It is imperative that I a Ridgewood resident for the past 40 years have the opportunity to CONTINUE to vote on the school budget. The cost of the election is insignificant compared to the millions of dollars the Ridgewood council spends on non NECESSITIES. . Voting on the school budget is a right and a necessity. I don’t care what other communities do. I don’t care what other individuals do. I do what is right, what is my right as a citizen of this country. It is my right to have a voice in deciding the school budget which makes up a majority of my property taxes and and and above all, determines HOW MONEY is spent for the education of children.
It’s great in theory, voting on the budget, but in practice it does nothing.
Learn from history, the few times the budget did not pass the law says it goes to the village council for a vote.
Each time the village council passed the vote, under pressure from parents AND because the state mandates a budget must be passed by a certain date……. a date that is impossible to meet if 5 people who have lots of other responsibilities are now going to begin the budget process over all over again.
In other words — your vote is meaningless, that is why several years ago the vote was taken away from the citizens so that at least we could salvage the $$$$ spent on the meaningless vote.
The pressure from the teachers and the parents will be even stronger on the village council in this age or facebook rants and threats.
I caution newcomers….. nothing is as simple as it sounds, the state, the feds and all of the unions have all of the local boards and councils in NJ tied up so that they can achieve very little meaningful change……. if they wanted to.
Keep that in mind the next time you vote for a big government, free wheeling spending politician.
Hold on to your wallet. —- there’s a lot more coming with Murphy
Ridgewood NJ, after Wednesday council meeting and the confusion over the actual cost of renovations to the Elks Club ,it reminds old time residents of the “golden toilet fiasco of 2009 , and the Village Hall renovation fiasco of 1999.
The garage is being built solely for the apartments who will then get a quantity discount that is lower than the actual cost to Ridgewood. Have you noticed the builders offering to pay part of the construction? Restaurants and stores much beyond Walnut will not get one bit of additional business from the garage but even those few won’t commit a cent to the construction. As many said, before you build a garage, see what will happen if Ridgewood starts enforcing repeat parking, marking the tires in such a way that they can’t be rubbed off or just rolling the car a little bit. Easily done with 2 marks on each outside tire at different locations so one would always be showing. Also these business complainers who blame everyone but their employees should enforce the parking rule as well. The lot where they wish to build the garage could be repaved and restriped with diagonal parking at each end and restriping of all the center lanes would provide much more parking than the garage is going to actually allow non-commuters if villagers cannot use but the ground floor. The ground floor as presently described in the garage will not even give as as much space as we currently have without the re-striping. If on the remaining downtown streets they would convert to diagonal parking on one side and parallel on the other, we would gain a lot of spaces. And lastly, take away the favored businesses extra reserved spots where their valet picks up, or where it has to be marked yellow for no parking because an illegal wall blocks parking spots. Do either of these precious to the Village properties pay the town for the parking meter charge that would be normally earned with removal of their illegal blockades? Two meters to a spot would really add up as you know they would be constantly used. Since Susan and Raymond think the Village will just curl up and die without this garage and are going to put it there regardless of objections–why don’t you two take it upon yourselves to count the total spots gained by restriping just in that one parking lot and the on the street parking? And removing the illegal obstacles! If you really wanted an accurate count of what is possible, why don’t you include as a second count all our current parking lots after repaving and restriping? I am sure you could easily come up with over a hundred. Yes, that may not help the commuters much, but who is Ridgewood really for? The commuters who park, maybe grab a coffee and a newspaper, go to work, return, unpark their car and go home? What money or convenience does Ridgewood gain from that? And again, a reduced fee for monthly parking that will not cover our costs. Or for the residents who you are expecting to pay much more in taxes to provide a convenience for the builders (do they leave any money here?). Instead you are forcing Mt Carmel members to use your garage on Sundays and other days that Church is in session (and I’m sure it won’t be free!). I’m going to insult you here but I wish you would rise up out of the poppy field in Oz, put your brains back in your head, and actually think and listen for a change. Are any of you, except Bernie, capable of doing that?
