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2018 Ridgewood Paving List

roadwork

April 4,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Note: These streets are not listed in order of paving. The order of paving will be determined by the contractor and the Village Engineering Department. The paving season is April through November 2018, and some streets listed may be delayed until spring 2019, depending on weather conditions and logistical issues that may arise during the paving season.
Street   –  From   –  To
E. Ridgewood   N. Maple   Paramus Rd.
Bergen          Spring          Court
Somerville    Spring              E.R.A.
Spring       S. Pleasant      East End
Addison       Irving      Southern Parkway
Beveridge    Norman       Stratford
Bingham   E. Saddle River    Eastbrook Road
Chesterfield   Sheffield     Fairfield
Deerfield       Sheffield      Fairfield
Doremus      Ackerman      Godwin
Eastgate    VanEmburgh Ave.    Town Line
Fairway        N. VanDien   N. Pleasant
Fox            Dead End         East Side
Hamilton Norman            Stratford
Hillcrest   Morningside    N. Monroe
Jefferson  South End    Orville
Jefferson   Orville     Hampshire
John    Wyndermere   Linwood
Litchfield   Sheffield      Fairfield
Madison   N. Hillside  N. Monroe Ave.
Madison  N. Monroe   Crest
Maynard    To Dead End  W. Ridgewood Ave.
MonteVista     N. Monroe     Heights
N. Hillside    W. Ridgewood Ave.   N. Monroe
N. Monroe    W. Ridgewood Ave.  Monte Vista
N. Pleasant    E. Ridgewood Ave.   Linwood
N. Pleasant        Linwood      E. Glen
Pershing     Wall   Linwood
Randolph   Doremus   East End
S. Irving    Spring    E. Ridgewood
Salem    Van Emburgh    West End
Sherman     Godwin     Washington
Sherman   Washington Place   North End
Terhune  W. Saddle River  East End
ValleyView  N. Monroe    Heights
ValleyView  Heights     Crest
Wall       Pershing      East End
Washington  S. Monroe   W. Ridgewood
West End   Lincoln   Bellair
West End  Bellair   Godwin
William   Jefferson    South End
William   North End   Jefferson
Woodland   N. Monroe   Crest

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Ridgewood Schools Break Top 50 Substance Abuse Cases Reported

RHS_BEST_theridgewoodblog

April 4,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Drugs and alcohol continue to be a pervasive problem in New Jersey’s cities as well as suburban areas. The New Jersey Department of Education released its most recent data of substance abuse cases reported by each school district . In the current list of the school districts cases in 2016-17, Ridgewood Schools broke the top 50 coming in 3rd in Bergen county and 49th over all with 17 reported cases , trailing only Englewood with 19 and tying Ridgewood field park with 17.

The state Department of Education has cautioned that these numbers are reported by each district, each jurisdiction is self reporting and is responsible and required by law for reporting its results fairly and accurately.

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Public presentation for the 2018-2019 Ridgewood School $110 Million Budget will be given at 7 p.m. , April 3 at George Washington Middle School Auditorium

ridgewood schools

2018-2019 budget information

April 3,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The Board of Education has approved the preliminary 2018-2019 school budget. Public presentations will be given at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 3 at George Washington Middle School Auditorium and on Monday, April 16 at Benjamin Franklin Middle School Auditorium.

Click here to view the 2018-2019 Preliminary Budget presentation, given at the March 20 Board of Education meeting.https://www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us/common/pages/DisplayFile.aspx?itemId=13032001

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Reader says Ridgewood Teachers Benefits Not Sustainable

Ridgewood Teachers

This budget is out of control and the unions are to blame. Time for new teachers to be put into 401Ks – the pension system is broken beyond repair. Time to do away with tenure. Time for union employees to pay the same for insurance coverage as those of us that pay their salaries. The time for change is now as the status quo is not sustainable.

Why do they get platinum health insurance when most private sector plans are bronze level coverage? If you want it, pay much higher premiums. Why should Villagers be subsidizing better health care coverage for Village and BOE employees than our own family coverage? Makes no sense.

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$800 thousand dollars alone on new windows for Ridgewood Boad of Ed ?

cottageplaceBOE_theridgewoodblog

Reader says ,“We must attend the budget meetings at schools and speak up. Last night I watched budget meeting on TV and a gentleman protested that it was insanity to spend close to 800 thousand dollars alone on new windows for Ridgewood School Board of Ed . He said he and other residents were having a hard time making ends meet because of new tax laws on property taxes. Loncte and Fishbein were completely unsympathetic and rigid about spending all that money. Loncte said they had to spend that money in order to keep house sales high , because people chose Ridgewood for there good schools. Thanks to James we known that Ridgewood ranks less than other less expensive towns in Bergen County.”

