Welcome!

Welcome to Laurie Goodman's blog. I use this space to share news and opinions about education and schools in Ridgewood, the state of New Jersey and the nation, in addition to other issues I'm personally interested in. I invite you to share your thoughts, feelings, questions or opinions, too, by posting comments on any blog entry. Please observe basic courtesy -- keep your comments focused on issues, no personal attacks or bullying, please. Contact me directly at: lauriegood@mac.com

Monday, March 30, 2009

The Age of the Unthinkable

So tonight the Board approved the budget which will be on the ballot 4/21. Following is the statement I made prior to tonight's vote:

Last week I heard a book mentioned on the radio. It was called The Age of the Unthinkable, and to be honest I didn’t really listen to the story. I was fixated on the name. The Age of the Unthinkable is where we are right now in the Ridgewood Public Schools. As we’ve talked about the budget for the 2009-10 school year, we found ourselves in a strange and unfamiliar time, where our priorities are up against a wall and we had to make choices that seem to go against things we as a community hold dear. To many people, some of the proposed budget cuts are unthinkable. Unfortunately, the reality is, it doesn’t matter how uncomfortable we feel. There’s no way to avoid the pain, we can only distribute it. It seems pretty clear that the status quo just doesn’t exist anymore.

So I looked up the book on Amazon, and read this description: “The traditional physics of power have been replaced by something radically different. In The Age of the Unthinkable, [the author] puts forth a revelatory new model for understanding our dangerously unforseeable world….He describes a new landscape of inherent unpredictability--and remarkable, wonderful possibility.”

I wish I had time to read that book (the subtitle is "Why the New World Disorder Constantly Surprises Us And What We Can Do About It"), but I’m intrigued by the concept as it applies to our schools.

Our own new age of unpredictability...and previously unthinkable changes... is forcing us to look at things differently, and we’re going to have to do things differently. We're going to have to look forward instead of back. Figure out how to make it work, all of us together, and maybe even come out stronger and better in the end. I don't see how we have any other choice.

I want to thank the administrators for their hard work developing the 09/10 budget. And I want to thank everyone who brought comments to our meetings and sent in emails and phone calls. I hope Ridgewood voters will support the budget on April 21, so we can then turn our attention to the possibilities before us. To not just surviving, but thriving. I’m sure it’ll get harder before it gets easier, but I do believe we’ll get there, and this budget is an important step we’ve got to take.

SmartBoards and technology spending

Updated 3/31/09 11:22 AM

At last Monday’s meeting of the Board of Education, many of the comments at the microphone included a reference to “SmartBoards” and related technology supplies. Students and parents lamented the fact that the district was planning to spend money on SmartBoards instead of art or coaches. I’m not sure what prompted those comments. To be sure, Mr. DiSimone did mention supplies for things such as SmartBoards and other classroom technology (I guess that means computers…maybe projectors…overheads…) in explaining the “Media Services/Library” line of the budget. He said the line, which for 2009-2010 is $1,888,382, included library books and supplies and also technology supplies such as light bulbs for SmartBoards. But the idea that the district is taking spending money on SmartBoards or other technology instead of funding the art supervisor position or the assistant coaches is completely false.

To my knowledge, there are five or six SmartBoards at Ridgewood High School (and a few others in the elementary and middle schools). The HSA donated five SmartBoards to the high school. The RHS HSA created a Development Committee and asked Principal Jack Lorenz what his school needed. Mr. Lorenz, in consultation with teachers, said SmartBoards – I believe he has said his goal is to put SmartBoards in half the classrooms at RHS. He feels the SmartBoard technology will greatly enhance teaching and learning, and the parents of the HSA decided to support that goal.

(FYI, a SmartBoard is an interactive whiteboard that connects to a computer and digital projector and is used to engage students of all learning styles. Teachers and students can control computer applications, write notes, pull up charts and images, search the Internet, play videos, and print and save everything. Each SmartBoard costs about $5,000.)

So, let's clear this up: my opinion is that SmartBoards are great technology. But the fact is that the budget does not include plans to purchase SmartBoards.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

An Age of Elegance at the Ridgewood Historical Society's Schoolhouse Museum

This evening was an opening reception for the the Ridgewood Historical Society's new exhibit, An Age of Elegance: Weddings from Ridgewood’s Past, on display through July 26, 2009. The exhibition explores the social rituals of love and marriage through historic and lavish wedding gowns, bridal lingerie, accessories and ephemera from the Ridgewood Historical Society’s collection dating from the late 18th century through the early 20th century.

