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, May 31, 2010

Ridgewood teachers explore virtual learning.

Last Thursday Michele Lenhard and I attended the final event of a year long program attended by 24 Ridgewood teachers and administrators, titled “Virtual Learning Communities: Preparing Students for Success.” The event was held at Kean University and on that day, teams from the various participating schools showed off the virtual learning projects they had been creating all year. It was really exciting and fascinating! We saw some great uses of technology-in-learning from all around the state, but the most memorable (in my objective opinion haha) were from Ridgewood. There was a program where a middle school social studies teacher recorded his voice reading the textbook and providing podcasts that students could access to review or read along to enhance their understanding of the text. It started as a project to help a single blind student but soon became a useful tool for all students. An RHS math teacher showed how she uses a “ning” to post assignments and provide a message board where students are required to post questions for assistance or give help to other students. Also at RHS, the Advanced Digital Photography class worked on a joint project with students at Westwood Regional High School, focusing on images of food. They created images and put together a show of the photos which will be taking place later this week and which is also a fundraiser for Table to Table, the local anti-hunger charity. (Click here for more info.) Another middle school teacher showed how he uses Google Maps with his students to create custom maps of important local sites, which are then overlaid with Google Earth.

These are just a few of the projects we saw. George Washington Middle School's Mary Lou Handy gave a presentation on Teenangels, the peer-to-peer internet safety group organized by Wiredsafety.org. And Alan November, a leading expert on student learning and technology, spoke about building schools' capacity for transformation via technology.

It was really great to see the work that the Ridgewood teachers have been doing…so often the Board of Education approves funds for professional development, and we hear a report sometimes of the results, but we don’t usually get such an up-close-and-personal look at the benefits in action. Now my hope and assumption is that these 24 Ridgewood teachers will share their experiences with other teachers in their buildings, with realty exciting results for our students.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

RHS Celebration of the Arts this Thursday night.

The annual Celebration of the Arts is taking place this week at Ridgewood High School, and the public is invited to the special evening event on Thursday night. It begins at 7:00 p.m. with an art show in the Campus Center and the Gallery on the first floor and continues with a Gala Concert at 8:00 in the Campus Center.

If you want to be knocked out by the amazing artistic talent of our high school students, stop by on Thursday night.

Students & Teachers will Razzle Dazzle 'em on June 10

It's time, again, for the Razzle Dazzle Talent Show at BF Middle School on the evening of June 10. This is a really fun event that showcases the many talented students and teachers of BF. The acts are created by the performers and then woven together to entertain the audience. What makes this event unusual is that the students handle almost everything themselves, with adult support.

Razzle Dazzle has become a yearly tradition at BF, with dancers, stand-up comedians, musicians, magicians, vocalists, jugglers and artists of all kinds participating. One of the most popular aspects is the involvement of teachers, who share their talents (or at least their can-do spirit!).

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Law & Order: Special Teachers Unit.

What a coincidence. Tonight I’m in a hotel room prior to a meeting with a client tomorrow, so I sat down to do another read through of the District’s contract with the Ridgewood Education Association (REA = teachers). Just a little light reading. I also had to watch the series finale of Law & Order – the last episode ever of one of my favorite shows. I love the “ripped from the headlines” stories. As I’m watching the episode develop, I realize just which headlines this episode was ripped from. The bad guys in tonight’s Law & Order? The teachers’ union! Wow, they really went for it, too. In a nutshell, the plot involved an impending school bombing (which the detectives discovered by reading a blog, btw), and they figure out it’s a teacher making the threats. But the teacher’s union reps will not help the police find the identity of the bomber. They plead with various union leaders, lawyers and teachers, to no avail. The union head actually uses lines like, “Sorry, I’ve got to enforce the terms of the association’s agreement.” And then DA Jack McCoy yells at the union lawyer “We’re trying to save lives here…get out of my way!” Wow. Symbolism much? In the end, one brave teacher gave up the bad guy’s name, the frustrated teacher/bomber (who was upset about being wrongfully accused of assaulting a belligerent student) was captured, the police saved the day, and all ended well. It was a great episode and just reinforces how issues of teacher contracts, compensation, benefits, performance, evaluation, tenure, etc., are such hot topics of conversation. I mean, once you play a major role in a Law & Order storyline, you’ve become fully ensconced in the zeitgeist. And I thought it was pretty crazy that I happened to be reading our teachers’ contract at the same time.

By the way, there always seems to be a feeling of mystery surrounding the teachers’ contract. While negotiations are usually confidential, and while Board conversations regarding negotiations happen in closed-door Executive Sessions, the actual contract itself is a public document. You can read our current REA contract (as well as the RAA contract, RAES contract and Dr. Fishbein’s Superintendent’s contract) on the District website (click here).