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Reader says Mr. Damiano’s article is more than a little self serving

Pink Bungalow Ridgewood

Mr. Damiano’s article is more than a little self serving. Stores sometimes fail because people just don’t want to buy what the store is selling – not because they had to drive around the block to find a parking spot. Local businesses cannot expect taxpayers and local government to support their entrepreneurial ventures. It actually works the other way around – businesses should be contributing to the local tax base by selling things that people want to buy. Nobody said this was going to be easy Tony.

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Reader says A garage won’t bring shoppers to Ridgewood if you don’t have a product they desire.

unnamed-12

I’m sure if you ask any commercial real estate broker, they will tell you that if a particular store is not a ‘destination’ (anchor), the others rely upon ‘foot traffic’ generated by those ‘anchors’ for their success. For those of you newbies here, we lost many ‘anchors’ years ago, despite their size. McHughs, Sealfons, Winchells, Drapkins, Bobby Knapps, Purdues, and lets not forget Al and Harrys’. Whether due to pressure from malls, rising rents, or changing shopping habits, these were all stores that attracted my family members to come into town. None of them remain, so our shopping takes us to a mall, and I can’t recall the last time I went into town to purchase anything other than an occasional meal. Its a sad commentary on how a CBD has evolved into its present state. Years ago there were gas stations on every corner of Franklin Ave. The only one remaining is getty. We had mobil, Sinclair, arco, Phillips 66, Texaco, amaco, exxon, , and a few more that I forgot. (11 total). On Ridgewood ave there was a liquor store on almost every corner. Now we have banks, that I’m guessing will vacate upon lease renewals leaving more space. (its a lot easier to use a drive-in bank) It’s anyones guess what the future holds, but these small shops ‘treading water’ to remain in business are looking for taxpayers to subsidize their failing business models. Its no different than re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Fix/change/adapt or fail. A garage won’t bring shoppers to town if you don’t have a product they desire. Take a walk in town on recycling days. At least half the homes have cardboard amazon boxes waiting for pickup. Another HUGE factor.

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The majority of cars on the street are employees. I watch them feed the meters all day

parking_CBD_theridgewoodblog

credit to Tony Damiano for saying this. He wrote this original quote in his Facebook post

The majority of cars on the street are employees. I watch them feed the meters all day
The majority of cars on the street are employees. I watch them feed the meters all day
The majority of cars on the street are employees. I watch them feed the meters all day
The majority of cars on the street are employees. I watch them feed the meters all day
The majority of cars on the street are employees. I watch them feed the meters all day

The majority of cars on the street are employees. I watch them feed the meters all day
The majority of cars on the street are employees. I watch them feed the meters all day
The majority of cars on the street are employees. I watch them feed the meters all day
The majority of cars on the street are employees. I watch them feed the meters all day
The majority of cars on the street are employees. I watch them feed the meters all day

 

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Driver Rushed to Hackensack University Center after Colliding with a Pole in Ridgewood

Driver Rushed to Hackensack University Center after Colliding with a Pole in Ridgewood

photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook Page

April 3, 2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The driver of a 4-door Hyundai sedan was transported by ambulance to Hackensack University Center’s main campus after crashing her vehicle into a utility pole located in front of 414 Linwood Avenue, Ridgewood on Monday afternoon, 04/02. Ridgewood Police, Fire department, and EMS personnel responded to aid the victim. A paramedic team from The Valley Hospital assisted Ridgewood EMTs with patient evaluation and care. The wrecked Hyundai was removed from the scene by a hydraulic lift tow truck. A representative from PSE&G’s Electric Division responded to assess damage to the pole and attached infrastructure. The victim’s injuries appeared to have been non life threatening.

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Ridgewood school budget

ridgewood schools

The preliminary 2018-2019 Ridgewood School budget exceeds the 2% annual property tax increase cap for the first time since the current cap was enacted.

The draft budget was accepted by three of the five board members. Two abstentions were noted by members who believe more can be done to reduce the overall expenditures.

Options to ameliorate budgetary pressures have been discussed, however, input from residents is critical in determining if those options will be used. It is imperative that members of the community participate in the process, attend the budget presentations and voice their opinions.

Four years ago, a majority of the BOE voted to move the school elections to November. Associated with that change was the removal of a vote on the annual school budget, provided property tax increases remained within the 2% cap required by law. This does not mean that voters cannot have an impact on the annual budget.

