the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, after filing a lawsuit that offered no tangible benefit to Ridgewood taxpayers or school children . The Judge ruled that the terms of a board of education member cannot be shortened, thereby extending the term of some increasingly unpopular Board of Education members .
Since the Village is currently stuck with these “trustees” for a longer duration , the next best thing would be to vote “NO” on the school budget as a “NO CONFIDENCE” vote against current board members.
If past precedence is any indication there is limited risk to the school system . Time for residents to put their “Resistance” to a better more productive use and none better than improving a child’s education . Resist the BOE and just say NO to the gigantic $111,000,000 budget.
Contact The BoardContact the Board
Ms. Jennie Smith Wilson, Board President
jswilson@ridgewood.k12.nj.us
Mr. James Morgan, Vice President
jmorgan@ridgewood.k12.nj.us
Ms. Sheila Brogan
sbrogan@ridgewood.k12.nj.us
Mr. Cristopher Kaufman
ckaufman@ridgewood.k12.nj.us
Ms. Christina Krauss
ckrauss@ridgewood.k12.nj.us
Great Idea. It’s time to introduce some reality that we are
not the schools bankers which by the way IS NOT PERFORMING …Early for sale signs are all over the village .
Mommies won’t ever vote no. They’re too vested in the lie that is the “Tradition of Excellence” at Ridgewood schools. They’re just hoping someone will be there to believe the same lies to buy their homes from them when they move out. They think that by throwing more money at a broken system, somehow it will fix the mess that is the Ridgewood BOE. You’re not getting your money’s worth mommies!
Mommies don’t care. They’re spending their husbands or ex-husband’s money.
Sad, but this blog only pulls out the protest vote in favor of blocking redevelopment of dead spaces in our CBD or Valley expansion. Sue Knudsen’s sons are already on the RPD and RFD so she doesn’t care. Neither does Jane Shinozuka, Boyd and Anne, or PJ Blogger. The grumpy old police & fire retirees posting here only care about accidents and fires. This blog can’t get enough support behind a “no” vote for the school budget even if it wanted to. The people who vote on that don’t care about Council elections, and vice versa.
is that a challenge ??????????????????
These people are out if control and need to voted off the boe
The blog is here to stamp on people like you mr sad
No taxation with out represention !
Sounds like a job for Marty Brooks
The Blog is all powerful. Everyone who posts on FB saying that they never read the blog is lying. Everyone reads the blog. And everyone posts on the blog.
I am a mommy and i am voting NO
Fakebook pages are loaded with Aronsohn spies and assorted creeps
I agree with PJ time to resist this school board
FB is full of liars. Many people Like and Comment on issues that they don’t privately believe.
James, what was the result of your vote on quality of the Ridgewood schools? Last I’d seen there were about 2X votes more than registered voters in Ridgewood, and heavily in favor of the schools. Suggests the REA and NJEA (and all of their “Stepword Wives” mommies) will destroy your little pathetic grassroots campaign here. But post against the garage and high density housing and all of your rabid supporters will be out in force. Lame.
Wood sounds like a nasty piece of work. God help us if he or she is on our Council!
Brogan pulled this stunt with Historical society
YES! To the poster who said FB is full of liars, I totally agree. People post what they want people to think they believe. The post nice things about the board of ed or the mayor or whoever just in order to win favors. And then they come to the Blog and speak their true feelings. Here on the BLOG you learn what people are really thinking.
Pj i see what you doing , …. i like the way your thinking
Looks like you are pissing off the right people time for taxoayers to oust this board
I like it vote NO push it on the VC , they are not fans of the BOE
3 amigo lovers are once again posting bs all over the blog , cant wait to vote out the selfish a holes on the boe and that dolt voigt on the council
Time to take out the gabage
Increase class sizes fire some of the dead wood.
When I went to school here we had much larger classes, and better test results.
If your dumb kid needs “hand holding ” hire a tutor.
Budget would decrease by 20 million.
Yes noone reads this blog just ask marty brooks
I keep hoping people will stop swallowing — and repeating — the propaganda being fed them about “tradition of excellence”. It is easier and more comfortable to believe that, but they are being shortchanged. We can and should do better! The large and small examples of dysfunction that disprove the propaganda are out in the open. I support the “no-confidence” vote proposal you are putting forward, and I am a Ridgewood mom with kids in the system!
Then tell your friends Ridgewood parent. It’s got to be grease roots support to carry a “No” protest vote. Too many of them just think it’s better (and safer) to not speak out against the BOE or REA. These teachers are bullies, and threaten all sorts of blackmail and support for our kids when we question them. Thuggish behavior! So most stay at home moms would rather just keep throwing their husband’s (or ex-husband’s) money at the problem and hope they can escape the Ridgewood education trap someday when their kids graduate. It’s a vicious circle.
