NJEA experiences an honest moment, admits not giving a damn about school quality
March 13, 2015
By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog
You and I know that the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) cares about two things, Save Jerseyans: preservation of their power, wielded through the accrual of money and politics.
Kids, parents and yes, teachers, be damned. But they don’t always come right out and say it.
Sometimes they do. Who can forget how back in 2012 then-NJEA Executive Director Vincent Giordano went on TV and told New Jersey’s poor families stuck in crappy public school districts sorry, “life’s not always fair.”
Next up: at the 2015 NJSCERA Conference on Virtual & Blended Learning held on Wednesday, the NJEA’s Marguerite Schroder (note: their website says she’s a “student organizer” but, no offense, she looks a little long-in-the-tooth to be a student so I’m not exactly sure what her duties include… maybe it’s like community organizing?) admitted to Bob Bowdon of the pro-school organization Choice Media that NO, her organization wouldn’t support a non-unionized school even if it was high quality:
Mark Cuban: Forgiving student loans is ‘bailout’ for universities
March 13, 2015
Victor Skinner
DALLAS – Dallas Mavericks owner and billionaire investor Mark Cuban is waving red flags at higher education, and he’s arguing against the idea to forgive student debt amid the current “student-loan bubble.”
“Forgiving the debt is the worst thing you can do, because all it does is bail out the universities,” Cuban recently told Business Insider.
Cuban’s comments come a week after Sweet Briar College announced it will close following the spring 2015 semester “as a result of insurmountable financial challenges,” according to the news site.
The closure is the latest in what Cuban calls a “student loan bubble” brought on by a cycle of ever-increasing tuition and student loans. Cuban, who bought collegedebt.com to keep tabs on student loan debt, believes it’s simply a matter of time before the benefits of higher education are outweighed by the costs.
“What you thought you were going to get in quality of life by going to that college,” he told Business Insider, “you’ve just undermined with the amount of debt you’re taking on.”
Collegedebt.com shows student loan debt in the United States currently totals about $1.3 trillion.
Cuban told Business Insider that an initiative laid out by President Obama this week to help students with federal student loans may have some merit, but cautioned against a college debt bailout.
“Anything that causes lenders and service companies to act fairly is a good thing,” he said. “The challenge is that you can’t subsidize or forgive existing debt without very strict rules. Otherwise it allows schools to tell future students not to worry. They too will get some portion forgiven. Which in turn gives the school more leeway to raise tuition.”
Cuban said he thinks a bailout would only exasperate the current situation.
After news of the Sweet Briar College closure last week, Cuban tweeted “this is just the beginning of the college implosion.”
“At some point,” he said, the student loan bubble is “going to pop.”
Cuban told Inc.’s GrowCo conference last year that if he was “running the economy, I’d go and say, ‘Sallie Mae, the maximum amount that you’re allowed to guarantee for any student in a year is $10,000, period, end of story,’” according to Business Insider.
“There’s all kinds of things that have been proposed to reduce existing student debt,” he said. “At some point, there’s got to be legislation where we put a limit on how much you can take out on a loan.”
NJEA rep slams Hespe testimony on PARCC exams, calls it ‘frustrating’
TRENTON — Leaders of New Jersey’s largest teachers union weren’t convinced by Department of Education Commissioner David Hespe’s testimony on PARCC exams in front of the Senate Education Committee this morning.
In fact, they’ve still got “real concerns” about the test’s roll out. (Brush/PolitickerNJ)
Commissioner Hespe Talks PARCC Testing to Senate Education Committee
Given the debate swirling around the new PARCC assessments — not to mention the muted roar over the testing itself — state Education Commissioner David Hespe should have plenty to say when he goes before the State Senate education committee this morning to answer questions from legislators.
The discussion is sure to get another jolt from the two pending bills that could significantly affect the testing going forward: one to put a moratorium on using the new tests for evaluating students, teachers, and schools and another setting a statewide policy for families who want their kids to sit out the tests. (Mooney/NJSpotlight)
WOW : Ridgewood BOE gives preliminary OK to $101M budget
MARCH 11, 2015, 6:47 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2015, 6:48 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — The Board of Education has preliminarily approved a $101 million budget for next school year that would raise taxes for the average village homeowner by nearly $200.
The proposed spending plan, which Ridgewood’s school board will submit to the county for review, includes a 2 percent local school tax levy increase.
Those who owned a home with the village’s average assessed value of $690,662 will pay $194.65 more in school taxes next year.
Readers say Tragic Window Jumper give cause for Concern ,but does over protection of kids do more harm than good ?
Is added safety just a distraction from real threats to our childern?Here’s an idea. Let’s have all kids just stay at home in their protective cocoons. The Village will provide private tutors for all of them. That way, they are completely safe. No more snow days. No threat of abduction by pedophiles. Yes, let’s continue to bubble-wrap our kids. I didn’t make the “gender” comment, but I think the writer was of the opinion that it’s another example of the femininization of society, where women have this instinct to protect us.
