I sincerely hope our Board of Education can remain strong against these union boss Thugs. ( I hate to say it because many teachers don’t want to picket and would be happy to sign what is offered. Their top officers have nothing better to do than prove how superior they are to other leaders and would gladly use “Sticks and stones” since it appears “names will never hurt our RBA.”) And students, you will get better recommendations from people who actually know you than a teacher who has lots of students.
Teachers in Ridgewood complain about being paid less than other “professionals” or similarly educated folks – just a crock! (Really do not consider their behavior “professional” in any respect.) They have it made in our town and are holding the taxpayers hostage. Most of us are tired of your whining and livid at how you are taking this out on the kids and most of us do not speak up because we know you will retaliate against our children. Shame on you!
My vote is “NO” until the BOE settles the teacher contract. I have a feeling I am not alone in my thinking. My kids are in High School now. I am in NEED of teacher recommendations, etc……. I’ll be darned if I will support a tax increase for 5/6 year olds to socialize.
Ridgewood had a full day kindergarten at Hawes school 25 years ago. Were records kept as to how successfully that worked out? They had to quit when class sizes became too big. All our elementary schools have an extra classroom to be used for kindergarten? And extra teachers and aides must be hired (and provided with benefits for life.) This is a very costly endeavor.
Ridgewood students have very little free time to participate in all the activities this town offers. We did not have all these options years ago, but my child was still cranky and tired when he came home from a full day of kindergarten.
“High Performing” is a second tier ranking. Valley was not ranked or rated in any of those adult specialties. Sorry Audrey, a little research goes a long way. “In addition to broader specialty categories like orthopedics and urology, U.S. News evaluates hospitals in certain common medical procedures and conditions. Rather than a numerical ranking, hospitals are given a rating of high performing, average or below average in each category.”
Audrey is overpaid for running a single hospital not a system. Why aren’t they paying Village property taxes? Where’s our new Council in this? $4mn is 10% of the annual Municipal budget. Would mean property tax cuts for residents.
TRAFFIC ALERT – N. MONROE AND W. GLEN INTERSECTION – AUGUST 30 & SEPT 1
August 30,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Tuesday, August 30 and Thursday , September 1 – PSEG will be working in the intersection of N. Monroe St. and W. Glen Ave. Travel through that intersection is going to be difficult and at some times not available. Wednesday they will be working between N. Monroe St. and Erie Ave. Ridgewood Police are coordinating with Midland Park during this entire time for traffic control. A detour plan has been put in place and posted.
1) Historicall (pre-07) people still hung around because home prices were going up. 2% a year in taxes does not matter as long as your house’s value is going by by 6-7% a year. Home prices are at best flat now, if not declining. The 2.5% and ever growing property tax is coming out of people’s pockets now.
2) Wall St (finance generally) was on a 30 year tear till 2007. That is the NYC area’s main driver. Accordingly, the riches drifted to places like Ridgewood. That gig is OVER. I work in the industry – trust me. That gig is done. People are lucky to hang on to their jobs, forget compensation. The replacement tech folks want to live in ‘city-like’ environments. Condo prices in NYC and surrounding towns have gone up at double-digit rates per year for 4-5 years running now. Home prices are at best flat in Ridgewood.
3) Schools are not a function of teachers, they are a function of students. Being a top school district attracts parents who are interested in education, and that is a self reinforcing dynamic. The reverse is also true – once you drop out of the top rankings, you stop attracting top students. Ridgewood is no longer a ‘top school district’ compared to places like Teaneck, Short Hills, Baskin Ridge etc.
4) Ridgewood taxes are higher (on a % of property market value basis) than even Short Hills, let alone neighborhood Bergen County towns, all with similarly rated schools. And despite paying higher taxes than everywhere else, and more than ever paid in Ridgewood’s history, you have greedy teachers striking and looking for various ways to make life difficult for students as payback. And this will only get worse once Obamacare taxes kick in and the teachers force taxpayers to pick up the 40% excise tax tab on their platinum insurance plans.
So to summarize,
1) The main supporting industry is in sharp decline
2) Home prices are no longer increasing
3) Taxes are at national highs and only likely to increase further
4) School district ranking is falling and will get worse
This combination has not existed so far. In fact, the reverse did. That was history. This is reality.
