
The 94th Junior and 45th Boys championships open today at Rumson Country Club and Driscoll, an incoming freshman at Don Bosco, will compete against golfers who in the spring were chosen All-State by the New Jersey PGA and in late summer will head to college.
“To be honest, my goal is just to make match play in the Junior,” said Driscoll, who plays out of Arcola CC in Paramus, “because I know there’s a lot of good players there. And I know if you can make match play, anything can happen. That was my mind-set last year.”
The Junior has a field of 77 who today will compete in an 18-hole, stroke-play qualifier, with the low 16 advancing to Tuesday morning’s first round of match play. The final is Wednesday afternoon.
https://www.northjersey.com/sports/golf/ridgewood-s-driscoll-steps-up-in-class-1.1381447
