Underfunded rural school districts seek redress in court
Abbott v. Burke may get all the attention in New Jersey, but another case almost as old is heading back to court to challenge how the Christie administration funds schools.
Lawyers for 16 poor rural districts — virtually all in South Jersey — have gone back to the state appeals court to contend that they, too, are entitled to full funding under the state’s school funding law.
The districts are part of the Bacon v. New Jersey Department of Education case that was first filed in 1997 as a rural version of the Abbott case, which was on behalf of the state’s highest-poverty urban districts.
The Bacon case involves districts like Buena Regional, Clayton, Egg Harbor City, and Hammonton and maintains that these districts have also been underfunded for years due to their poverty. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
>You understood me correctly, if you thought I was suggesting the election may be stolen. Ron DuBois
Lately, I have read many complaints by Patriots voicing their frustration with our Government. They have taken just about every legal and Constitutional step to catch the attention of their legislators and their President, that only resulted in being lied to, ignored, stalled, and condescended to. The debt ceiling was raised, in spite of the pressure of the majority of the people. Boehner and the RINOs caved in and got 353 million in spending cuts that was supposed to be around 3 trillion, and the only honest Representatives were the 66 who were mostly newly-elected Tea Party Conservatives. The promised jobs are not forthcoming, the debt continues to grow, along with the spending, and American Industry is fettered by additional chains of regulation, created unconstitutionally by bureaucrats, with no input or control by our elected Representatives. In fairness, this is the culmination of decades of abuse and usurpation of power by all parties, driven by self-interest, greed, and catering to the lobbyists of special interests.
I am writing today, not to re-hash the repetitious daily blathering that we tend to tune out, but to tell you all that the time has come for action. To continue what we have been doing can no longer be effective, because we are running out of time. It is all well and good to continue to seek control of the Senate and the White House in 2012, and we should not stop, but there are a couple of things that worry me. One is that, between now and the elections, President Obama and his Administration have the ability to do so much further harm to the Country, that it will be too late to ever reverse it. Even now, if we take on no more debt whatsoever, we may never recover. While we were supposed to have stopped borrowing and taxing, the Administration is seeking 447 billion additional dollars through a Jobs Bill that will only waste the money on creating more Government jobs, more jobs for their Union cronies, and for projects like Solyndra and Lightsquared. My second worry is that the Obama election machine is reviving the renamed ACORN groups, with the same employer IDs, addresses, and Boards of Directors – just the new names. Already, they have had taxpayer funds illegally given to them by HUD, and are up for 6 billion more in funding – in violation of laws passed by Congress. There is no doubt that these funds are meant to give these groups the means to provide votes for Obama in the 2012 election. As was seen in 2008, when 14 States indicted ACORN members and officers for voter fraud, I guarantee they will illegally be there, fully funded, and getting every illegal alien and dead person to vote for Obama, in 2012. In other words, you understood me correctly, if you thought I was suggesting the election may be stolen.
>Richard’s Run HHK 5K Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ on October 2, 2011 To Raise Awareness & Support for Pediatric Cancer
HO-HO-KUS, N.J., Sept. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Lace up your sneakers for Richard’s Run HHK 5K! On Sunday, October 2, 2011 beginning at 8:30 AM, joggers, walkers and supporters of every age will support Go4theGoal Foundation with the energy to stomp out childhood cancers and raise funds to financially assist children and their families affected by cancer, support programs at area hospitals and fund innovative cancer research.
The Start and Finish of the USATF Certified race is located at Borough Hall, 333 Warren Avenue, Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ (between Sheridan & Sycamore Avenue.) Pre-race Online registration is available at Active.com: https://www.active.com/running/hohokus-nj/richards-run-hhk-5k-2011?int=29-6. Day-of registration and chip/bib/t-shirt pick-up begins at 7:00 AM at Borough Hall in Ho-Ho-Kus. Richard’s Run HHK 5K will begin promptly at 8:30 AM. To save time on Race Day, pre-registrants may pick up their race packet on Saturday, Oct. 1st:
In partnership with HealthBarn, USA of Wycoff, NJ, a leader in proven healthy-lifestyle education, Go4theGoal will hold a post-race program, complete with an awards ceremony, DJ, samples of healthy and delicious foods, family yoga and fun and engaging activities for all ages.