The Schoolhouse Museum and its collections are a Ridgewood treasure, and I recommend you visit some afternoon. Girls (and women) especially will be amazed at the wedding dresses! It's open on Saturdays 1:00--3:00 p.m., Sundays 2:00--4:00 p.m., and Thursdays 1:00--3:00 p.m. The suggested donation is $5 for an adult, $3 for a child, and $10 for a family.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Math textbooks review

Right now I'm at the Ed Center looking at the four finalists in the
math textbook review. If you can make it over here before 7 pm, I
highly recommend it. You can look through the books, see the teacher
guides, check out the homework, etc. It's a very thorough and
comprehensive presentation.

Ed center. 3rd floor. Till 7:00 or 7:30 pm

Art & Music Supervisor Research

I was curious about how other districts handle the supervision of art and music. I wanted to either feel better about what our district has proposed, or else prepare myself for how bad it could be. You might be interested in what I found:

Of the Top 20 NJ high schools (according to New Jersey Monthly in 2008):
10 have combined Art/Music Supervisors
7 have separate Supervisors of Art and Music
2 are unknown (couldn't find the info)

Of the 15 high schools attended by award winners in the 2009 duCret School of Art Juried High School Art Show for New Jersey high school students:
9 have combined Art/Music Supervisors
2 have separate Supervisors of Art and Music
4 are unknown

I wanted to compare districts of 5,000+ students (similar to our size), but I couldn't find a quick way to isolate that list. I also considered looking at all the J districts, but I decided to focus on high-performing districts, in whatever quick way I could identify them. (And, yes, I know I've criticized the NJ Monthly rankings in the past but for this purpose, we can assume that the schools on the list are among the best in the state.)

I realize that Ridgewood is special and what we have built over the years in terms of art and music is special. I am deeply concerned that what we have will not remain special. I am certain that in the best of all possible worlds, having separate supervisors of visual art and performing arts is preferred. My little bit of research is unscientific, but I think it shows:

A) Combined art/music supervision may not be a guaranteed "death sentence" for the arts
B) There are other variables that determine the success of art and music programs (and the success of students in those programs)
C) Ridgewood would not be going out on a limb alone if these positions were combined.

Obviously this doesn't answer all the concerns and worries. Just because some other schools have been successful, doesn't guarantee we will be. But likewise, there's no guarantee that our quality will go down, either. The predictions spoken about at Board of Ed meetings (and, regretfully, to students during school hours) are coming from fear -- I understand that. Maybe fear -- as one of the great motivators -- can help drive all of us come up with creative ways to cope.

Break a leg, Somerville & Hawes!

Somerville and Hawes students present musical theater this weekend, Seussical at Somerville and Annie at Hawes. Congratulations to all the students and thank you to all the parents and staff who work hard to pull these shows off. I miss the Somerville Children's Theater days!

Check with each school for showtimes and ticket info.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Questions and answers on budget cuts

A parent recently asked me for more info about the proposed administrative changes in the budget. I thought maybe I would share some of her questions and my answers here, for others who have questions:

Why this supervisor consolidation (art and music) and not others?
While the District looked at all aspects of administrative structure from the time 09-10 budget development began back in the fall, there were a number of reasons why they only recommended one supervisory consolidation for next year. Increasing enrollment and increasing state and federal mandates have put a steadily growing pressure on school supervisory staff over the last 5-10 years. You should see how many reporting regulations the state just added over the past two years! There are like 185 pages this year alone! These accountability and workload issues, combined with rigid state tenure and seniority laws, made it clear that a larger consolidation or reorganization of supervisory staff in a single year might excessively undermine the schools.

These cuts seem extreme, and parents feel they will undermine our schools.
To be brutally honest, we are now at the point where the cuts we make WILL undermine at least some aspect of our schools and the quality of our education. The district has spent the past five years cutting around the edges, year after year, in response to state restrictions and regulations, and this is the year that there is no more "edge" to cut. We finally have to cut into actual programs. With that being said, we are still trying to keep the cuts out of the classroom as much as possible and to preserve our educational quality as much as possible. If we did not make the art/music supervisor consolidation, or if we did not change the Spanish program, then we would certainly begin cutting teachers and raising class sizes, and also cutting art and music offerings (and teachers). If we did not cut some assistant coaches, then we would be cutting complete sports. The district is proposing these current cuts to avoid cutting complete sports or reducing the number of art classes available to students, or increasing the sizes of our elementary classes. There is no state limit on how large classes can be. But Ridgewood has always prided itself on keeping class sizes low, and that seems to still be a priority for parents.