…..An upstairs window that can easily be flung open is a hazard. Children do not understand all the risks, they see super heroes flying on TV, they are melodramatic. It is the job of adults to protect them in reasonable ways. Making windows difficult to open wide makes complete sense, and it should be done at the schools. This horrible tragedy could have been prevented. This poor child’s impulsive fatal act would never have happened. Let us learn from this . I can guarantee that if this had been a Ridgewood incident, windows would be secured immediately.
When we over-react to incidents we create unexpected harms and we create tax burdens. In fact, were it an event we should react to, it would likely not even be a news story. Suicide, obesity, drug addiction, car accidents. These events really kill kids. Falls from windows?–Not so much. Spend those precious resources where they do the most good, not where the latest news story points.
RHS Boys Basketball: Freshman team a fine fit for longtime Ridgewood coach
MARCH 6, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MATTHEW BIRCHENOUGH
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
RIDGEWOOD — The natural progression for many coaches at the high school level is to start out at the freshman or JV ranks before landing a job leading a varsity squad.
Ridgewood High School freshman boys basketball coach John Fiocchi climbed that ladder years ago, but the descent back down the rungs of the high school game has been just as a rewarding.
“This has been the most fun I’ve had: coaching the freshmen,” Fiocchi said last Friday, shortly after receiving an award from the Bergen County Coaches Association recognizing his role in staging the Bergen County Freshman Tournament the past 20 years.
For tournament director Joe DelBuono, the honor — presented to Fiocchi at halftime of the championship game at RHS — was long overdue.
“He’s dedicated himself to the tournament for over 20 years,” DelBuono said. “It’s about time that someone recognized that he does this, and it’s a good thing for the younger coaches to see too — that you dedicate yourself and you get some appreciation for it.”
Fiocchi has served on the tournament selection committee for more than 20 years and has been instrumental in coordinating the use of Ridgewood facilities every year for the tournament semifinals and finals, leading many to refer to the tournament as “The Road to Ridgewood,” according to DelBuono.
While the coach of more than 40 years is seemingly on top of everything when it comes to the freshman tournament, the recognition took him by surprise.
RHS Wrestling : Ridgewood 182-pounder has high hopes heading to states
MARCH 6, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MATTHEW BIRCHENOUGH
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
There’s just one wrestler still standing for the Ridgewood High School team that defied expectations all season long.
Junior Kyle Inlander earned a third-place finish at last weekend’s Region 2 tournament to clinch a spot in this weekend’s state tournament, which starts later today at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
“I’m really excited to compete on the big stage, and I’ve put everything I have into this moment,” Inlander, a 182-pounder, said by phone Wednesday night.
“I couldn’t be more proud of Kyle,” RHS head coach Torre Watson said in a phone interview Tuesday. “He’s focused on trying to do the best he could for this team and make it out for the tournament. Him being the one to represent our team is just a tremendous feat.”
Ten Ridgewood wrestlers competed in the region tournament held at Bergen Community College. The Maroons had 11 qualifiers — junior Julian Bangash had to drop out due to injury — after a dominant performance in the District 6 tournament held the previous weekend, in which nine RHS wrestlers reached individuals finals and four captured titles.
RHS didn’t repeat that level of success at regions, but for good reason.
Boy Dies After Leaping From 2nd-Floor Window of New Jersey Elementary School in Apparent Suicide: Source
By Brian Thompson
Updated at 10:38 PM EST on Friday, Mar 6, 2015
A student at a New Jersey elementary school plunged to his death from a second-story window in what police are investigating as a suicide, a law enforcement source familiar with the case tells NBC 4 New York.
The boy, in fifth grade at Grant Elementary School in Dumont, was initially taken to a hospital in critical condition after the jump around noon Friday, authorities say. The source said he later died at Hackensack University Medical Center later in the afternoon.
A law enforcement source said the boy got into a dispute with a classmate during a game of chess. Afterward, the boy passed his classmate a note, then went to the window, opened it and jumped, the source said.
Schools superintendent Emmanuel Triggiano said there were other students in the classroom at the time.
Ridgewood NJ, In late February, 108 RHS students attended the DECA State Career Development Conference. Students completed exams, role play scenarios, and presentations, with the top three in each event moving onto the International Career Development Conference to be held in Orlando, Florida.
The RHS chapter took home a variety of awards and honors from the week’s events. RHS DECA will be sending over 30 students to the international competition. Among those honored at the Cherry Hill competition was junior Alex Formichella, who was elected as a New Jersey state officer. She is only the third RHS student to win this distinction.
Dads’ Night performances set for this weekend in Ridgewood
March 5, 2015 Last updated: Thursday, March 5, 2015, 3:10 PM
By By Tiffany Katehakis
Staff Writer |
The Ridgewood News
There aren’t many opportunities to see grown men dress up in the costumes of their children’s favorite character.