ABOUT GO4THEGOAL FOUNDATION Go4theGoal Foundation (www.Go4theGoal.org) is a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization founded in 2006 by Dr. Richard and Beth Stefanacci, soon after their oldest child was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Go4theGoal provides children undergoing cancer treatment and their families with financial assistance, runs fun hospital-based programs, grants special wishes and supplies Apple iPads, iPods and MacBooks to children and pediatric oncology units in over 20 hospitals across the country. Since their son’s death in 2007, G4G has funded over 500k in innovative research for Ewing’s Sarcoma.
For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Beth Stefanacci, Executive Director, Go4theGoal Foundation at (609) 313-0912 or [email protected] or Gina Buffa at (201) 615-5700 or [email protected].
>Veterans will dedicate new World War I plaque in Ridgewood MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2011 THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
American Legion Post 53’s proposal for a Veterans Day rededication of Graydon Park was unanimously approved at the Village Council meeting on Wednesday following some changes to the original plans
Plans for the project began with the rediscovery of plaques at Graydon Park in remembrance of 14 Ridgewood casualties in World War I. Legionnaire Chris Stout has since spearheaded an effort to collect the original plaques – some of which are still visible, while others have been located feet beneath the ground – and create a new plaque with the names listed, to be installed at the Graydon Pool Badge Desk, facing the entrance patio.
The original plaques each accompanied a white ash tree, part of a 1931 Armistice Day commemoration that also marked the official dedication of Graydon Park. Only four of the trees remain.
>Ridgewood was more about real community back then same size Village and actually far more kids in school than there are currently
That was always a busy intersection. Fact is quite a few years ago there was a big white dot in the middle of it.
And if you were to have looked back then, for several years you would have found ME standing in the middle of that “dot”, directing traffic and helping other kids cross. Also some other longtime Village folks did same.
That intersection was “covered” back then by the kid-staffed safety patrol.
A paid retired officer covered Van Dien further down, near what was then the main entrance to Travell, which back then you went to for K through 4. It was about 1/2 of the current BF site – the part closest to Valley.
Then for 5&6 you went around the corner to Travell Annex, no longer there, which was on the site of what’s now the field for current Travell (the Glen Ave side).
Most of the traffic there back then was not Valley traffic though. It was parents. The entire Valley plant back then was what’s now the doctor parking lot on Linwood. There was a big curved driveway in and out of Linwood.
The oldest Valley building still there now is Phillips. It was built during the time I went to Travell and BF and greatly increased the size of the hospital, but it was still very much a community facility in the real meaning (to me) of the word.
Kurth Cottage was the only part of Valley not right off Linwood. And it was… a cottage on Van Dien.
Us safety patrol folk had to show up early to help kids cross, but we did get out of school a little early too – to cover that and several other intersections.
You got a big flag, a whistle (really!) and short training by the police. And off you went to help other kids cross.
Though the Glen and Van Dien spot was about the busiest the little unit covered, this simple plan actually worked.
Ridgewood was more about real community back then, and for that matter, so was Valley.
Yet, same size Village, roughly same population.. and actually far more kids in school than there are currently.
Leaner and more focused overall, and much friendlier at same time. You got things done in a much simpler way and the offcials at Village Hall and the BOE were a lot more responsive in ways that got things resolved, not just run-arounds. They didn’t go off on turf, light, Village Hall and similar “adventures” either.
Gee, must sound like Mayberry, huh? Or perhaps, Ho Ho Kus? Yet, same size, more kids in school, and roughly 25,000 population. Less layers of administration and loads less baloney though.
That’s a Friday afternoon’s trip in the wayback machine, hope y’all enjoyed it.