If you’re interested in learning more about teachers’ contracts in general, I can recommend two very interesting websites:

TR3: Teacher Rules, Roles and Rights
In 2007, the National Council on Teacher Quality launched the database "TR3" which catalogs teachers contracts in the nation's largest school districts and allows users to analyze contracts from 100 districts in 50 states along major dimensions. The database has been hailed as a landmark step forward in understanding the role of contracts in the development and reform of human resources policies in education.

Explainer: Understanding Teacher Contracts
This interactive "explainer" puts two teacher contracts side by side so that readers can see what these often mysterious documents look like, and compares the differences and similarities in layman's terms in 10 key areas such as teacher pay, evaluation, the rights of teachers' unions, etc. It also includes a brief history of teachers' collective bargaining.

I found both of these sites to be really interesting and helpful, especially in providing perspective and a look at alternative approaches to common issues.

As conversations about teacher contracts unfold and become more significant across the country, in New Jersey, and here in Ridgewood, understanding what contracts actually contain and how they differ from one another will help everyone -- from BOE members to administrators, staff, parents and taxpayers -- to make sense of competing claims and to evaluate various policies and terms.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Internet Safety for Parents: June 9 @ BF Middle School

As just ONE part of the complete conversation we should all be having on students' online lives, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Computer Crimes Unit will be presenting an in-depth presentation on Internet Safety, hosted by Ridgewood, Allendale, Glen Rock, Midland Park, and Paramus on June 9, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. at Benjamin Franklin Middle School. The presentation, entitled “Staying Safe in Cyberspace – Internet Safety for Parents,” is described as "a comprehensive examination of today’s Internet and the dangers that lurk inside chat rooms, instant messages, e-mail and blogs."

As I've stated before, I believe we as a community need to keep talking about our attitudes toward technology in general and our expectations, hopes and plans for technology in our children's lives. Safety is of course important, so this session -- which has been in the works for a long time -- is worthwhile. But I don't want parents to be so scared that they try to hide their kids from the Internet in general. I hope we will be able to schedule some meetings on the positive side soon!

Anyway, back to this event, according to the press release from the Prosecutor's Office, "Through their dynamic, intriguing and eye-opening presentation, complete with vivid graphics and streaming video clips, the Computer Crimes Detectives hope to educate parents about the seedier side of the Internet. The goals of this presentation are to discuss the basic functions of the Internet, to highlight current Internet trends and to illustrate the associated risks facing children of all ages. After what will be a shocking display of the dangers associated with online communication, they will turn to preventative measures and effective solutions to protect children, many of whom know more about computers than the average parent."

“The explosion of the Internet has proven to be most influential with the youngest of generations, namely our children,” said Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli. He continued, “Protecting them on the World Wide Web, a truly unregulated atmosphere, is a tremendous task that needs to begin at home, where children are indeed most vulnerable.”

The press release continues, "The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Computer Crimes Unit, including the complementary Bergen County Computer Crimes Task Force, consists of Investigators from around the County and has the vast responsibility of deterring and detecting Internet crime. Many of their cases involve predators who target children through the Internet. To that end, Detectives who combat Internet crime have recognized that their approach must also include a strong education initiative involving parents and children who surf the Web. This proactive mechanism is in place in order to prevent children in Bergen County from stumbling into areas of the Internet where they can fall prey to an online predator."

"Prosecutor John Molinelli and Chief Steven Cucciniello urge all parents and guardians to attend this Internet safety presentation. It is their hope that by having skilled, well-versed computer crimes Investigators, coupled with parents armed with a working knowledge of the Internet and its pitfalls, the children of this County are well-protected while exploring the World Wide Web."

For additional information about this event, please contact Maureen Rusnak of Ridgewood Public Schools at mrusnak@ridgewood.k12.nj.us. For information about Internet Safety related issues, please contact D/Lieutenant Andrew W. Donofrio at ADonofrio@bcpo.net or Educational Outreach Coordinator D/Sergeant John DeVoe at JDeVoe@bcpo.net.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

First-ever Tri-State History Bowl at RHS on Saturday.

On Saturday, May 22, 2010, the inaugural Tri-State History Bowl will be held at Ridgewood High School. This is the first comprehensive history tournament in a “quiz bowl” format to be held in the tri-state area. Currently, 34 teams from 20 different area high schools in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut have registered for the tournament.

Competition will include teams and individuals.

The tournament aims to promote the study of history through academic competition for both individuals and school teams. While this is specifically a "history" tournament, history will be broadly interpreted to include history of the arts, sciences, and ideas as well as geopolitical and cultural history. Prizes will be awarded to the top individuals and teams, including a $400 scholarship to the winning school.