I curse the day I bought a house in the place. My kids are still too young so I am likely stuck, and am going to live through the decline. Assuming, of course, my industry even has a place for me till then.
Ridgewood NJ, according to the website ,”LEON Mexican is a modern Mexican Restaurant offering its customers a large variety of fresh vegetables, meats, pleasing dining area with striking contemporary design. Our Restaurant features Classical Mexican favorites such as tacos, quesadillas, fajitas, burritos, ceviche, table side guacamole, tortilla chips and tomato salsa which are freshly prepared on premises. All of our vegetarian dishes contain no meat stock including our rice & beans.”
LEON Mexican is a modern Mexican Restaurant with a fairly simple mission statement.
“We believe in fresh, and we believe in quality. Our ingredients are one of the finest ones chosen from a large variety of fresh vegetables & all natural meats. We never pre-cook or pre-freeze any food on our premises. Everything on the menu is made once order is placed.
Leon features classic Mexican favorites such as tacos, quesadillas, fajitas, burritos, ceviche, table side guacamole, tortilla chips and tomato salsa which are freshly prepared everyday. Unlike most Mexican restaurants, all of our vegetarian dishes contain no meat stock including our rice & beans.Colorful rustic walls, antique mirrors, cactus pots and spice jars ,elaborate indoor bougainvilleas add up to a very authentic ambience, along with some folk mariachi music in the background, welcome to our little Mexico in the heart of Ridgewood.”
HOURS
Everyday: 12Noon – 10PM
ADDRESS
16 Chestnut Street
(Between E. Ridgewood & Franklin Avenue)
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Location: RHS Stadium, 627 E. Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Ridgewood NJ, On Saturday, September 10, 2016, players from all three levels of the men’s and women’s high school soccer teams, including Freshman, Junior Varsity and Varsity, will play home games at Ridgewood High School. “Super Soccer Saturday” as the day has come to be called, is a special day for all soccer players in town when more than 200 youth and high school players and their families gather at Ridgewood High School to celebrate the beautiful game of soccer.
The day kicks off at 11:00 am and the six high school teams will play rival teams continuously until 9 pm. A highlight of Super Soccer Saturday is the parade of youth players who accompany the Varsity teams onto the field during the pregame ceremonies. All members of the Ridgewood community are
encouraged to come out for Super Soccer Saturday and support the high school players.
Proceeds from sponsorships and from food and merchandise sales will help support both the men’s and women’s soccer programs. Donations from Super Soccer Saturday will also benefit Amy McCambridge, a Ridgewood mother, Marine Corps veteran, former RHS soccer player and Maroons Soccer coach who is dealing with health issues.
We are seeking businesses to sponsor this event. Your support of this event at any level would be
greatly appreciated. All sponsors will be acknowledged on the event t-shirts.
Thank you in advance for your consideration.
Ridgewoood NJ, The Valley Hospital has been recognized as one of the best hospitals in the region, ranking as the fifth best hospital in New Jersey and the 14th best hospital in the New York metropolitan area for 2016-2017, according to U.S. News & World Report.
In addition, Valley achieved the highest possible rating – high performing – in all nine common procedures and conditions that are rated by U.S. News & World Report: abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, aortic valve surgery, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), colon cancer surgery, heart bypass surgery, heart failure, hip replacement, knee replacement and lung cancer surgery.
“These distinctions are a reflection of our longstanding commitment to providing excellent clinical care and service,” said Audrey Meyers, President and CEO of The Valley Hospital and Valley Health System.
U.S. News evaluates nearly 5,000 hospitals nationwide, said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis at U.S. News. “A hospital that emerged from our analysis as one of the best has much to be proud of.”
The U.S. News Best Hospital rankings, now in their 27th year, help guide patients to hospitals that deliver outstanding care across 25 specialties, procedures and conditions. The Best Hospitals methodologies factor in objective measures such as patient survival, the number of times a given procedure is performed, infection rates, adequacy of nurse staffing and more.
For 2016-17, 153 hospitals were ranked in at least one specialty, while 1,628 received a high performing rating in one or more specialties, procedures or conditions. In rankings by state and metro area, U.S. News recognized hospitals that were high-performing across multiple areas of care.
Best Hospitals was produced by U.S. News with RTI International, a leading research organization based in Research Triangle Park, N.C.