>Ridgewood girls soccer team gives coach Jeff Yearing his 400th career win.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2011 ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
TEANECK — Jeff Yearing did not have anything “formal” planned for the occasion, but his players did.
The Ridgewood High School girls soccer coach earned the 400th win of his career Tuesday afternoon, as RHS handled Teaneck, 8-1, at Thomas Jefferson Middle School.
Yearing did not tell his players about the impending milestone ahead of time, though they all knew. In turn, the Maroons did not tell their head coach about the celebration they had planned, and he was summarily surprised by an impromptu spelling bee.
Moments after exiting the handshake line, Ridgewood players were back at the bench, diving into backpacks and emerging with homemade T-shirts that featured a “400” on the front and a letter on the back. When they lined up side-by-side to take their cool-down jog across the field, the 22 girls made sure to arrange each character (including a blank space and an exclamation point) in order to spell out “Congratulations Years!
Crafting an accurate system for evaluating NJ teachers
Charlotte Danielson may not be a recognizable name to the general public, but the Princeton-based consultant is the architect of a framework for observing and evaluating teachers that has been the gold standard in schools across the country.
By one count, a third of New Jersey school districts use the Danielson method in their own evaluation systems, focusing on its criteria for effective teaching. Danielson divides those criteria into 22 components across four domains: preparation, classroom environment, instruction, and professional responsibility.
As the Christie administration now moves to create a statewide teacher evaluation system, the Danielson framework is one of the programs being offered to 10 pilot districts. Of course, Gov. Chris Christie is also putting a heavy emphasis on student achievement measures such as state test scores for the rest of the rating, a component not in Danielson’s system.
Last week, Danielson spoke with NJ Spotlight about the latest push for better evaluation nationwide — both strengths and pitfalls, including some worries about how New Jersey is pursuing its reforms. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
President Barack Obama will raise money in early October with a Missouri businessman whose company benefited from a $107 million federal tax credit to develop a wind power facility in his state.
Tom Carnahan, a scion of Missouri’s most prominent Democratic political family, is listed on Obama’s campaign website as a host of a $25,000-per-person fundraiser to be held in St. Louis on October 4.
Continue Reading His energy development firm, Wind Capital Group, was helped by a sizable credit authorized in the stimulus, for an energy project in northwest Missouri.
Republicans argue that it’s inappropriate for the Obama campaign to raise money from a donor who has benefited directly from the Recovery Act.
Missouri Republican Party executive director Lloyd Smith compared the situation to the Solyndra affair, in which the Obama administration reportedly rushed federal support to a green-energy firm that subsequently collapsed
The recommendation is tucked deep into the report commissioned by Gov. Chris Christie, one of nearly 50 suggestions to ease the red tape tying up public schools.
But it may be one of the more significant or provocative recommendations made by the Education Transformation Task Force: rethink New Jersey’s decade-old requirement that its teachers rack up 100 hours of professional development every five years.
Headed by former state education commissioner David Hespe, the task force appointed with much fanfare by Christie earlier this year said it was time to move beyond “clock hours” in determining if teachers are getting enough professional development.
“The Department and the State Board should seek to amend this regulation to focus on student learning rather than on hours of professional seat-time,” the report read. “The goal should be on driving outputs, not mandating inputs.”
The report suggested more focus on teacher collaboration and support through “professional learning communities,” where teachers can learn from each other on a daily basis. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
>Garage Sale :Sale will be conducted Friday, September 23 and Saturday, September 24 (rain date – Sunday, September 25) at 170 Hope Street, Ridgewood, NJ. Special items include: Victorian child/youth chair; mahogany goose neck rocker (needs repair); 1930’s vinyl kitchen chairs (2); men’s and women’s clothing; Christmas decorations; blue Harvey’s Bristol Crème glasses; Pfalzgraff china; Drambuie glasses; kitchen ware; books and 33 rpm records.