How can there possibly be a single supervisor for art and music?
I did a quick check of other district websites, and I did see several districts with supervisors of Fine & Performing Arts (combining art, music & theater). I'm not saying it's ideal, I'm just pointing out that we are not the first district to do this. We will need the art and music teachers to rise to the challenge and continue their excellent teaching and mentoring of students.

These budget cuts are terrible. I wish we didn't have to do them. I wish the state's regulations would allow us to decide how much we want to spend to educate our students ourselves. And I wish our two unions had ratified the memoranda of agreement we negotiated, to give up 1% of their raises for next year. I just want people to understand that we did try other things, but when you only have 20% of your budget to work with, to try and cut $2.5 million, it's impossible to do it without someone feeling it.

Can I suggest -- there is a meeting being held Thursday night. It's a repeat of a meeting that was held yesterday. Dr. Fishbein explained how our budget got to where we are today, the state regulations and circumstances that impact our budget, and he took 40 minutes of questions from parents on the budget and why the cuts are what they are. It was informal and very informative -- about 40 people showed up. A repeat is scheduled for Thursday at 7:00 p.m. for those who could not make the daytime meeting. (I'll be out of town Thursday so I won't be there.) If you can attend, I think you would find it helpful.

Reminder: 2nd Conversation with Dr. Fishbein. Get your budget questions answered!

Yesterday I attended a conversation with Dr. Fishbein and over 40 parents who came to learn about our budget -- specifically, how it works and how we got to the place where we are today, with a $2.5 million deficit and painful cuts. (Scroll down or click here to read my original post/invitation.) It was one of the most informative sessions I've attended all year. Dr. Fishbein clearly explained the ins and outs of school funding, and then he took 40 minutes or so of questions about funding and about the decision process for coming up with the 09/10 budget. If you'd like to learn more, I strongly urge you to attend a repeat session this Thursday night at 7:00 p.m., 3rd floor of the Ed Center.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Tonight's Board of Ed Meeting

Tonight's Board of Ed meeting will begin with a joint meeting of the Board and the Village Council, for the purpose of discussing the proposed school district budget. Public comments will again be welcomed. After that, we'll have a regular business agenda with some resignations, appointments, approval of bills, etc.

I will be giving a report on the Open Forum for Communications that was held on March 3. After the meeting, the full report will be available on the district website. I'll post it here, too, and I'll send it to the HSAs and also to the Ridgewood News.

Tonight's meeting will be streamed live on the internet. Click here to view. (I'm told the live webcast has better sound than the Cablevision Channel 77 broadcast -- they are trying AGAIN to get Cablevision to fix the technical problems.)

See you later!

Better ways to test (and teach) reading/language arts

Thought-provoking op-ed by E.D. Hirsch, Jr. in the online NY Times today. Here are some excerpts:

IN his recent education speech, President Obama asked the states to raise their standards and develop “assessments that don’t simply measure whether students can fill in a bubble on a test.” With the No Child Left Behind law up for reauthorization this year, the onus is now on lawmakers and educators to find a way to maintain accountability while mitigating the current tendency to reduce schooling to a joyless grind of practice exams and empty instruction in “reading strategies.”

Before we throw away bubble tests, though, we should institute a relatively simple change that would lessen the worst effects of the test-prep culture and improve education in the bargain.

These much maligned, fill-in-the-bubble reading tests are technically among the most reliable and valid tests available. The problem is that the reading passages used in these tests are random. They are not aligned with explicit grade-by-grade content standards. Children are asked to read and then answer multiple-choice questions about such topics as taking a hike in the Appalachians even though they’ve never left the sidewalks of New York, nor studied the Appalachians in school.

Later, it continued:

Let’s imagine a different situation. Students now must take annual reading tests from third grade through eighth. If the reading passages on each test were culled from each grade’s specific curricular content in literature, science, history, geography and the arts, the tests would exhibit what researchers call “consequential validity” — meaning that the tests would actually help improve education. Test preparation would focus on the content of the tests, rather than continue the fruitless attempt to teach test taking.

A 1988 study indicated why this improvement in testing should be instituted. Experimenters separated seventh- and eighth-grade students into two groups — strong and weak readers as measured by standard reading tests. The students in each group were subdivided according to their baseball knowledge. Then they were all given a reading test with passages about baseball. Low-level readers with high baseball knowledge significantly outperformed strong readers with little background knowledge.

The experiment confirmed what language researchers have long maintained: the key to comprehension is familiarity with the relevant subject. For a student with a basic ability to decode print, a reading-comprehension test is not chiefly a test of formal techniques but a test of background knowledge.