As of May 16, 2010, the following schools have registered teams for the tournament (many schools are bringing more than one team):
Emerson High School, Emerson, NJ
High Tech High School, North Bergen, NJ
Hunterdon Central High School, Flemington, NJ
Northern Valley High School, Demarest, NJ
Paramus High School, Paramus, NJ
Paramus Catholic High School, Paramus, NJ
Ridgewood High School, Ridgewood, NJ
Ardsley High School, Ardsley, NJ
Horace Greeley High School, Chappaqua, NY
White Plains High School, White Plains, NY
Green Farms Academy, Westport, CT
Housatonic Valley Regional High School, Falls Village, CT
Immaculate High School, Danbury, CT
Wilton High School, Wilton, CT

The Tri-State History Bowl is being organized by David Madden, a Ridgewood resident and 1999 graduate of Ridgewood High School who in 2005 won 19 games on Jeopardy!, the second-longest streak in the show’s history. For more information, please visit the tournament’s website or email David Madden at 2010tshb@gmail.com

Budget resolved. Now on to making it work.

Last night the Village Council voted to reduce the schools' tax levy by $100,000. This was based on the Board of Education's suggestion. (Well, after we suggested that they cut nothing, and it didn't sound like that idea was going anywhere.) Board President Michele Lenhard said last night that $100,000 could be trimmed from the transportation line on the budget. This means no further staff cuts...no cuts of librarians...no cut of 5th grade music...no cut of Learning Disabled Teachers...and those other things that were on the potential cut list.

Where did this $100,000 come from? When the District created the budget, they included an estimate for transportation, based on an educated "guess" (and historical trends) as to how much bus rates are going to go up. Bus rate increases must be approved by the state, and the state doesn't give the rate increase until after our budget vote. (Just another state practice that makes no sense.) So our budget included an increase of 5% in bus charges. Then, late last week, the state finally approved the new bus rate increase, and it's 0%. Revising our transportation line in the budget resulted in about $100,000 savings. This is what was offered to the VC as a way they could (symbolically, some would argue) cut the budget without affecting jobs.

Finally the District can get to work finalizing staff changes and reorganizing departments to cope with all the changes brought about by our staff cuts. It's going to take a lot of work to combine some supervisor jobs, fill holes from retirements, and figure out how remaining staff are going to pick up the tasks and responsibilities left when positions were eliminated.

Also at last night's meeting, the Board agreed to conditionally give our support to New Jersey's Race to The Top grant application. There is so much that is vague in the state's plan, and we are being rushed to sign on without answers to a lot of questions and with many things that will require legislative changes which may or may not occur. We decided that we want Ridgewood to be part of the conversation...to be part of the solutions in improving education in New Jersey...so we will yes with many conditions -- primarily 1) we will not participate if the costs to implement exceed the grant money Ridgewood would receive; and 2) we reserve the right to withdraw if the program is not making sense for Ridgewood.

Other business last night: The Board approved several staff changes, including the retirements of several long-time staff members, including: Elizabeth Bennett (3rd grade Travell, 16 years), Diane Callaghan (secretary, 22 years), Karen Fisher (2nd grade Travell, 37 years), Carol Savitscus (3rd grade Travell, 16 years) and Garland Allen (Director of Wellness, 11 years).

And, finally, the Board approved the Parent Survey, scheduled to take place by around June 1. (More info on that to come soon!)

Monday, May 17, 2010

Dog Show this Sunday really sounds fun!

The Ridgewood Education Foundation will hold its First Annual Community Dog Show this Sunday, May 23, in the parking lot of Ridgewood High School, (627 East Ridgewood Avenue). According to the press release, the event promises to be a "waggin' good time for critters of both the 2-legged and 4-legged variety!"

Come to the Dog Show to enjoy several doggy contests (best kisser, largest lap dog, dog-owner lookalikes, and more), demonstrations by the Sheriff's K-9 unit, pet psychics and behaviorists, and lots more fun. Local vendors will be offering their wares, and the sponsor, Ridgewood Veterinary Hospital, will be holding free grooming sessions. You may also participate in our "King or Queen" of the day, and have your pooch named "Top Dog". Dog-themed art work by Ridgewood students will also be on display all day.

Get more info and/or register your dog today by visiting the REF website. (Registration is not mandatory to attend, only if you want your dog to "compete.")

How can I "ignore" the voters?

I’ve been listening to and reading comments about the Village’s handling of the school district budget. (The Council will vote tonight.) I understand that those who voted “no” on the budget will be frustrated if the Village Council leaves the budget as-is or if they cut only a "token" amount. I've heard comments like “listen to the voters,” “respect the vote,” or, charmingly, “you lost, get over it.” They can’t seem to understand why the Board of Ed or administration are fighting to prevent more budget cuts. I’d like to explain my thinking (and only mine, FYI – as always I’m not speaking for anyone but myself).

I’m sorry that it’s so hard for some to understand. But here it is: I have been sworn to keep what is best for the schools — and for the children in those schools — as my primary focus. In fact, by legislation, I have sworn an oath that says, “I will make decisions in terms of the educational welfare of children and will seek to develop and maintain public schools that meet the individual needs of all children..."