Saturday, September 24th – ONE DAY ONLY 9am-3pm 189 Prospect Street, Ridgewood (corner of Spring)
MULTI-FAMILY garage sale Furniture, games, toys, American dolls, household items, books, cds and more.
For the first time, California no longer reigns as the U.S. state with the largest commercial solar market, and it’s lost that spot to New Jersey, according to a new report on the booming solar industry.
The commercial solar market in New Jersey jumped 170 percent from the first quarter of this year to the second quarter, said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade group. As a result, New Jersey’s photovoltaic (PV) installations now account for 24 percent of all those in the U.S. — up from 15 percent at the end of March.
The administration of Gov. Chris Christie termed New Jersey’s statistics as good news.
Overall, California still maintains a lead in power produced from solar, said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, but the Garden State’s progress is notable.
“This is one of those things where I don’t know whether to laugh or cry,” Tittel said. (Koch and Schoonejongen, Gannett)
>Ridgewood will honor military families with a candle-lighting ceremony
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2011 BY JOSEPH CRAMER STAFF WRITER THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
There will be some extra illumination in Ridgewood this Sunday as military families gather for a candle-lighting ceremony at Van Neste Square in honor of Gold Star Mother’s Day.
A national observance in honor of mothers and families whose sons or daughters have been killed while on duty in the United States military, Gold Star Mother’s Day takes place on the last Sunday of September each year, accompanied by a proclamation from the president.
This Sunday will mark the first time an official commemoration has been conducted in the village, something American Legion Post 53 member Bob Paoli attributes to a simple fact.
>Ridgewood teachers enter into development partnership with Montclair University
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2011 BY JOSEPH CRAMER STAFF WRITER THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Starting this school year, Ridgewood teachers will have access to a new ongoing professional development consortium through a partnership between the district and Montclair State University (MSU).
Called the Montclair State University Network for Educational Renewal (MSUNER), the organization is a partnership among the university and New Jersey school districts from across multiple counties that aims to promote “the simultaneous renewal of schools and teacher education through collaboration between and among the university and member school districts,” according to the MSUNER website.
The Ridgewood school district was accepted into the program in the spring following an application process and a site visit from MSUNER representatives, said Superintendent Daniel Fishbein.
>Obama’s Jobs Bill looks to End State Sovereignty Ron DuBois
The Eleventh Amendment of the US Constitution reads, “The judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by citizens of another State, or by citizens or subjects of any Foreign State.” In other words, the Federal Courts, including the Supreme Court, cannot intervene or interfere with, any lawsuit brought against a State by a citizen of any State, or a citizen of another country. Such a suit must be resolved by the State’s Courts.
As part of Obama’s “Jobs Bill”, there is a section, described in the forwarded article, that negates the 11th Amendment protection currently enjoyed by the States. Now , I’m not sure the Bill, if passed and signed by Obama into law, can legally supercede the Constitution. My understanding of the Constitution is that it would take a Constitutional Amendment to do this. Legality notwithstanding, if the Bill becomes law, you can be sure the Administration will make every attempt to enforce it. Without my going into explanatory detail, I’m sure you understand that once a State takes money under the Jobs Bill, the Federal Courts will assume a power over the States that the Constitution specifically denied.
Ridgewood High School football game moved to Don Bosco
“The artificial turf fields have continued to be plagued by excessive “clean-up” costs. RHS sports programs are suffering as work continues to repair the latest storm damage from flooding. On several occasions I have called upon the BOE, as the field owner, to join with the Village, sports boasters and neighbors and see what can be done to resolve this continual cycle of flood damage, field closure and expensive repair. I am sure that intelligent, creative parties working together in good faith can devise solutions. Unfortunately, the BOE and the superintendent have ignored this offer of cooperation. Please BOE, do not miss this opportunity.
Jim Morgan”
Attached is a letter from Dr. Fishbein announcing that the RHS/DonBosco game has been moved to Mahwah. The letter appears on the District website : https://tinyurl.com/4xob956