And later he he wraps up:

Better-defined standards in history, science, literature and the arts combined with knowledge-based reading tests would encourage the schools to conceive the whole course of study as a reading curriculum — exactly what a good knowledge-based curriculum should be. Schools would also begin to use classroom time more productively, which is important for all students and critically so for disadvantaged ones.

Reform of standards and tests needs to begin in the earliest grades. Knowledge and vocabulary are plants of slow organic growth. By eighth grade, after the cumulative benefits of a more coherent curriculum and more productive tests, students would begin to score much better on all reading exams, including those that aren’t based on a school curriculum. More important, they would be prepared to be capable, productive citizens.

We do not need to abandon either the principle of accountability or the fill-in-the-bubble format. Rather we need to move from teaching to the test to tests that are worth teaching to.

As the parent of a student who is really smart yet freezes on standardized tests and performs horribly even though she knows the material cold, I find this extremely interesting. (Click here to read the entire article.)

Sunday, March 22, 2009

You're Invited: Conversation with Dr. Fishbein about State Funding Issues

According to BOE member Sheila Brogan, last week's meeting in Leonia with the Commissioner of Education was an interesting meeting. (I couldn't attend due to a family commitment.) The commissioner spoke about the new school funding formula and the court challenge, components of the high school redesign program, expansion of preschool programs for low income children, the new bill that allows districts to defer payments to the pension fund and cuts in state aid payments for the current year, the 2009-10 budget, the role of the county superintendent, and much more. Board member Michele Lenhard and Superintendent Dan Fishbein also attended, along with 12 Ridgewood parents, many of whom walked away with more questions than answers about the impact of decisions made in Trenton on us and our budget.

As a follow up to that meeting with the commissioner, Dr. Fishbein suggested two meetings be scheduled for interested parents to talk with him about the state issues and their impact on the school district and our budget. He will meet with interested folks on Monday, March 23 at 1 pm and on Thursday, March 26 at 7 PM. Both meetings will take place at the Ed Center, on the 3rd floor.

Understanding the big picture and the state's role in decisions we make on a local level might help promote more advocacy on educational issues and a better understanding of the challenges we face crafting our school budget. If you'd like to learn more, please attend one of this week's conversations with Dr. Fishbein.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Is it equitable? Is it fair?

Let's take the 2nd question first: is the district's proposed 09/10 budget fair? Hell, no. It's not fair that we have to make these cuts because Trenton won't let us (and by "us" I mean the people of Ridgewood not the Board of Ed) decide how much money we want to spend on our children's education. It's not fair that we have to make these cuts because the state has never fulfilled its obligations regarding funding of special ed and other mandated programs. It's not fair that we have been prohibited from setting aside money for a "rainy day." It's not fair that prices for many of our required expenses are rising more than we're allowed to raise tax revenue. It's not fair that we are forced to close the budget gap by making cuts in only a 25% sliver of our total budget because two of our unions did not help when asked. It's not fair that we now have to turn on each other, arguing over the value of this program or that. What's more important, athletics or art? Is that a "fair" question? Of course not. It's unanswerable. But in the words of my father and fathers around the world for generations: nobody ever said life would be fair. We do our best with the hand we're dealt.

Are the cuts proposed in the proposed 09/10 budget equitable? I think they are as equitable as they can be, when you factor in all the restrictions, mandatories, contracts, rising outside costs, etc. We had to close a $2.5 million budget gap. Besides the proposed consolidation of the music and art departments' supervision we are also eliminating 6.64 secretaries, 6 teachers, a librarian, 9 aides and half of all the lunch aides. In addition we are cutting in ALL areas of co-curricular activities including athletics. We are also cutting in professional development, substitute teacher allocations and are forced to use our restricted capital reserve account to make needed facility repairs. This is just a partial list but hopefully it better explains how the cuts are being distributed throughout the district. Remember, our budget must be balanced in terms of expenditures versus revenue... we cannot play the budgetary games we see on the state and federal levels.

For those who are particularly concerned about the arts, I can only reiterate what I wrote earlier this week: there are no budgetary cuts to any curricular programs in the arts in any school. AHLISSA will remain. Maroon & White will remain. Art and music classes will remain. All our talented art and music teachers will remain. Will the quality remain? Who can predict the future with certainty? I personally believe our art and music teachers and our principals will rise to the occasion.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

I didn't sign up for this.

I just want to say, "for the record," as the saying goes, that I am extremely disappointed that the Board of Education has to make some of these proposed cuts to the school district budget. Some of the cuts do make good sense on their own and I believe will contribute to our operational and administrative efficiency. But other cuts will unfortunately affect our educational programs. We have no choice.