Also, many of the parishioners are handicapped or have several small children and it is a long walk from the garage even to the side door of Church.
Does anyone have a source for fake money? Maybe if we made a visual presentation on how big that amount of money is, the council could understand it better. They appear to be only able to visualize in their minds sums that do not have a large amount of zeros behind them. I was under the impression that the council members were normal people and not among the extremely wealthy in town. I guess I made the mis-assumption that ordinary people could keep track of their money when the council shows it’s only the extremely rich who can count–or even see- the zeros. An unneeded garage and an expensive building that the last I heard the “water company had enough money for the purchase.” I thought that quote was rather interesting as the dispute between towns who think they were overcharged and got court approval to collect has not even been considered as a possible loss of that extra money in repayments demanded by the court. I’m really beginning to wonder if the members of the council can even balance their own checkbooks as they certainly don’t hesitate to spend on bonds for many years in the future and don’t see how this could make it extremely impossible for Ridgewood to balance theirs.
You were elected on the premise that you would only act on things that were good for Ridgewood and reduce costs in every way possible. At this rate you all might have the dubious honor of being the council who threw away the most money in all of Ridgewood’s recorded history during your term on the council.
Ridgewood schools are already busting at the seams. Add the several hundred students who will arrive with the developments and several new schools will need to be built. Remember, the census of how many students live in the apartments was taken only at the high rise at Franklin and Maple. No count was ever taken in any of the garden apartments on Oak and on the other side of the tracks. Why wasn’t it taken in buildings that do accommodate children? One good thing could probably occur. There will be many fewer houses w/graduation and sale signs together. It would be much cheaper to rent one of our new apartments and just leave when their children graduate. That is what many of current apartment dwellers do when their last child graduates now.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Library Film & Culture Programs presents : Frederick Wiseman’s film makes a case for the library as an urgent idea.
Master documentarian Frederick Wiseman, known for his spellbinding films about complex institutions such as the police, high school, and the Paris Opera Ballet, turns his attention to New York Public Library for his latest film, Ex Libris. In this fascinating long-form documentary, Wiseman exposes the myriad offerings and resources provided by NYPL, from our online archive of images to our author talks to our educational programs and more.
This is a compelling look at a library beyond the books. SUNDAY, JULY 15 at 1pm. With refreshments. All are welcome!
Hope you are enjoying a pleasant summer! On July 10 the Board of Ed sent the following letter to the community regarding the Annual School Election:
Dear Community Members,
On July 3rd, Heather Mailander, Village Manager, notified us by e-mail that the Village Council would be discussing moving the Board of Education election from November to April at their July 11th meeting and at their July 18th meeting they may consider adoption of a resolution to change the election date effective April, 2019.
The Board of Education supports the idea of engaging the public in discussions on moving the Board elections from November to April. However, we believe that it is a discussion that should take place at our Board of Education meetings this Fall, after our residents have returned from summer vacation.
In order to move a School Board election from November to April, notice must be given to the county clerk no less than 85 days prior to the third Tuesday in April to take effect for that year’s election. That would be January 21, 2019. Therefore, there is sufficient time for us to thoughtfully consider this change and to provide adequate time to collect input from our residents.
By way of background:
In the past, School Board elections and budget approvals were conducted in April every year.
On January 17, 2012 Governor Christie signed legislation that permitted communities to move the April annual school board member election to November, while, at the same time eliminating the vote on a district’s proposed budget so long as that is at or below the tax levy cap, including defined allowable waivers. School districts that voted to move their elections to November were prohibited from moving the election back to April until four November School elections had occurred. In 2016, the state extended that moratorium by two years. That moratorium expired May 31, 2018.