I, too, think we should definitely vote NO on the budget. They are just throwing money away. However, in the past we have rarely voted NO and when we did, the Council felt sorry for them and cut out almost nothing. The budget has now reached an unbelievable total so I would hope they can cut more than just “a few thousand”. Cut the frills and leave in anything that is clearly a positive educational function. We don’t need to have every Superintendent’s Aide have an aide and that Aide have yet another Aide. We currently seem to have a system over filled with Administration and not geared to the students at all. You are right when you say the parents don’t dare complain for fear their children will receive some form of retaliation. That is standard to all schools. However, the teachers bear a huge burden in not snapping at the parents who believe that “their child can do no wrong.” My favorite comment came from a kindergartner who refused to follow any rules. He finally got angry and used several rather extreme cuss words. His mother was called and she asked “Well, what did you do to——- to make him angry?” Our daughter -in-law got taken to court by a parent because she had been unable to force a child to take something home which was then thrown out. It suddenly became extremely valuable . Fortunately the Judge literally laughed it out of Court. Teachers are expected to teach an interesting class while ignoring the potential distractions going on. So it is usually our School Board causing problems.
Seriously?! Who are you? You are posting as Anonymous and call me out with some vague insult? I put my name on EVERY post I write on any platform. I wouldn’t write it if I was afraid or embarrassed to put my name on it. Try it. It’s free… This is the kind of trash talk that is killing the public discourse in Ridgewood.
And feel free to tell me what I “don’t care” about. I was on the Planning Board and was NOT against development in the CBD. I vote for both VC and Board of Ed. In fact, I voted for every member of the current Board.
________________________________________________________
Anonymous
February 17, 2019
Sad, but this blog only pulls out the protest vote in favor of blocking redevelopment of dead spaces in our CBD or Valley expansion. Sue Knudsen’s sons are already on the RPD and RFD so she doesn’t care. Neither does Jane Shinozuka, Boyd and Anne, or PJ Blogger. The grumpy old police & fire retirees posting here only care about accidents and fires. This blog can’t get enough support behind a “no” vote for the school budget even if it wanted to. The people who vote on that don’t care about Council elections, and vice versa.
Hi Jane,
Since you admit to being on the PB and NOT against development would you care to answer a couple of honest questions:
– What did you think back then about the impact to current residents and resources as a result of building hundreds of apartments in RW?
– Did you have the current taxpayers interests at heart OR those of future residents?
– How did you think these high density factories help RW and its future?
– What was you vision back then about RW future?
– With Valley leaving do you still think makes sense to build and build and fill up future open spaces?
– Do you think you will personally like this highly crowded town better than the one you moved into many years ago?
– Would you be against filling these apartments with Section 8 recipients once developers find it hard to fill them up?
– Why didn’t you give a crap about the overwhelming response of residents against over development? Do you really think you can tell people what’s better for them?
I can tell you this about myself. I moved from highly dense areas of NYC into a nice suburb that provides a great balance of green spaces, clean air, normal traffic, family oriented and most importantly safety. These are all threatened by the housing and the garage and will tremendously affect the quality of life for my family. So from a personal standpoint you and your friends never cared what the current taxpayers value , you just cared about what was best for you and your developer friends. But prove me wrong if you can.
Thank you.
Jane is braver than I am! For those of us who have been around for awhile, we remember when 100’s of us showed up to a council meeting to speak out against the density changes in the CBD. Almost everyone was in favor of a compromise: an increase from 12 units per acre to 24 not 35 which Albert, Paul and Gwen voted 3 -2 to approve. All the issues mentioned in the blog posts were addressed and one that wasn’t addressed was an increase in sludge output that would tax our crumbling infrastructure. Nothing was going to change the 3 -2 vote. Whatever problems you see today are the result of that vote and the permanent damage done during the reign of terror.
One more comment! This is James’ blog. He can post whatever and whenever he wants. I don’t see people ( including myself) running to establishing their own blogs .
Slow your roll, Eagle. Who are you anyway – why are you anonymous.? You don’t know a thing about what you are talking about or me.
I said I WAS on the PB. I was there when these proposals were first submitted. I was not against development in general, but I was against too much of it and certainly the way it ended up. And so I also ran for VC at that time urging the utmost caution about overdeveloping the town! I guess the powers that be at the time figured that out because I was essentially run off the Board. Those who bested me in the election ushered in a new era in this town. If it had not been a volunteer job I could have sued for “constructive dismissal”. I had all the conversations to prove it – yet I kept a poker face and continued to volunteering because the problems this town faces are way bigger than me or my ego.
So to every one of your asinine, bullet-pointed accusations — I was THERE at those meetings “giving a crap” as you doubt – about overdevelopment and the hospital expansion and the garage. All of them. I was out there door-to-door before they happened campaigning and warning people against what was coming. I don’t have any “developer friends” you jackass…
I’ve been here working to protect this town and it’s open spaces, registering voters and ensuring fair and impartial candidate debates as an officer in the LWV, stuffing hundreds or thousands of envelopes urging people to reject a behemoth garage and instead build one that fit the lot it was already on and NOT disrupt the Church, neighborhood or traffic patterns it might have, had it been built. I am still working for this town’s best interests on the Citizens Safety Advisory Board and the Central Business District Advisory Board to protect all things you so sanctimoniously list as “your concerns”. They are all of our concerns but not everyone wants to get off their ass to actually help.