Will the art and/or music programs be "less" because they share a supervisor? Maybe. But I also know that we have great principals and amazing teachers of art and music and that talent and caring and enthusiasm won't disappear because we only have one supervisor.

We've looked at alternatives. We tried to work something out with our unions, but we were unsuccessful with two out of the three unions. So that meant we had to cut even more.

I've only been on the Board for 11 months. Let me tell you, this is not what I signed up to do -- laying off teachers or cutting programs. All of us on the Board want to build a strong school system, not take it apart. Unfortunately, outside forces require us to make choices. It really sucks...by their definition, choices require us to make value judgments, pitting one program against another. That's not empowering. That's not going to make us stronger. All we can do -- or the way I have to look at it for my own sanity -- is try and make every choice guided only by our overall mission of teaching and learning, not based on the inherent value of individual programs. Every program has its fans and students and parents. If we found somewhere else to make the cuts, then a different group of people would have made very similar arguments tonight. And I would have still felt like hell by the end of the meeting. And the district overall would be in the same place.

Instead, I have to admit that in the face of enormous odds, the proposed budget supports our overall educational mission as best we can, under the conditions we've got.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Rumor control: art is not being cut

I should have done this earlier today, but I did not know things had gotten so out of control. The word is that "a lot" of people are planning to attend tonight's meeting to protest cuts in the art program at RHS. I've received phone calls from concerned parents and heartfelt emails from upset students. Here's the problem and I'd appreciate if you'd spread this news far and wide as quickly as possible: the budget as proposed does NOT include any cuts of art programs or art curriculum. There's NO PROPOSAL TO CUT AHLISA. There's NO PROPOSAL TO CUT MAROON & WHITE RECITALS.

The proposal is to reduce administration by consolidating Art and Music instructional supervision. When the change takes place, there will be the SAME number of teachers teaching art in the classroom.

Fact: the arts are extremely important to the central office administration as well as the Board of Education.

It is unfortunate that students felt their art programs were threatened and they were encouraged to sign petitions and come to the meeting. Those kids have been misinformed and misled. Hopefully tonight's meeting will set the record straight.

If you want to get upset about anything, be upset about the proposed loss of Spanish teachers in grades 3-5. That's a real cut, with real consequences in the classroom, but unfortunately it's a better option than cutting regular classroom teachers. We'll get more info on the impact of that proposal tonight.

In the meantime, rest assured, the proposed budget does not cut the arts in the ways you've probably heard: AHLISA is not cut...Maroon & White is not cut...OK, I have a meeting to get to!

Board of Ed meeting Monday 3/16

You know, I have never been through this budget process before, so I'm not exactly sure how it goes...but I can say this process is where all the surreal, parallel universe aspects of school administration come to life. Some of it makes sense. Some of it doesn't. Some of the practices are due to legal restrictions, and some are based more on tradition or just a general "this is the way we do it." There is a lot of sensitivity to the fact that some budget cuts will result in staff reduction, and there is a real reluctance to discuss potential staff reductions in public, before they are "official." I can't figure out if it's because the potentially-affected staff people will be surprised (I highly doubt it), or it will somehow be disrespectful toward them, or if there's a desire to focus on positions and programs in general so as to avoid discussing personnel and their performance or relative importance. So far I'm thinking D) all of the above. All I know is, the lack of detail or specificity about the proposed budget cuts or additions has done what a lack of detail and specificity always does: created a vacuum. An information vacuum. And when a vacuum exists, any information -- including erroneous info, rumors, misinformation and purposely misleading info -- gets "sucked" into the vortex. So what we have now are people who are upset about cuts and changes and costs which A) aren't even official and B) some aren't even true.

So tomorrow's Board of Ed meeting (7:30 p.m., Ed Center, 3rd Floor or click here for webcast) has only one main agenda item -- the proposed 09/10 budget, which the Board will be asked to approve. Of course there will be time for public comment. Lots of time. What bothers me is that some of that comment will be people coming to protest against things that aren't even true. I know that I'm coming to the meeting with some questions about what the effects of some of the cuts will be. I really, truly, hope that in tomorrow's meeting, we'll all get a more clear picture of what the administration is proposing, and why.

One more thing -- there is a special email address set up for budget comments and questions from the public. budget10@ridgewood.k12.nj.us PLEASE email your comments and questions -- especially questions. You can get an answer right away, clear up any rumors, and get the truth -- so you'll be better informed to decide whether you support or oppose the budget.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Public Meetings (again)

Reminder for those who missed my posts and the public comments on this blog regarding Board of Ed meetings. A member of the community complained to me today that the meeting last week (with the line-by-line budget review) was so boring, and couldn't we do more to jazz it up for the audience.

