the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Board of Education Candidates Night will be Monday, October 29, 2018 from 7:30pm-9:00pm at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Pl, 3rd floor, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
The two candidates running for the single open Board of Education seat are Cristopher Kaufman and current Board of Education President B. Vincent Loncto .
The most noticeable major difference in the candidates is the current Board of Education President B. Vincent Loncto is dead set against letting Ridgewood residents vote on the $110,000,000 school budget and the challenger Cristopher Kaufman is very much in favor of letting the public decide thru budget votes .
The Ridgewood School budget is by far the single largest potion of the Village of Ridgewood’s property tax assessment accounting for 2/3 of the tax payment.
The schools have also suffered a myriad of bad press in recent years because of bullying , sexting , and slipping in the school rankings . In 2013 Ridgewood ranked #11 in NJ and #188 in the nation, slipping in 5 years to a ranking of #24 in NJ and #577 in the nation.
There is currently a police investigation in to a “Sexting” issue .
The current school board has been accused of being both tone deaf to residents concerns and bullying parent dissenters into submission with subtle threats against their children.
Two teachers that live near me have Kaufman signs on the their lawns.
Isn’t that a little inappropriate ?
No, it is not inappropriate. Why shouldn’t teachers who also vote on school budget express their opinion. Teachers are residents and tax payers. There should be a town vote on the issue, not let the BOE alone decide. Too bad there is not. Chris Christy changed everything in 2012 to allow towns to save money on April election. That was wrong. It was always a right before that.
Have you actually spoken to Mr. Loncto or listened to what he has to say?
He is not against allowing the citizens a vote on the budget in April.
He did not support the village council making the change in July in a short 2 week period which didn’t allow for all the facts to be discussed and communicated.
Hope that you watch or attend on the 29th so that you can get your facts straight.
stop he is 100% against the Vote
Are you kidding? OF COURSE teachers can support a candidate of choice. And obviously these teachers are looking to get rid of the old guard. Good for them. Chris Kaufman promises to be a great new start.
The BOE needs a change and it should start at the top. I’m voting for fresh blood.
I am Vincent Loncto. I want to let the readers know that I have publicly stated that I am in support of moving the Board oF Education vote to April, and enabling the public to vote of the school district budget. Whoever wrote that I am against that is utterly wrong.
thanks Vince ,the residents are looking to see which way the wind is blowing
Boe doubke speak?
Loncto absolutely has to go. He is so condescending. He is trying to act like a totally agreeable guy now that THANK GOD we have a candidate running against him. But do not be fooled. Loncto is large and in charge and he wants no one to get in the way of his super intelligence. He absolutely is opposed to having us vote on the budget. Believe me, he is only saying he will support it because he wants to get reelected. he will flip on this be certain.
Will Denise Pierce Lima have ANYTHING to do with the Candidates Night? If so, skip it.
Cyberbullying, bullying, sexting, beatings. 10 long years of persistent, awful conduct in our schools, documented and covered all over the news, including CBS, and nothing changes. The schools are a mess, and they just try to cover it all up. No wonder the rankings are dropping, with this administration. Who would want their kids to go here?
A vote for Kaufman will ensure movement in a positive direction.