Nowhere in the Code of Ethics for School Board Members or the Oath of Office does it state that I should place complaints about taxes above the educational welfare of the children of Ridgewood. I am obligated to do everything I can – as a member of the Board – to ensure that our schools deliver the best education possible. As I’ve said before, I truly do understand the frustration of taxpayers. Of course I do...I’m a taxpayer! I’m someone who was out of work. My husband was out of work. We are not cavalier about our family budget. But putting aside my personal financial situation, I believe the $6.3 million we’ve cut from the 2010-11 budget is enough. I believe that further cuts at this time will destabilize the District even more and will negatively impact our schools. And therefore I am content to follow what the law dictates is supposed to be happening right now. That is, the Village Council is supposed to decide what is best for the schools. And I'm supposed to advocate for what I think is best for the schools. Of course, the Village Council members have not sworn an oath to the schools, so their position is a little more complicated. Their references to the “sanctity” of the vote, while contradictory to what they are in fact charged with doing, are understandable.

Please don’t get me wrong: I don’t operate with a knee jerk reaction that says all budget cuts are bad. I am not out to "inflate" the school budget. I only want to maintain or improve the quality of our schools, in spite of necessary budget cuts. Every single cut we made for 2010-11 was discussed, analyzed and debated. I personally supported many of the cuts. Once the Board came to consensus, I support all of them.

I know our staff will rise to the occasion and do their best to adjust to the changes we’ve made, and then we’ll probably have to make more changes next spring. It doesn’t take a crystal ball to predict that our budget will face more pressures next year. No matter what, though, all I can do is continue to work with the rest of the Board to do what is best for Ridgewood’s children, and balance that with what is best for individual tax bills.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

On the agenda for Monday’s meeting of the BOE.

Tomorrow’s Regular Public Meeting of the Board of Education will be preceded by our special meeting with the Village Council at 5:30 p.m. at Village Hall. At that first meeting, we will learn what the Council has decided to do with our district budget – cut it more or leave it as proposed. The VC will make a resolution and vote. Then at 7:30 the BOE will reconvene at the Ed Center (third floor) for our meeting.

Some of the items on the BOE agenda:

-- Approving another set of revised/updated policies/regulations.
-- More staff changes, appointments, resignations, retirements, etc.
-- Approval to move the BOE’s banking services to Columbia Bank (taking advantage of a higher interest rate)
-- Approval of bids for asbestos remediation at Willard, replacement of the “window wall” at Glen, Locker/Bathroom renovations at RHS
-- Approval of any budget cut from the Village Council

Discussion items will include the state of New Jersey’s latest application for the Race to the Top, the district-wide Parent Survey proposed for later this month, charter school applications, Valley Hospital and the BOE member committee assignments.

As always, the BOE meeting will be broadcast on Channel 77 (Cablevision) or live webcast on the District website (click here).

Why it may not be valid to use student test scores to evaluate teachers.

As New Jersey's Governor and Education Commissioner talk about tying teacher performance to compensation, and making some form of "merit pay" part of the reforms outlined in New Jersey's Race To The Top Application, I wanted to share this, from Diane Ravitch’s Bridging Differences blog on Education Week — a reasonable explanation for why it’s not valid to use student test scores in teacher evaluation:

I received an email from Dr. Harry Frank, an emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Michigan who has written textbooks about testing and measurement. Dr. Frank wrote that the first principle for valid assessment is that “no assessment can be used at the same time for both counseling and for administrative decisions (retention, increment, tenure, promotion). … All this does is promote cheating and teaching to the exam. … This principle is so basic that it’s often covered in the very first chapter of introductory texts on workplace performance evaluation.” [The full text of Dr. Frank's email is posted on my Web site, www.dianeravitch.com, in a section called "comments."] I asked Dr. Frank to explain the word “counseling,” and he said that this meant “feedback on performance for purposes of skills development,” what we might think of as the diagnostic use of an assessment. Dr. Frank also added: “Assessments should be a counseling resource, not a source of extrinsic motivation, i.e., rewards and punishments for teachers, administrators, and school districts.”

Put simply, tests and assessments should inform teachers about student progress and their own teaching, i.e., what can be learned from the test results. But it is inappropriate to use the same test results to hand out bonuses and punishments, promotions and tenure.

Click here to read the full post on Education Week.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Thank you, Ridgewood Education Foundation!

The other night I attended a reception that the Ridgewood Education Foundation hosted to celebrate the recipients of its grants during the 2009-10 school year. It was really nice to spend some time talking with teachers, students and community members and learning about their projects that won REF grants. Following is the list of grants awarded this year – such a great range of projects, disciplines and activities. Congratulations both to the grant recipients and to the REF for its successful support of our students and teachers.