I'd like to explain again, because the public often has an incorrect expectation about these meetings. Here's the thing: the BOE meetings are meetings of the Board in public, they are not public Board meetings. Huh? What that means is: the purpose of our meetings is for the Board to conduct business. Often that business is "boring." Oh well. The Board meetings are not presentations to the public. They are not open forums. They aren't town halls. And they aren't entertainment (that's for sure!). Seriously, you are all welcome to attend the meetings and watch us "meet," but we are not there to present to you. I don't mean this with any disrespect -- I respect everyone who makes the effort to come to the meeting and I truly appreciate your input during the Public Comment portion of the meeting.

And that's another important point -- public comment is just that: comment. It's not a dialogue, not a conversation. Questions will rarely be answered on the spot. Instead, Dr. Fishbein or Mr. Vallerini (Board president) will usually answer the person who asked directly, via email, phone call or letter, after the meeting.

Now don't get all riled up -- I personally think we should have more dialogue and more conversation and more questions-and-answers. But it's not going to be at our Board meetings, and it shouldn't be. Those agendas are long enough, and we have to get through all that business.

The first-ever open forum we held on March 3 was a good start, don't you think? Change takes time. I wish more people had attended the forum, but I think it went well enough that we'll hopefully schedule more in the future. That's my goal, at least.

Correction: Meeting with Ed Commmissioner Davy is March 18

I just noticed that my post about the meeting with Lucille Davy, Commissioner of Education, at Leonia High School featured the wrong date. The event has been rescheduled for MARCH 18 at 7:30 p.m. See details in my post of 3/10.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Ridgewood saves on energy by buying with other districts

Just wanted to let you know about one of our programs to save money. Here's a report today on the energy-purchasing consortium of which Ridgewood is a part:

Shared Electricity Purchase Will Save Schools, Taxpayers $36 Million

FOLSOM, NJ, March 11, 2009—Some 400 New Jersey school districts will save a total of $36 million in electricity costs over the next two years as a result of an agreement developed by an energy-buying cooperative headed by the New Jersey School Boards Association. The contract, finalized this month, represents the largest group energy purchasing agreement in the state.

South Jersey Energy, a subsidiary of South Jersey Industries [NYSE:SJI], was the successful bidder for less costly electricity in a search conducted by the Alliance for Competitive Energy Services (ACES), the school district buying cooperative sponsored by the New Jersey School Boards Association, the New Jersey Association of School Administrators and the New Jersey Association of School Business Officials.

“The ACES agreement is a prime example of how local school districts are working together to share services,” said Marie S. Bilik, NJSBA executive director. “By reducing energy costs, the agreement will enable public schools to direct more of their available funds to the classroom. In some districts, the savings could help to maintain important education programs; in others, the reduced costs could alleviate some of the burden placed on local property taxpayers.”

Under the terms of the contract, SJE will supply 2.5 million megawatts hours of electricity, which equals all of the electricity requirements for the ACES member school districts. The $36 million savings represents the difference between the ACES contract and the costs of electric generation normally charged by the districts’ utility companies

Founded in 1999, the Alliance for Competitive Energy is a joint energy-purchasing program for schools sponsored by the New Jersey School Boards Association, the New Jersey Association of School Business Officials and the New Jersey Association of School Administrators. ACES retained and authorized Gabel Associates, a New Jersey based energy, environmental and public utility consulting firm, to administer the ACES electric generation service aggregation program.

ACES also provides a natural gas aggregation program to over 280 schools districts in New Jersey.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

State aid figures released: Ridgewood's increase is $0 (hey, at least it's not a reduction!)

The state aid figures are out and (unless I'm missing something) it appears that Ridgewood will receive the same amount of aid from the state as last year -- $2,985,477. (The numbers announced today do not include Debt Service, Pre-School Aid or Extraordinary Aid.)

Click here to see the announcement on the Department of Education website. Click on "Search for District" and then search for Ridgewood (or check out other districts, if you're interested...I wonder where are those "increases" Governor Corzine mentioned yesterday...)