For the next five weeks, the Board is discussing the budget in a series of public budget meetings, the first of which is on April 3 at 7:00 at George Washington MS and another on April 16 at 7:00 at Benjamin Franklin MS. The Board also has regularly scheduled meetings on April 2 and April 23 at 7:30 in the Ed Center. These meetings are an opportunity for everyone in the Village to voice their thoughts directly to the Board and Superintendent.

After these presentations conclude, the Board will have a formal budget hearing and vote on the final budget on May 7.

We urge all concerned citizens to attend and engage.

Christina Krauss, BOE Member
Jim Morgan, BOE Vice President

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“Emperor Superintendent Deems a Dog’s Tail a Leg”

Dan Fishbein 10

“Emperor Superintendent Deems a Dog’s Tail a Leg”
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The following column appeared in The Ridgewood News on March 30, 2018.
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The other day a request came in to include information on the League of Women Voters’ upcoming Candidates Night in our district enews. Now, since the League is non-partisan, non-profit and local, the flyer easily passed our requirements for publishing. But the notice got me thinking in general about the important mandate that public school districts be strictly non-partisan while still encouraging our students’ intellectual curiosity and passions. It can be a delicate balance on occasion.
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A great example of successfully walking this line occurred at Ridgewood High School on March 14, when we permitted our students to organize a 17-minute walkout in conjunction with the national anti-gun violence event commemorating victims of the Parkland school shooting and raising awareness for violence-free schools. Simultaneous to this event another group of our students staged a sit-in in our Campus Center to highlight Second Amendment rights. [So is this how it goes? Two political wrongs make an apolitical right?]
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Intellectual and emotional passion energized a large body of our students that day. Of varying political views, those who either walked out or sat in paid respectful tribute to the Parkland shooting victims while raising their voices for change. RHS Principal Tom Gorman and staff helped guide our students’ planning to assure that in addition to a feel-good moment they would be enriched by a living civics lesson on the process of peaceable assembly and its value and power to effect non-violent change in a democratic society. At Ridgewood High School that day, our students lived out their textbook lessons on the meaning of freedom of speech. They also learned, as Dr. Gorman summarized aptly in a letter to the RHS community, that change is not a 17-minute event but takes a lifetime of work. In his words, Your strength and purpose happens in what you do in the 18th minute and beyond. I commend Tom’s letter to you, found in the Communications section of the RHS web pages at https://www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us.
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March 14 was a historic day for the Ridgewood Public Schools. We had never done anything like it in recent history, and while other districts chose to disallow their students’ request to participate in the national walkout, I am pleased and proud of our decision to endorse this event and also proud of and thankful for all who were involved on many levels to ensure its success as a meaningful day of memorial, awareness raising and civics in action, while remaining strictly non-partisan.
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In particular, I am proud of our students for their interest and passion to make a difference, and their desire to grapple intellectually and respectfully with contemporary societal issues. [What’s next, Dan? Dueling Pro-Life/Pro-Abortion protests? An excellent case can be made for a convenient “tie-in” that pro-life students are protesting the gravest kind of violence done to the youngest of children, whom had they not been killed, would have become their fellow RHS students. Or, are you, by this self-congratulatory letter, simply trying to head such an eventuality off at the pass? You are not the judge of your own case, Dan. Superintendent or not, if you, in fact, stepped in it by personally fomenting one or more political protests by students during the school day and on school property, no amount of after-the-fact whitewashing on your part will transform wrongdoing into inspired charity.]
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I am equally proud of, and thankful, too, for our very professional staff and for their expertise and attention, not just to the curricular matters but also for their personal commitment, and for their ability to focus on the common ground we all share on the importance of safe schools that are free of violence.
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I am further proud to be living and working in a community that supports [Not so fast, Dan!] the efforts of its public school administrators in navigating the sometimes tricky terrain [Much as all this tickles your fancy, Dan, you and your administrator friends are not paid to help students explore a career in Obama-inspired community organizing. Please get back to doing your real job.]. These past few weeks have seen a more than a flurry of snow and the tight grip of winter; there’ve been many spirited conversations and a number of district communications* about safety, security and students’ rights to assemble on school property without repercussions. [Without repercussions! Ah yes, there’s where you went wrong. The real world is not so forgiving, Dan. You’ve deprived your charges of the best lesson you might have taught them! No letter from a Birmingham jail is possible in the scenario you’ve created…] These are real issues, real concerns. [Ooh..that’s a pithy little gem. We can tell you’re just dying to get your first entry into Bartlett’s Quotations. Keep trying.]
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It’s a community’s desire to put politics aside on occasion and walk the line with us that makes a difference in achieving our mission of excellence in a safe, non-violent school setting. I am so very appreciative of that willingness to engage. [Quite a slippery slope you’ve erected here, Dan. Enthusiasm may be your strong suit. But foresight? Not so much.]
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As always, please feel free to get in touch with any questions or concerns. [Who are you kidding…]
Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D.
District Superintendent
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* Please see my March 1, 2018 letter on school safety, found on the Superintendent’s page of the district website at https://www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us.
Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D., is Superintendent of the Ridgewood Public Schools. Dr. Fishbein can be reached at 201-670-2700, ext. 10530, or via e-mail at [email protected]. For more information on the Ridgewood Public Schools visit the district website at https://www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us, the district Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RidgewoodPublicSchools, or follow us on Twitter @RwdPubSchools.