$850...RHS -- The Last Full Measure (Study @ Gettysburg Battlefield)
$920...BFMS -- Teaching Chemistry through Properties of Matter
$375...BFMS -- Motion, Forces and Energy Illustrated with K’nex
$1000...Orchard -- Orchard Community Garden
$1410...Somerville -- Growing Readers: Planting Seeds of Guided Reading
$1000...Travell -- Travell Reading Garden
$975...Willard -- Willard School Math & Science Theme Day 2010
$500...Glen -- Dinosaurs Rock!
$950...Hawes -- Shoot for the Moon: Tales of Astronomy, Stargazing, and Space
$500...Orchard -- Building Bridges Through Books
$2864...Ridge, Orchard & Somerville -- S.T.A.M.P. Out Bullying
$350...Somerville -- Ridgewood: Our Community Through Art
$1065...Somerville -- Storming into 5th Grade
$758...Willard -- Paws for Literacy Club
$1650...Willard -- Willard’s World of Wellness
$1398...RHS -- Physics of Vision: Visible Light & the Human Eye
$293...Orchard -- The Life Cycle of a Chick
$1500...RHS -- Electrify the Strings
$1625...RHS -- The Way of the Brush: East Meets West
$350...Willard -- Willard Leading the Way
$660...BFMS -- The Power of the Graphic Novel

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

BOE Letter to Village Council, making the case for no further budget cuts

Following is the letter the Board of Education sent to the Village Council last week, explaining our rationale for no further cuts to the 2010-11 budget. The Council will vote on its determination next Monday, May 17.

May 4, 2010

Dave Pfund, Mayor
Keith Killion, Deputy Mayor
Paul Aronsohn, Village Council Member
Patrick Mancuso, Village Council Member
Anne Zusy, Village Council Member
Village of Ridgewood
131 N. Maple Avenue
Ridgewood, NJ 07450

Dear Mayor Pfund and Village Council Members:

Thank you for meeting with us on April 26 to discuss the Village Council’s next steps on the Ridgewood Public Schools’ defeated budget for 2010-11. Per your request, we have carefully reviewed the budget in order to provide the Council with guidance in determining the tax levy.

As you are aware, this was a challenging budget to craft, primarily due to:
• An unprecedented 30% increase in our health insurance premium;
• An $808,000 cut to state aid this year; we covered this loss by using our surplus, which would have been used for tax relief in the 2010-11 budget;
• A cut of $2.9 million in state aid for 2010-11.

After careful consideration and keeping in mind our responsibility to the educational well being of our 5,716 students, we respectfully ask that no reduction be made to the tax levy in our proposed 2010-11 budget. We make this recommendation for the following reasons:

1. The 2010-11 budget is $1,158,311 less than the 2009-10 budget. Total operating costs are decreased in next year’s budget, and our proposed tax levy is within the allowable 4% cap.

2. We made unparalleled cuts to next year’s budget totaling $6.3 million. In total we cut 30 aides, 22 teachers, 6 administrators and 5 other non-instructional positions. In addition, we significantly reduced capital projects, supplies and professional development expenses. This follows $2.5 million in cuts to the current year’s budget in both staffing and non-personnel expenses.

3. Much of our budget consists of state mandated costs. School district governance and operations are highly regulated by the New Jersey education code and over 215 pages of regulations. Many of these laws and regulations cost the district money, as do mandated activities that require expenses for professionals such as lawyers, auditors and architects.

A myriad of reports must be written and submitted to the state for their approval: five-year capital project plan, a technology plan, a staff development plan, an EEO plan, and a Quality Assurance Plan with measurable goals for each school. Each report requires staff time and expense to draft, complete and implement.

The state mandates that we provide instruction in the core curriculum content areas for our K-8 students and that our high school students meet graduation requirements in English, Math, Science, Social Studies, Finance, the Arts, Foreign Language, Health, and Physical Education. We do not have the latitude to cut teachers providing the required curriculum and instructional programs. The budget includes $201,891 for new textbooks.

The state requires that the district pay dues to New Jersey School Boards Association. This cost is $28,000 next year and is not negotiable.

We are required by the state to provide busing for students who live certain distances from their schools. The state also requires that we provide payments to parents for transporting their children to non-public schools, such as parochial schools or Bergen County Academies. Furthermore, we transport our special education students attending in-district and out-of-district placements. In total we spend $2,996,545 busing our students. This year, we will use one-time American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) money to purchase three buses that our coaches will drive for sports events, reducing transportation expenses by $25,000 for 2010-11.

Special Education is a Federal and state mandated program. The cost budgeted for special education next year is $16,552,654, to serve the 14% of our students who are classified and who require specialized programs and therapies. In the last five years the number of students with autism has more than doubled and we had an increase of 11 autistic children this year. A student with autism can cost the district anywhere from $80,000 to $120,000 a year depending on the severity of the disability and the placement. Each year 80 to 85 students require out-of district special education placements, and we are responsible for their tuition and in some cases residential costs. Tuition costs — set by the state and non-negotiable — for these out-of-district students will increase by 13.01% next year, far above the 4% cap. Our budgeted tuition line also includes the cost of sending 32 students to the Bergen Academy in Hackensack. The per pupil cost is $24,000, part funded through state and county revenues and part funded by tuition costs of $8,000 per student assessed to Ridgewood.