But the fathers who are a part of Somerville-Hawes Dads’ Night set the bar pretty high when it comes to doing things for their kids.
The organization, now in its 71st year, has become a brotherhood of sorts, spanning multiple generations.
The event now has more dads participating than ever before.
This year Dads’ Night returns with two performances at the Benjamin Franklin Middle School auditorium at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 6 and 3 p.m. Saturday, March 7. The free show is general admission seating.
Perhaps it is the silliness of it all that these dads embrace that becomes the element that bonds them together.
The show is written, produced, and stars Ridgewood fathers with kids in the elementary schools.
MARCH 6, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Students should expect to begin classes before Labor Day this coming fall as the 2015-2016 Ridgewood Public Schools calendar, approved on Feb. 23, features an early start, among other minor tweaks.
Although opinions were varied on the individual decisions the Board of Education had to consider, trustees were ultimately able to build a general consensus and approve the new calendar by a 4-1 vote.
Board President Sheila Brogan, Vice President B. Vincent Loncto and trustees Christina Krauss and James Morgan all voted in favor of the updated calendar.
The final calendar contains a convocation date of Aug. 31, which is a Monday, for teachers and staff, followed by a professional development day and students arriving on Sept. 2.
A three-day break will take place from Feb. 15 through Feb. 17 and the last day of school for students – Ridgewood High School (RHS) graduation – will fall on June 20, 2016. The calendar also includes two built-in snow days.
Ridgewood Wrestling rolls to third straight district crown
MARCH 3, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015, 11:11 AM
BY MATTHEW BIRCHENOUGH
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
FAIR LAWN – Sporting a supportive wrap around his right shoulder and bulky brace on his left knee, Ridgewood High School senior Roger Toral departed the wrestling mat, turned to a legion of Maroons backers and raised his arms in exultation with both index fingers pointing upward, making it clear where he and his team stood at last weekend’s District 6 tournament.
Despite battling a shoulder injury since the opening week of the season – and spraining his MCL days before the tournament – the 132-pounder persevered for a 3-1 decision over Fair Lawn’s Alex Eligur to capture an individual title and help lead the Maroons to an overwhelming team victory, their third straight district triumph, last Saturday at Fair Lawn High School.
“Roger is a heart-and-soul kid, and what he did, in the midst of the adversity that he faced, that’s the story of the team,” RHS head coach Torre Watson said.
Ridgewood continually hasfound a way to exceed expectations this season, shaking off significant graduation losses to compile an 18-6 record and earn the program’s first-ever home state-tournament match earlier this month.
“We’re able to overcome anything,” Toral said. “There were problems presented to us, and we were able to work around them.”
MARCH 4, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015, 1:21 AM
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — Mark Biedron, the president of the state Board of Education, will meet next week with village residents to address questions and concerns about Common Core standards and the computer-based PARCC tests.
Marlene Burton said she will open her Liberty Street home to accommodate Biedron’s visit to Ridgewood on Tuesday.
Burton said she’s moving furniture out of her house to make room for the 60-plus residents expected to attend the forum with Biedron. State education officials also confirmed the event.
Burton said Biedron agreed to the Ridgewood meeting following an email exchange on Common Core issues and the controversial PARCC tests.
The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. at 123 Liberty St.
PROFILE: STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION PRESIDENT BRINGS UNIQUE PEDIGREE TO POST
JOHN MOONEY | JANUARY 7, 2015
Mark Biedron cofounded a progressive private school that’s a far cry from the testing-centric culture of public schools
Mark Biedron, president of the state Board of Education.
Name: Mark Biedron
Title: President of the State Board of Education, 2014 to present. Appointed to the board in 2011 by Gov. Chris Christie.
Why he matters: Biedron has taken an activist role in leading the 13-member board that is responsible for reviewing and approving state administrative code and school regulations. He has traveled the state to query stakeholders and pressed the administration to explain its policies, from testing to school monitoring.
Where he comes from: The board president is a cofounder of the Willow School in Gladstone, a small independent school that focuses on ethics and language as the cornerstones of its curriculum. Founded with his former wife in 2002, the school’s progressive model is quite a bit different from the testing-focused culture of the public education system that Biedron is now charged with overseeing.
Not incongruous: Biedron maintains that for all the evident differences, he feels that public schools are moving toward a more holistic approach to education via the new Common Core State Standards and the advent of PARCC (Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) testing.
Quote: “In the old way and my way of learning, it was to put answers on paper. But your look at PARCC and Common Core, while not perfect, it is about how you got to the answers.”
Not happening fast enough: “I am the first person to say that testing doesn’t show everything about a student, but we have to take a lot of steps moving from Point A to Point B … This big behemoth called education moves slowly.”
How he started a school: Biedron said he was looking for a school for his children that would address both personal virtues and academic rigor, and finding none, he and his former wife were left with the decision to either move or start their own school. They decided on the latter.