The budget drama continues

Well that was pretty unpleasant Monday night, looking at the proposed 2009/10 budget as presented by Mr. DeSimone, with a line-by-line tale of increases and cuts that the district is proposing. (If you want to see the budget as it was presented that night, click here to go to the meeting agenda…the budget is on page 10-11). The administration has done what it needed to do to close the budget gap. The highlights of how they propose doing that include reorganizing some central office administration, reorganizing some school administration, reorganizing some other staff – all of which will result in staff cuts. There may be a reduction of world language teachers in grades 3-5, instead offering Spanish in a high-tech, interactive computer/DVD-based program. There are cuts in aides, cuts in co-curricular activities, the cut of summer school...There's the reduction in the RAAS (administrators' union) contract, and the cabinet (Fishbein, Botsford, DeSimone, Hall) forgoing their salary increases...Dr. Fishbein asked for more time to speak with staff who may be directly affected, before making specific cuts public. That seems fair. Tune in for more detail this Monday 3/16.

I wish we could find a way to not lose human teachers in grade 3-5 Spanish and I will be wanting to see the alternative program as soon as possible. There will be more discussion about this – along with everything else in the budget – at the next meeting.

Speaking of meetings...I don’t know why there always seem to be sound issues with our meetings. I hear it all the time (no pun intended) and it seems to apply to both the TV channel 77 broadcasts and (to a lesser extent) the webcasts. Apparently these complaints have gone on for years. It’s ok if you want to say something to me in the aisle at Stop & Shop, but it would be much more effective if you contacted Dr. Fishbein directly.

As for now, we’re all waiting with bated breath for the announcement of Ridgewood’s allotment of state aid...we should know something today! Governor Corzine’s speech yesterday seemed to have some hope for school funding, but you never know. He can talk about increasing funding statewide, and yet that money could go to other “needier” districts. We shall see...

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Want to ask the state WHY or tell them what you think about their disastrous funding formula?

The public is invited to a "Conversation with Education Commissioner Lucille Davy," moderated by NJN's Senior Political Correspondent Michael Aron, joined by panelists Dunstan McNichol (Contributing Reporter, NY Times/NJ Section and former Star Ledger Statehouse Reporter covering finance & state budget issues), Jim O'Neill (President of GSCS and Superintendent of School District of the Chathams), and Lynne Strickland (GSCS Executive Director).

Many Ridgewood residents are talking about attending. If you can go, please do! This is a good chance to show Ms. Davy -- by our numbers, at the very least -- what we think, and to hear her explain some of the state's actions.

March 18, 7:00 p.m.
Leonia High School Little Theater

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Fun stuff this weekend...not-so-fun stuff coming this week

We went to the Mardi Gras party presented by the RHS HSA on Friday night. The band was awesome (and awesomely loud, which shows how old I am now), and it was good fun to hang out with friends. There was tons of leftover food...I suspect they were hoping for a larger turnout but I think it was a success, being the first time for a HS parents' social. Let's do more!

Saturday was Super Science Saturday -- more awesome! What a great program! Kids were excited, parents were engaged, it was so cool to see. And I always love the rocket launch that caps off the day. The crowd counted down 5!...4!...3!...2!...1! and each rocket went streaming up...a couple landed on the roof of the HS...there may be one rocket still tangled in a tree. Loved it.

Tomorrow's Board of Ed meeting (7:30 p.m., Ed Center, 3rd Floor) is where the Board will review the 2009-2010 budget and discuss the district's proposed cuts. We'll go line by line and discuss the whys and hows for each increase and each cut. This probably will not be fun. Tune-in to the webcast by clicking here, or watch on Cablevision channel 77 or, for the best picture-and-sound, come to the meeting...we've got plenty of seats for you!

Also this week, there's a reception in recognition of student art on Thursday night 6:30 at the Ed Center. All are welcome to come view the work of our talented students.

And, finally, Friday night and Saturday afternoon are the 65th anniversary shows for DADS' NIGHT! More info, history and show times, click here. See you there!

Friday, March 6, 2009

It's Mardi Gras in Ridgewood tonight!

All Ridgewood parents are invited to the Ridgewood High School HSA's Mardi Gras Social tonight at the Elks Club, beginning at 8:00 p.m. The event is a fundraiser for the HSA's Development Commmittee, which is currently raising funds for high-tech Smart Boards for classrooms. The admission is $30 at the door, and for that you get beverages (beer, wine, soda), snacks and a lively performance by The Shards, a pretty darn good band comprised of Ridgewood residents. It's a good deal...for a good cause...and should be fun. See you there?

Election Update

There is just one name on the ballot this year for the open seat on the Board of Education: Bob Hutton will be unopposed as he seeks (and obviously attains) his third (I think that's right!) three-year term.

This is absolutely no commentary on Mr. Hutton, but it surprises me that no one else stepped up. There's just so much facing our District this year (and beyond), and I know our community cares about the quality of our kids' education...so what's up with this?