Bye, Felicia!
Jane, I guess I misunderstood your initial comment which brought my reaction and I am sorry if I accused you of any wrongdoings without fully knowing what you meant. In these times of tension and stress logic sometimes gets foggy and it becomes hard to separate good people from bad. Personally I am extremely disappointed with what’s happening in RW.
Please stop asking who I am and that I should show myself. It is a bit childish. There is no bravery in an anonymous forum. For some of us it is easier to express what we really feel in such space. If you feel better posting with your real name then good for you.
Sincerely.
Ok, Eagle… I get it… I wasn’t judging anonymity, per se. I know full well why people choose to remain nameless around here. It can get unpleasant pretty quickly. And in hindsight I do apologize for the jackass comment. I was caught up in the moment… I am in general a polite person and have no problem with polite disagreement.
The only thing Jane Shinozuka, Sue Knudsen, Boyd and Anne Loving and James care about are outing their opponents and driving their narrow, special interest agendas. Jane, did you:
* support Valley’s expansion, yes or no? They’re leaving because they couldn’t expand, don’t you know?
* support the Hudson Street Garage?
* support the re-development of the dead spaces in our CBD like the dilapidated sites at Brogan Cadillac and Ken Smith Chevy?
* support unlimited, open-ended taxpayer spend in Schedler? Where do you live in relation to Schedler? What’s the expected total cost to Village taxpayers?
* support the purchase of the Elks HQ? Why?
* support the purchase of the Old Town Garage? Why?
* vote against any BOE budget in the past twenty years?
Do tell. Arigatou!
This is getting weird… You suggest I have a narrow, special interest agenda? Please tell me what that is. I am confident you will be embarrassingly surprised to my answers to each of your laundry list above – but I am only one vote and one personal opinion, so who would care anyway? So why would I have “opponents”? I hold no position of public authority. So say what you really mean.
But first – tell me about your misspelled and misguided attempt to sign off in Japanese. Perhaps you don’t know me (you won’t say who you are) but I am Irish.
“Only one vote”, gee where have we heard that before? So no answers to my queries given you’re claims of transparency and honesty? I thought you were preparing yet another Council bid?
Nice deflection from a serial Council candidate. Not a single answer to the “laundry list”, not one. It’s ありがとう… a-ri-ga-to-u
More passive aggressive nastiness
That’s what you are getting at? Give it up. You are not only wrong but really impolite.
No no answers to my queries? Despite claiming you’re “only one vote” and that you were “not against development in general”… your “bye Felicia” comment exposes you for the smear campaign you’ve been part of for years against people who dared to question you & your friends. We’re reaping what you’ve all sown now. I’ll ask again. Jane, did you:
* support Valley’s expansion, yes or no? They’re leaving because they couldn’t expand, don’t you know?
* support the Hudson Street Garage?
* support the re-development of the dead spaces in our CBD like the dilapidated sites at Brogan Cadillac and Ken Smith Chevy?
* support unlimited, open-ended taxpayer spend in Schedler? Where do you live in relation to Schedler? What’s the expected total cost to Village taxpayers?
* support the purchase of the Elks HQ? Why?
* support the purchase of the Old Town Garage? Why?
* vote against any BOE budget in the past twenty years?
Have things improved or worsened in the Village in the past few years? What role does the BOE and current Council have in this? Seem to be a large amount of very self-centered, barrow interest individuals serving as trustees an our current BOE and Village Council/Governing Body. Why aren’t these people asking for outside d overtime on contracts, finances, innovation & leadership from concerned residents willing to volunteer their time to help this clearly overmatched BOE and Council? Ridgewood has terrible governance. It’s driven by self-centered greed. What happened?
I originally responded – at all – because I thought it was really weird (and rude) that my name was even brought up in anonymous comment about the B of E. There is neither a connection or a reason nor any possible interest from anyone for my input on a list of questions that are the business of the governing bodies. Does the town even own the Town Garage? And I don’t have any connection to a discussion of something like –the Elks Club? – that’s just a nutty line of questioning.
For you to say “exposes you for the smear campaign you’ve been part of for years against people who dared to question you” is just crazy talk – it makes no sense. I’m not part of any group and for the record, I’ve never been part of a smear campaign of any kind, ever. I now regret engaging the commenter at all. It was useless.
I will say it again – this kind of insulting and accusatory stuff is KILLING any hope for productive public discourse. I don’t understand why someone who has an opinion and wants to talk about it, publicly, in a forum like this one, can’t discuss the issues without such rudeness .