Simply put..People will sell and move..lock in gains here and bank that result into a lower taxed town and in some cases another State.Boomers will avalanche out of here in the next 5 years.School issues costs and declining standings are a ticking time bomb..
Our teachers are behaving disgracefully. And, you know if and when a K is reached they will argue for retroactive raises for the period of time they have been working without one. Yes, it is to their advantage to continue this way and hold the HS kids/parents as hostage. Really wish they would all move on if they are so unhappy.
Hint to all the seniors looking for letters: go visit your bosses, intern employers, faith leaders, volunteer leaders. They speak more about your true character than these union hacks. I always write letters of recommendation for friends, associates, employees, etc. because I’ve see the subject in action – not just in theory
Click here to read an updated statement on REA – BOE contract negotiations, issued by the Ridgewood Board of Education on July 22, 2016.
Click here to read a prepared statement by the Ridgewood Board of Education, which was read at the Board’s Regular Public Meeting on July 18, 2016.
Click here to view the powerpoint presentation regarding the Fact Finder’s report and recommendations, presented at the June 6, 2016 Regular Public Meeting.Clickhere to view the presentation by Ms. Brogan and Mr. Morgan.
In accordance with New Jersey P.L. 2003, c. 126, the Board has made the May 16th Fact-finding Report and Recommendations public and has posted it to the District’s website. At the June 6th Board of Education Public Meeting, the Board will discuss the report and the recommendations. The Board will accept or reject the Fact-finder’s recommendations at that time. Click here to read the Fact Finders Report and Recommendations dated May 16, 2016.
Click here to read a Letter to the Editor of The Ridgewood News, published on April 8, 2016.
Click here to view the Ridgewood Board of Education’s Post Hearing Fact Finding Brief and attachments.
Click here to view an analysis of “Unused Funds’ identified by the REA during Fact Finding Proceedings, presented at the March 7, 2016 Regular Public Meeting.
Click here to read a Letter to the Editor of The Ridgewood News, which appeared in the paper on March 4, 2016.
Click here to read the Ridgewood Board of Education’s Fact-Finding Presentation with The Ridgewood Education Association.
Click here to view the backup for the Ridgewood Board of Education’s Fact-Finding Presentation with The Ridgewood Education Association.
BOE Meets on August 29 at 5 p.m.
The Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday, August 29, 2016 at 5:00 p.m.The meeting will be held in the Board Room at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place. The public is invited to attend the meeting or view it live via the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us using the “Live BOE Meeting” tab on the district website, or on Fios tv channel 33 or Optimum 77.
Click here to view the agenda for the August 29, 2016 Regular Public Meeting.
Click here to view the 2016-2017 Budget presented at the May 2, 2016 Regular Public Meeting.
Click here to view the Full Day Kindergarten Recommendation presented to the Board at their March 7, 2016 Regular Public Meeting.
FAQ: Shifting to a Full-Day Kindergarten Program in Ridgewood
● Why is the District considering a full-day program after years of a successful half-day program?
○ The definition of success has shifted with the times, and although Ridgewood has a high-quality Kindergarten program, it is rushed and lacks adequate time for structured socialization and free play. Students who encounter more structured play around learning will better internalize that learning because at this age, play is how children learn. Additionally, social skills such as executive functioning and self-regulation of behavior are learned through play, often which is unstructured. A half-day program does not allow time for these essential learning opportunities for our students.
● How will the curriculum of a full-day program differ from that of the half-day program?
○ A full-time program will include more time for learning centers, which are essentially structured play experiences designed to reinforce conceptual learning. Additionally, more time will be dedicated to free-play centers, in which students make up rules to self-created games and make-believe. This free-play socialization will be supervised by, not structured by, adults. Another change to the day is that students will remain in school for lunch and will have snack and extended time for key content such as shared reading and writing.
● What would be the daily schedule and hours of a full-day program?
○ Kindergarten will run on the same schedule as the other grades in the school (8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.). A daily schedule for the full-day program was shared with the Board of Education and the public at the June 28, 2016 Board meeting. That presentation can be found in the Board of Education Presentations folder on the Curriculum page of the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us.
● How many other districts still have half-day Kindergarten programs?