On another note, there's a danger that this will make the budget vote process more difficult. Because there won't be a real campaign for the Board, less attention could be paid to the budget vote, and voter turnout could be even lower than normal. I urge you all to please pay attention when the budget facts start being communicated, beginning at next week's Board of Ed meeting, through the public hearing, HSA meetings, and any other meetings (not sure yet what will be scheduled). Please learn the facts and vote on April 21.

It was bound to happen (snow day fallout)...

We parents never thought it would really happen! Every year we look at that fine print at the bottom the the academic calendar and say, "yeah, right, we'll never have enough snow days to actually lose break days." But, this year, it's happened. The current announcement on the District website:

Latest Snow Day Alters April Break Schedule

Due to the snow day on Monday, March 2, the Ridgewood Public Schools WILL BE OPEN on Monday, April 27, which would have been the first day of April Recess. Only two days were built into the 2008-2009 academic calendar for inclement weather; the policy calls to make up any additional snow days by taking from the April break, if necessary.

All we can do now is hope the snow is really over, because next on the chopping block will be Tuesday April 28.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Last call for candidates!

If you were wavering on the fence and thought you missed your chance to run for the Board of Ed this year -- great news! Due to the snowstorm on Monday and the possible confusion this may have caused to potential candidates, the governor extended the deadline till TODAY at 4:00 p.m. to submit petitions to get your name on the ballot for the April 21 election.

For the record, our Ed Center was open ALL DAY on Monday to accept petitions, signs were posted at the doors and a notice was placed on the website. But, it's fair enough to say that just in case you missed it, you can still decide to run.

Pop on over to the Ed Center, see Mr. DeSimone in the Business Office. Get 10 (I think) signatures of registered voters, get it NOTARIZED and turn it back in by 4:00 Verizon Wireless time.

What the...?

Fort Lee educators altered students' transcripts
Guidance counselors or administrators at Fort Lee High School have changed or deleted grades on students’ transcripts to help them get into “very selective” colleges and universities, schools Superintendent Raymond Bandlow said today.

[article continues...]

wait, wait, here's my favorite quote:

“I think it’s done not with a malicious intent but to help the student be admitted to a selective college,” [Superintendent Bandlow] said.

Oh....I feel so much better now!

The college mania is so out of control.

Read the full article by clicking here.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

I'm amazed at what teachers can accomplish...

I was looking at the new draft proposal of the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for Mathematics and one thing struck me: the sheer volume of specific items we require teachers to teach or, more accurately, students to learn, in any year. The content standards are made up of something called "Cumulative Progress Indicators" or CPIs. These are the "things" students are expected to learn. For example, in 4th grade, the first CPI is "Read and Write Whole Numbers through 999,9999." I did an experiment. I don't know how useful it is, I just thought it was interesting. I counted all the CPIs for a single grade, in this case 4th (for no reason). In 4th grade there are a total of 59 CPIs listed. Then I calculated, in a school year we start with 180 days. Subtract 5 for field trips or assemblies or other special events. That leaves 175 days. (I used mental math haha.) If a teacher devotes 45 minutes every day to math, that gives a total 131 hours a year for math. This translates to just about 2 hours for each CPI. Now, some of them, obviously (like counting), won't take two hours (although maybe it would take more than two hours for some kids). But other concepts (like "4.4.4.B.3 Describe the elements of a vertex-edge graph using terms such as, edges, vertices, nodes, neighbors and count the possible paths between any two nodes of a simple vertex-edged graph") must take much longer to teach so that all the kids in the class understand. I just think that's a remarkable pace to keep up, day in and day out, no matter what type of textbook or teaching style a teacher uses.

Monday, March 2, 2009

One last reminder about Communications Forum

Just a reminder about tomorrow's Open Forum on Communications presented by the Communications Committee of the Ridgewood Board of Education. The Forum will be an open conversation to discuss school district communications, including:
-- how the district communicates to parents and the non-parent community
-- how the public/parents communicate to the schools/district
-- ideas for the best communication in the future

While it may seem that we have "bigger fish to fry" right now, such as the budget, math programs, school election, possible referendum, etc., successful and open communications will play a big part in how we make it through these challenges. Let's talk about it!

I hope parents will attend, but I also hope non-parent taxpayers, seniors, teachers, businesspeople, etc., will attend, too. So tell your neighbors.

The Forum we be held on Tuesday, March 3, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Education Center, 3rd Floor. Hope to see you there.

Any questions, email me or post a comment here.