the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ramsey NJ, a new $4.5 million, five-year agreement has been reached between the Ramsey School District and Saddle River for middle school education. Under the renewed partnership, the Ramsey School District will continue to welcome 54 Saddle River students in grades six through eight at Eric S. Smith Middle School, according to Ramsey Schools Superintendent Andrew Matteo. This deal replaces a prior 10-year contract between the districts that expired on June 30.
While this new contract ensures a middle school option for Saddle River families in Ramsey, a separate agreement to continue sending Saddle River high schoolers to Ramsey has yet to be finalized. Currently, an estimated 10 high school students from Saddle River attend Ramsey High School.
The five-year agreement was reached as Saddle River’s Board of Education evaluates its long-term options for educating its middle schoolers. A $78,000 study commissioned in April assessed the feasibility and costs of ending the 25-year-old partnership with Ramsey and shifting middle school students back to Saddle River. However, Saddle River school board President Emily Kaufman emphasized that this study was exploratory, designed to understand the broader implications of such a change.
Kaufman noted, “The Board of Education did complete an environmental study to determine if expansion within our current footprint is possible. While we considered a non-binding referendum to gauge public opinion, the board decided to withdraw it after public feedback. For now, we’re very happy with our five-year contract with Ramsey and are focused on our superintendent search.”
Superintendent Gina Cinotti of the Saddle River district recently announced her retirement, and interim Superintendent Richard Freedman is currently leading the 125-student K-5 Wandell School.
A Long Partnership and Future Considerations
The longstanding partnership between Saddle River and Ramsey dates back to 1998, when the state deemed Saddle River’s standalone middle school building unsafe. Since then, Saddle River students have been bussed to Ramsey for their middle school education. At the high school level, students can choose between Ramsey High School or Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale, which currently enrolls 90% of Saddle River’s high school students.
Northern Highlands Superintendent Scot Beckerman commented this spring on the alignment between Ramsey and Northern Highlands’ curriculums. “Ramsey aligns well enough with our Physics First approach,” Beckerman said, highlighting the Algebra I instruction in eighth grade at Ramsey as an important academic bridge to Northern Highlands.
One major question for Saddle River in potentially reclaiming its middle schoolers is whether the district could replicate the facilities and diverse offerings that larger districts like Ramsey and Northern Highlands provide. The study commissioned by Saddle River’s Board of Education did not take into account the old middle school building, instead assuming that with slight modifications, the current K-5 Wandell School could accommodate additional grades.
This renewed five-year agreement provides both districts with stability as Saddle River considers its long-term educational goals. For now, families and students in Saddle River can expect a continued partnership with Ramsey while the district further assesses its options for the future.
Join the new Saddle River Valley, Ramapo and Pascack Valley Communities Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1931704860512551/
#news #follow #media #trending #viral #newsupdate #currentaffairs #BergenCountyNews #NJBreakingNews #NJHeadlines #NJTopStories
How about it addresses the number of new students which will be living in the new affordable housing apartments which will be completed and occupied by the next school year?
How about it addresses your fear that your kids might have to mingle with them?
It’s so ridiculous to put affordable housing in saddle River one of the richest towns around, how are these kids going to get along with each other? I just don’t see it. These people are multi millionaires. Why would you wanna bring your kid into an environment like that if you’re Even high blue collar worker it doesn’t work. It’s not that these people that are living in lower common areas are bad people they just did different environment, that’s like taking someone from the villager Ridgewood the biggest house in town and move those kids too Beverly Hills, or the Hamptons you don’t fit in the billionaires club. It’s just not healthy. I know people are going to come back and give me a whipping, but that’s the facts.