○ Ridgewood is the only half-day program left in Bergen County. There are very few districts left in the state with a half-day program. The most common Kindergarten programs offer five full-days of school. Those districts which were half-day have mostly moved to full-day programs in the last five years. In 2014, 73% of programs statewide were full-day. The percentage was even higher in Bergen County, where 65 out of 72 districts (about 90%) offered full day programs. Since 2014, Glen Rock, Fairlawn, Rutherford, Mahwah, Waldwick and Midland Park have moved to fullday Kindergarten. The Ramsey Kindergarten program consists of an optional, fee-based enrichment extended-day program, which the vast majority of children attend. Allendale, Franklin Lakes and Wyckoff have programs consisting of two halfdays / three full days, a model that is not very popular and the implementation cost is equal to that of a traditional full-day program.
● Would parents be required to enroll their children for the entire day if Ridgewood moved to full-day Kindergarten?
○ Yes, if the Ridgewood Public School district shifts to a full-day Kindergarten program, all enrolled students will be registered for five full days each week.
● Where will Kindergarten children eat lunch?
○ This will be a building-by-building decision, based on space and what the principal deems best for the program in their building.
● Will Kindergarten students have recess with all other students and how will their recess be supervised? ○ Kindergarten students would have more than one “recess” play time in their schedule. The schedule, location, and supervision of that recess would depend on individual building schedules. However, in all buildings the recess/lunch period of 45 minutes would be extended to one hour for Kindergarten students. Classroom teachers would supervise the additional 15 minutes at the end of recess to settle students down and prepare them for afternoon learning sessions.
● What are the anticipated class sizes for a full-day program? ○ Kindergarten class sizes would follow the Ridgewood Board of Education guidelines of 18 to 22 children per classroom.
● Can the district facilities / physical spaces accommodate full-day Kindergarten?
○ In November 2015 demographic consultant Ross Haber presented to the Board of Education the results of an enrollment and facility utilization study in which all of the Ridgewood elementary principals participated by discussing their buildings and classroom space. The report shows that over the last three years the district has seen a decrease in enrollment and indicates that our elementary schools can accommodate full-day Kindergarten. The demographer’s report is available for reading in the Fullday Kindergarten Exploratory Committee folder on the Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment page of the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us.
● How will the decision be made to move to full-day Kindergarten in Ridgewood?
○ On General Election Day, Tuesday, November 8, Ridgewood voters will be asked to approve full-day Kindergarten in the District. This vote will be done in the form of a “second question” on the ballot. All residents who are registered voters may participate. Voter registration forms may be found at on the Bergen County website at https://www.co.bergen.nj.us/DocumentCenter/View/1224.
● What is the purpose of a second question on a ballot?
○ A second question can only be placed on the ballot when a school district is asking for something new, such as full-day Kindergarten or a new program. Since the costs of these additional services and associated personnel can exceed the state-imposed two percent cap on budget increases, the public must vote on them.
● What would be the tax impact on a “yes” vote for the second question on full-day Kindergarten?
○ If full-day Kindergarten is passed by the voters, the average Village assessed home of $693,904 would have taxes increased by approximately $111.
● Is there any possibility that the State will require districts to provide full-day Kindergarten?
○ This is not known at this time.
● Where can I go for more information on full-day Kindergarten in Ridgewood?
○ The Full-day Kindergarten Exploratory folder may be found on the Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment page of the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us.
These teachers supported Obamacare and now they want taxpayers to pay for more of the annual “platinum” health benefit premiums? Maybe the teachers should read today’s WSJ article looking at growth in middle-class families’ share of overall healthcare spending, which is growing larger, and squeezing households already feeling stretched financially. The article notes that by 2014, middle-income households’ healthcare spend was 25% higher than what they were spending before the recession, with these households cutting back sharply on more discretionary categories such as dining out and clothing. It adds that rising out-of-pocket costs combined with slow economic growth and years of tepid wage growth in the private sector pose risks for an economy in which consumer spending accounts for more than two-thirds of overall output. So why do the teachers expect that taxpayers in Ridgewood will just forever subsidizing more of their health benefits, which are already better than the deal in the private sector?
RIDGEWOOD — The failure of a state-appointed super-conciliator to resolve a 19-month-long labor dispute between the Board of Education and district teachers union has left local officials and union heads considering their next move.
Disagreements over several issues — including salaries, proposed changes in the union insurance plan and how much the Ridgewood Education Association’s 547 members should contribute toward their health insurance premiums — have contributed to a breakdown in the negotiations, which began five months before the last contract expired on June 30, 2015.
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