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Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting Tonight

BOE_theridgewoodblog

April 2,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting tonight, Monday, April 2, 2018. The Board meets at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3 at 7:30 p.m.

The public is welcome to attend the meeting, or to watch from home on Fios channel 33 or Optimum channel 77. Meetings are also streamed via the “BOE Webcast” tab on the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us.

Meeting webcasts are immediately available on the district website.

Click here to view the agenda as a PDF document.

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Ridgewood Historical Society presents ,”History Hunt “

ridgewood historical society

April 2,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood Nj, the Ridgewood Historical Society presents ,History Hunt booklets . Kids can enjoy visiting the Schoolhouse Museum with our new scavenger hunt for the current exhibits. Come by Saturdays from 1pm-3pm and Sundays from 2pm-4pm. They provide the pencils, you provide the little sleuths! See you there!

The Ridgewood Historical Society is housed in a one-room schoolhouse at 650 East Glen Avenue in Ridgewood, New Jersey. The schoolhouse was built in 1872 and was an operational school until 1905. It now serves as a museum of historic artifacts and is maintained by the Ridgewood Historical Society. Formerly District School No. 45, the Museum features exhibits that emphasize the historic Saddle River Valley area in the 18th and 19th centuries, an area that was primarily Dutch when first settled.
Please visit our website for more information and to donate:
Days/times open:
Thursday and Saturday.: 1pm to 3pm
Sunday: 2pm to 4pm

https://ridgewoodhistoricalsociety.org/
650 E Glen Ave
Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450
(201) 447-3242

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HUGIN CAMPAIGN: HAPPY INDICTMENT ANNIVERSARY, SENATOR MENENDEZ

menednez_ridgewood trainstation_theridgewoodblog

file photo by Boyd Loving

April 2,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Senatorial candidate Bob Hugin reminds us of the anniversary of our ethically challenged senator ‘s indictment . There is no special schedule for New Jersey Transit or state holiday planned .

“New Jersey deserves a Senator who will represent them with honesty and integrity in Washington and fight for them every day—not one who spends his time trying to stay one step ahead of the law.” said Hugin Communications Director Megan Piwowar.  “The more voters compare Menendez’s failed, corrupt track record with Bob Hugin’s background as a former Marine and job-creating business leader, we are confident that New Jersey voters will elect Bob Hugin and give our state a Senator we can be proud of again.”

Senator Menendez narrowly avoided federal prison, and still faces an investigation by the Senate Ethics Committee where his shady behavior will continue to embarrass New Jersey. It’s why the New York Times and Star Ledger both called on Menendez to resign from office.  He refused to listen and announced his re-election plans last week.

“Our new :60 ad highlights Senator Menendez’s embarrassing tenure as Senator, where his biggest accomplishment was trying to bury an investigation into his best friend’s scheme to defraud Medicare, and becoming synonymous with federal investigations, private jets, fancy vacations and strong-arming people to get visas for his married best friends foreign girlfriends,” said Piwowar.  “New Jersey is 50 out of 50—dead last—in what we get back from Washington for the amount of tax dollars we send down there. Instead of fixing that, Senator Menendez was too busy serving himself and his big donors. New Jersey deserves better. It’s time for a change.”