The Ridgewood Board of Education originally refrained from moving our election to November until almost two years after the law permitting us to do so had passed, preferring to observe the impact of this law across the state. After discussing this issue at several public meetings during 2013, and after publishing multiple articles in The Ridgewood News encouraging the public to provide feedback, we elected, in a 4-1 vote, to move the election in our public meeting of November 18, 2013.
Currently, a total of 528 or 97% of the New Jersey school districts have moved their annual school election from April to November, and only15, or 3% hold their annual school election in April. Only 5 of Bergen County’s 76 districts vote in April.
The major reasons considered by the Board for moving the election to November were as follows:
● Declining voter participation rate in the April elections. In April 2013, voter turnout hit an historic low with fewer than thirteen percent of voters casting a ballot. We believed that voter participation would increase if the school election were combined with the general election.
● Election costs. The district has saved over $43,000 per annum by combining the school election with the general election in the Fall. The Board has not been assessed any costs associated with the November elections.
● During the period in which we held our public discussions, we received a small number of emails and only eight members of the public spoke at public comment on the issue of moving the election. Three favored moving the election to November, four did not, and one was non-commital.
● And finally, moving the election to November brought the budget approval process in line with the way all New Jersey municipalities, counties, and the state decide on their budgets.
We on the Board look forward to speaking further with the public about this important issue this Fall.
photos courtesy of Ridgewood Professional Firefighters FMBA Local 47
July 13,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Fire Department ,“A” Shift doing their Annual Graydon Pool Dive Drill!
Fire Fighters keeping residents safe .
From the Ridgewood Professional Firefighters FMBA Local 47 Facebook page :
Our Mission is to protect the lives and property of all residents and visitors of the Village of Ridgewood. This shall be accomplished through fire suppression, fire prevention, public education, emergency medical services and the extensive pool of resources available to the Village to mitigate disasters either natural or manmade. We are committed to protecting the safety and well-being of our firefighters as we strive to make Ridgewood a safer place to live, work and visit.
Well, rejecting PARCC is and has been an absolute imperative for years now. Don’t interrupt the iron triangle comprising the craven teachers union, the unabashedly corrupt educational establishment, and the paleoliberal progressive state government apparatchiks, when the same is doing something right for a change (even if by mistake).
I’ve been on various boards and committees in town. I’ve also been mistreated on some of them. But that’s all within the scope of how they work. You can get booted, etc. But what are you implying about having no regard for the law? I can list lots of petty and crony-esque complaints, but if you know that the law is actually being broken you should be specific and report it!
SUMMER SPECIAL where all the rotten deals for the taxpayers get their wings..case of other people’s future loss making obligation foisted on all the Taxpapers
fish bank construction of a new massive restaurant refurbishment means the fix has been in for over a year or more.
complete abrogation of fiscal governance .A huge scandal.
these folks will be long gone when the deficits wash up on the taxpayers ..
then welcome the car rental companies and other low class operatkons in the loss making town garage .traffic during evening rush hours and evenings will be harmful to that neighborhoods schools churches and families living in that district .its being done for the money people many who don’t even live here .FOLLOW THE MONEY
Ridgewood NJ, the Village of Ridgewood debated moving move forward with the purchase of the Ridgewood Elks club , Councilwomen Bernie Walsh objected to the purchase of the Elks Club for Ridgewood Water , at $200,000 over the appraised value plus $500-700 to 1.5 million in renovations for 30 people . Walsh reiterated that the purchase was just for Ridgewood Water.
Walsh went on noting that class “A” and class “B” office space are plentiful in Bergen County and there was no need for such a major under taking . Walsh felt is was just, “not a smart idea at this time”.
Former Mayor Knudsen pushed the idea for consolidation of space as well as the Elks is last contagious piece of property near the Municipal complex creating greater efficiencies . Mayor Hach wanted confirmation on the renovation estimates because there seemed to be significant disagreement about what was or was not estimated .
Carolee Adams from the Stop Common Core in New Jersey.
Ridgewood NJ, Moving Away From PARCC in Jersey could take years.