4. Seventy-five percent of the budget funds salaries and benefits. Next year our Central Office administrators (superintendent, business administrator, assistant superintendent, and HR director) will receive no salary increase for the second year in a row, and our non-affiliated staff will receive no increase for the first time (saving a total of $145,000). They all will also contribute 1.5% of their salary for health insurance coverage. Next year our school principals and supervisors will begin to contribute 1.5% of salary for their health benefits. Our teachers and secretaries already contribute 5% or 5.25% of premium costs for their family health benefits.

As you know, the Board has legally-binding contracts with our employee bargaining units. We requested concessions from our largest unit (teachers) three times, finally achieving an agreement with their leadership that included concessions in salaries and benefits and restoration of specific teaching positions. This agreement was rejected by the unit’s rank-and-file membership.

5. Privatizing services and controlling costs saves the district money. Before it was popular, we privatized custodial and maintenance services and saw millions of dollars of savings. Most recently, last year we privatized our field maintenance and landscaping for savings of $335,000. Our Food Services operate at no cost to the district. We join with a consortium of districts to bid supplies, electricity and natural gas. Careful energy management has reduced gas consumption to heat our buildings by 35%. Our new VOIP telephone system has reduced our telephone bills from $100,000 a year to $700 a month. We joined a consortium of districts to purchase our workers compensation and property, casualty and liability insurance for considerable savings. In spite of new charges for services such as sewage and garbage/recycling (totaling $97,000), we continue to reduce costs for many services.

6. Staffing has grown 0% while enrollment has increased 11%. Unlike the average of districts statewide, where in the past decade staffing levels have grown faster than enrollments, Ridgewood’s 2010-11 staffing level will be equal to that of 2000-01, attesting to the “leanness” of the current organization.

7. Recent state monitoring found the Ridgewood school district to be a “high performing district.” Our district was deemed efficient and effective in all areas of operation and student achievement.

8. Excellent educational outcomes for our students. Last year our students had the second highest SAT scores in the county. Our students outscore most of the I and J districts in the state tests for grades 3 through 8 and 11. Ninety-six percent of our seniors attend college and many are accepted to highly selective colleges.

Councilmembers, over the last two years we have cut our budget to the bone (over $9 million) and firmly believe that further cuts will destabilize the district and compromise the instructional program, raising student/teacher ratios, increasing class size, and diminishing education opportunities for our students. It is our judgment that no further cuts be made to the 2010-11 budget.

Recognizing your need to look at all options, if the Village Council were to impose a reduction of the tax levy for 2010-11, the resulting cuts to our budget would likely include items which were restored due to the approval of a new health insurance contract, such as:
207,300 Librarian Staffing
36,900 Public Information Officer
92,000 Middle School Music
104,800 Middle School Assistant Principal
200,000 Elementary Instrumental Music
42,000 High School Library Reorganization
397,600 Learning Disabled Teachers
1,083,300 Total Possible Restorations

It is important to note that many of these very cuts received the most protest from parents during the budget process. Making any of these cuts would adversely affect students’ education on a daily basis, and impede our ability to communicate effectively with the community. Unfortunately, these cuts remain the next most logical cuts to make, if forced to do so by a reduced tax levy.

Our community has demonstrated, year after year, its commitment to quality schools. Based on all that we have presented in this letter, we firmly believe — and hope that the Village Council will agree — that it is in the best interest of Ridgewood, and especially its children, that no further cuts be made to the proposed 2010-11 budget.

Sincerely,

Michele Lenhard, President
Robert Hutton, Vice President
Sheila Brogan, Member
Laurie Goodman, Member
Charles V. Reilly, Member

Ridgewood named one of the nation's Best Communities for Music Education

Ridgewood Public Schools has been selected as one of this year’s Best Communities for Music Education in the annual survey by the NAMM Foundation. Ridgewood is one of only 173 districts nationwide, and only 11 districts in New Jersey, to receive this honor.

Notification of the national honor, awarded by the NAMM Foundation, was received by Dr. Edward Schmiedecke, district Supervisor for Fine and Applied Arts, who described the designation as “very hard to get and a great honor for us.”

The determination is made every year and is based on criteria including funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program and other relevant factors in their communities’ music education programs.

More information about the award can be found on the NAMM Foundation website at www.nammfoundation.org.

Monday, May 10, 2010

DEP APPROVES permits for RHS Stadium & Stevens Fields renovations

I spoke too soon! There I was, earlier today, already making excuses for not receiving an answer from the DEP today on our application for a permit to renovate the RHS Stadium and Stevens Fields...and we just found out that the permits have been approved!

I don't have any further details at this time. We still need the soil moving permit from the Village Council, but for now, this is what we know.