BACKGROUND

  • SEN. MENENDEZ ADMITTED HE ACCEPTED EXPENSIVE GIFTS, INCLUDING LAVISH VACATIONS, FROM CONVICTED FELON, DR. MELGEN.
  • THE NEW YORK TIMES AND STAR LEDGER CALLED FOR SENATOR MENENDEZ TO RESIGN.
  • UNDER SENATOR MENENDEZ NEW JERSEY IS BIGGEST LOSER—RANKS 50 OUT OF 50 IN MONEY SENT TO WASHINGTON THAT COMES BACK TO THE STATE
MENENDEZ ADMITTED HE ACCEPTED EXPENSIVE GIFTS, INCLUDING LAVISH VACATIONS, FROM CONVICTED FELON

ACCORDING TO THE INDICTMENT, SENATOR MENENDEZ WAS ACCUSED OF ACCEPTING PRIVATE PLANE FIGHTS AND OTHER GIFTS FROM MELGEN IN EXCHANGE FOR MENENDEZ’S ASSISTANCE. “In exchange, the former chair of the senate foreign relations committee is accused of accepting several private plane flights to a Caribbean resort, other gifts such as a luxury Paris hotel stay and a bounty of campaign donations, according to the indictment. The physician, who was also indicted, even contributed $40,000 to the politician’s legal defense fund involving a recall issue.” (Jay Weaver, “Sen. Robert Menendez, South Florida Eye Doctor Indicted In Federal Corruption Case; Corruption,” The Miami Herald, 4/1/15)

SEN. MENENDEZ VIOLATED SENATE ETHICS RULES BY FAILING TO REPORT OR PAY FOR TRIPS ON MELGEN’S PRIVATE PLANE OVER A PERIOD OF SEVERAL YEARS. “He conceded he had not paid for or properly reported four flights (two round-trips) on Melgen’s private jet and wrote a check to belatedly comply with Senate ethics rules. A year later, his campaign reimbursed Melgen for a third trip. Both times Menendez aides assured reporters that these were oversights and that the senator’s travel had been thoroughly reviewed. But a federal indictment charging Menendez with corruption has revealed free flights the senator never disclosed or paid for – nine others for him, sometimes with a guest – in apparent violation of Senate ethics rules.” (Jonathan Tamari, “Failure To Report Free Trips May Be Used As Evidence Against Menendez, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 4/12/15)

THE NEW YORK TIMES AND THE STAR-LEDGER CALLED FOR MENENDEZ TO RESIGN

THE NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL BOARD: “Mr. Menendez is evidently not in a hurry to get to the stage of contrition, having warned on Wednesday that he’s ‘not going anywhere.’ He would be doing a disservice to New Jersey by clinging to power as a disgraced politician. His colleagues in the Senate should demand that he step aside.” (Editorial, “Step Down, Senator Robert Menendez, The New York Times, 4/2/15)

THE STAR-LEDGER EDITORIAL BOARD: “U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez now begins a fight for his political life that could last for years. New Jersey would be better off if he would resign and conduct that battle on his own time. The state needs a respected senator who is focused on his job, not a tarnished defendant who spends his days fending off credible charges of corruption and raising money for his legal defense.” (Editorial, “Menendez: Resign And Spare Us the Drama, The Star Ledger, 4/1/15)

UNDER MENENDEZ NEW JERSEY IS BIGGEST LOSER WHEN IT COMES TO TAXES AND SPENDING

UNDER MENENDEZ, NEW JERSEY IS 50 OUT OF 50. “The biggest losers when it comes to taxes and spending are New Jersey, Wyoming and Connecticut. New Jersey gets back just 77 cents for every dollar it pays, while Wyoming gets back 81 cents and Connecticut gets 83 cents.” (“Tax Day 2017: Which State Sends Most Taxes to D.C.?”, The Associated Press, 4/16/17)

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Reader suggest its time for New Leadership at Ridgewood schools

Ridgewood High School class of 2016

Ultimately Fishbein and Gorman are responsible. Their hefty salaries are funded by the taxpayers. If the rankings don’t improve in 2-3 years, then these two losers get FIRED. It’s that simple, folks.

What part of the budget (none?) is going towards improving the actual ACADEMIC QUALITY of Ridgewood schools?
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Are the feckless superintendent and RHS principal doing anything to improve these numbers?
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Ridgewood DID NOT make “The 50 highest scoring schools in NJ’s new school ranking system”
RHS is ranked 84 out of 386 in NJ High Schools (not even top 20%)

nj.com article link:
https://www.nj.com/education/2018/01/the_top_50_schools_in_njs_new_state_ratings.html
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Ridgewood DID NOT make the “top 10” (or even the “top 25”) in NJ High schools
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Ridgewood DID NOT even make the “Top 500” high schools Nationally (they were almost in the 600s)
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Ridgewood BARELY made the top 50% in College Readiness (53.6% of students are ready for college … which means almost HALF of RHS students ARE NOT ready for college)
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us news link:
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/new-jersey/districts/ridgewood-public-schools/ridgewood-high-school-12746
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Pathetic. Pitiful.