From my perspective, the only positive of PARCC was that it mobilized the formerly silent majority of parents to actively voice their imperative opposition to the dumbing down of their children’s education; disrespect to parental rights; and at a huge, needless, wasteful cost to taxpayers.
Further, in my humble opinion, impediments like these continue to delay our desired move away from PARCC:
1. A Pearson contract already signed.
2. The less than cooperative pushback from NJ State Senator Theresa Ruiz (D), Chair, Senate Education Committee and Senate President Steve Sweeney (D). Why? Only a guess. Pearson Education is located in Hoboken – a Democratic stronghold. Hoboken would not want to risk losing one of its key, tax-paying corporations.
3. The unnecessary interference of FedEd via ESSA. Why do we even need the USDOE when NJ is a donor state sending far more money to DC/USDOE than we receive in return?!
At a roundtable discussion. our group’s suggestions were 2 tests in K-8 (i.e. 2nd or 3rd and 7th), and 1 test in the sophomore year of high school. Regarding tests, the Iowa Test of Basic Skills was the one most mentioned for K-8. ACT/SAT seemed less popular than ever before regarding high school testing. Fair Test is usually a good resource for test information.
Trenton NJ, The Murphy Administration today announced the first steps in transitioning away from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and toward a new generation of statewide testing by issuing a report, detailing proposals for draft regulations and other upcoming changes in the 2018-19 school year.
At a press conference in Atlantic City, Governor Murphy said he wants to take NJ out of PARCC student assessment testing.“PARCC’s high-stakes, high-stress system has been, I believe, a detriment to our students and our educators,” Murphy said.
Recommendations were collected by the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) during a two-month, 21-county tour in which the Commissioner and staff traveled over 5,700 miles, held approximately 75 in-person sessions, three live webinars, and heard from more than 2,300 students, teachers, school administrators, education advocates and community leaders.
Speaker Coughlin lauded the move in a statement: “This is a step in the right direction. From the moment it was introduced, the PARCC was widely criticized by teachers, school administrators, parents and students for being overly confusing and taking up too much instructional time. We cannot evaluate student proficiency and base a student’s ability to graduate on a flawed system. Students should have to prove that they are ready for graduation, but not through an assessment as inadequate and problematic as the PARCC. I’m glad Gov. Murphy is reversing course on this, and clearing the way for a more effective and responsible approach to measuring student learning.”
“Because of a focused, concentrated effort to reach out to New Jersey residents and to give them a voice at the table, we are on a clear path away from PARCC,” said Gov. Phil Murphy. “By making the transition in phases, we can ensure a smooth implementation in schools across the state and maintain compliance with current state and federal requirements.”
“A stronger, fairer New Jersey means one that prioritizes outreach and collaboration when making policy decisions,” said Education Commissioner Lamont O. Repollet. “My staff and I went on a listening tour across the state to ensure that we understood the scope of interest, and we moved forward having considered the needs of students, educators, and broader community members in building the next generation assessment system by New Jersey, for New Jersey.”
The transition will be made in multiple phases. The first phase began with stakeholder outreach and culminates with the report and proposed short-term changes. The report provides an overview of the feedback received from interested stakeholders and the process used to achieve it.
The proposed changes for State Board review include:
Streamlining graduation requirements by reducing the number of required tests in high school from six to two.
Ensuring that educators and parents receive test data in a timely manner.
Providing flexibility for first-year English learners on the English language proficiency test.
Additional changes not requiring State Board approval include:
Reducing the length of testing for all grades by approximately 25 percent.
Reducing the weight of the assessment on teacher evaluations.
More details regarding the changes can be found in the report and draft regulations.
Beginning this summer and occurring over the course of the 2018-19 school year, the NJDOE will be launching the second phase of assessment outreach in New Jersey, focusing on the more complicated questions and issues with implementation that we encountered during the listening tour. More information about Phase 2 will be made available over the next few months.
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