Details to come.

DEP ruling is due today, BUT...

It's true that today is the deadline for the DEP to rule on Ridgewood's application for permits for the artificial turf fields at RHS, however, do not be surprised if we don't hear anything today. The state is notorious for back-dating decisions. So it's not inconceivable that we could wait weeks to hear something, and then receive a letter with a backdate of May 10.

Just wanted to let you know, since I've already received a few calls and emails inquiring if we've gotten any news yet.

We don't know anything, and we hope that changes soon.

Cue Tom Petty, the waiting is the hardest part...

BOE meets with Village Council tonight

The Board of Education will be meeting again with the Village Council tonight, regarding the 2010-11 school budget. The Board delivered our recommendation to the Village last week: our recommendation is that, for the good of our schools and our children, the current budget, a reduction from this year's budget, cannot be cut further without harm. (The full letter to the Council will be available after the meeting.)

Anyone who has an opinion about what the Village Council should do with the budget is encouraged to attend tonight's meeting and make your comments in public.

Tonight's meeting is a "work session" meeting, so no action will be taken by the Council.

The meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. at Village Hall. (No, I do not know why the meeting was set for 5:30. My guess is that they scheduled it before our customary Board meeting at 7:30, however tonight the BOE does not have a Regular Public Meeting scheduled.)

Thursday, May 6, 2010

If you're reading this blog, are you out of middle school?

Toward the end of Monday’s Board of Ed meeting, I raised a topic during “other business” that I would describe as having been “hot” over the past week or so. That would be the issue of technology and our students’ access to it. Perhaps you saw the letter that BF Middle School Principal Tony Orsini sent to parents, where he urged them to block their children’s access to all social networking sites, such as Facebook. Or maybe you received GW Middle School Principal Katie Kashmanian’s email in (semi) response, where she took a slightly different approach to internet safety for tweens and teens. Or maybe you saw one of the sound bites online or in the newspaper, since, in the space of 2-3 days, Mr. Orsini was interviewed or quoted by CBS News, Good Morning America, CNN, ABC Radio, Bergen Record, BBC Fox News…and was quoted, re-quoted, tweeted and retweeted among bloggers and others online around the country.

Obviously, Mr. Orsini’s email struck a chord. It’s gotten a lot of attention, and started people talking, which is (mostly) a good thing. It’s definitely gratifying to know that Ridgewood Public Schools have staff that truly care about our students – care enough to reach out to parents and go out on a limb with an important message.

As I said, a conversation has been sparked, and it’s a conversation we clearly need to have in Ridgewood.

To start with, it’s definitely not the school district’s job to tell people how to parent their children. At the same time, we can all recognize that the fallout from some online activities – bullying, harassment, gossip – comes into the schools and can affect both our teachers’ ability to educate and our students’ ability to learn. According to Mr. Orsini and one of the BF guidance counselors who was interviewed, they have been spending an inordinate – and growing – amount of time helping kids who are upset by online bullying, etc. The counselor said on CBS News that recently she has been spending 75% of her time on issues related to Facebook! That’s amazing! I can certainly see how that would prompt Mr. Orsini to act. I do understand his intent – to protect kids.

On the other hand, I don’t want Ridgewood to be the district that’s afraid of technology. Technology such as social networking is here to stay. It has taken hold. It has a lot of benefits and some risk, too. But, in my opinion, circling the wagons and locking the doors is not the answer.

What interests me more, right now, is how this incident has brought out into the light some issues...some mixed messages...and many opportunities for improvement.

Some questions I think we need to consider:

What is our “technology belief system?” What are our “guiding principles?” What is our vision?

How do we reconcile the different approaches of Mr. Orsini, who wants to limit (ban) students’ access to Facebook (for example) and Dr. Kashmanian, who has her own Facebook profile and a “Principals’ Blog” on the GW website?

How do we as a district balance the principles of Alan November, whom the District brought in last Fall, and who advocates teaching students to use technology wisely, with an educator's statement that seems to devalue technology because “90% of student homework doesn’t require going online?”

How do we as a community keep our children safe, protect them from bullies, stop aggressive online behavior, manage anonymous environments and help our kids to be good digital citizens?

How can schools partner with parents to address these issues and together...to create a vision for technology in our children’s lives?

I think these are good, legitimate questions…the basis for a conversation I’d love to have – and have it with gusto.

Hopefully in the coming weeks we can strike while the issue is hot.

I’d love to hear what you think.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Teachers of the Year Honored at Ed Center.

Last night was the annual Teacher Recognition reception and ceremony at the Ed Center. I love that event because it's so positive and focused on just one pure thing: quality teaching.

I especially love how many teachers and administrators come out to support and celebrate their colleagues. There were even some parents and students there, to say thank you to their favorite teachers. Just a great, positive event all around.

The following teachers were honored last night as Teachers of the Year in Ridgewood for 2010:

Hawes -- Charles Nebbia
Orchard -- Michelle Jones
Ridge -- AnnMarie Pecorelli
Somerville -- Cassandra Fabish
Travell -- Megan Glinkin
Willard -- Stephanie Zaccaria
BF -- Karla Mixon
GW -- Ann Brown
RHS -- Patrick Bernardo
Special Programs -- Marian Sacharoff

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Michele Lenhard is new BOE President; Bob Hutton continues as VP

At last night's Reorganization Meeting of the Board of Education, Michele Lenhard was elected president for the 2010-11 school year. Bob Hutton was elected to continue in his position as Vice President.

All of our many vendors, professionals, banks, etc., were re-appointed.

The curriculum and textbooks were approved. (Must be re-approved every year.)

The lists of abolished positions, non-tentured renewals, changes of assignment and newly tenured staff were approved.

I will post a more detailed recap later tonight.

Former RHS teacher Jack Elwood passes away.

I'm sad to report that Jack Elwood, a Ridgewood High School physical education teacher battling Lou Gehrig’s disease for years, died on Sunday at the age of 59.

Students at Ridgewood High School observed a moment of silence on Monday morning after the announcement of Elwood’s death .

In May 2003, Elwood was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a fatal neuromuscular disease that causes progressive muscle weakness, eventually leading to paralysis. RHS students, coworkers, friends and family held numerous fund-raisers in recent years to help the teacher and his family, including the annual "Everybody Loves Elwood" 5K Walk/Run. Elwood often expressed gratitude at the support he and his family got from the community.

Elwood,was assistant manager at Graydon Pool during the summer months and remained teaching at RHS during the early stages of the disease.

Elwood is survived by his wife, Laura, and daughter Tricia.

Visitation will be held at Feeney Funeral Home in Ridgewood on Tuesday, May 4 from 7 to 9 p.m. and Wednesday, May 5 from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 6 at St. Luke’s R.C. Church in Ho-Ho-Kus.

Feeney Funeral Home has a webpage where you can leave tributes, comments, etc. re: Mr. Elwood. Click here.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

On the BOE agenda for May 3.

A few highlights from the agenda for tomorrow night’s Board of Education meeting:

First of all, there are really two meetings tomorrow night. First we have the Reorganization meeting, which is when Michele Lenhard and Charlie Reilly will be sworn in to their three-year terms. Then the Board will elect a President and Vice President. And then the Board will go through a long list of approvals, which are required by law to take place at the Reorganization Meeting. This includes adopting the Policy Manual and the NJSBA Code of Ethics, appointing our architect, auditor, general counsel, Board secretary, etc., etc. We also approve the complete list of textbooks and the schedule of BOE meetings for the 2010-2011 school year.

After the Reorganization Meeting, we will hold a Regular Public Meeting. Some of the highlights from that meeting include:

Approval of summer programs. Remember, this isn’t summer school at the high school, which was eliminated last year. But we do still offer a summer program for preschool special needs students, K-5 special needs students and the RIse program, an elementary enrichment program (fee based) and the Summer New Players program (fee based).

Staff changes for 2010-11. We will approve the renewals of non-tenured staff and will approve the abolishment of positions which have been cut as part of the budget process. There will be approval of a few new positions, which are the result of positions being combined due to budget changes. We will also approve the termination of tenured employees due to Reduction-in-Force, and changes of assignments and transfers of staff to different positions. There will also be a list of resignations and retirements, and the usual type of changes of assignment and supplemental pay due to extra-curricular activities, field trips, etc.

New medical insurance provider. We will (finally!) be approving the contract with our new medical insurance provider, Cigna HealthCare. The Cigna contract represents an overall average increase of 17.4% vs. the 29.51% proposal from Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield. This means that list of restored cuts in our proposed budget will no longer be “tentative” – those items (Full-time librarian staffing, Public Information Officer, Middle School music teacher, Middle School assistant principal, Elementary instrumental music, high school library and learning disabled teachers) will be restored.

The full agendas for both meetings are available now on the District website (click here). You can see more detail of the things we’re approving for the new year, including staff changes and salaries.

As always, the meeting will be viewable on Channel 77 or live on the district website. You can also view the webcast later at this link. And, of course, you are welcome to join us at the Ed Center, 3rd floor, at 7:30 p.m.

Best explanation I've read for NJ's school financing/tax mess.

The following appeared in the Wall Street Journal yesterday and it is one of the most concise and informative explanations I've seen for New Jersey's school funding mess -- and how we got here.

Click here to read it on its source site.

New Jersey's Suburban Tax Blues
By PAUL MULSHINE

Newark, N.J.

With Rush Limbaugh fawning over him on talk radio and Fred Barnes comparing him to Ronald Reagan, New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie is being hailed a conservative hero. But conservatives here in the Garden State aren't sold. Mr. Christie has been in office just a few months and is kindling comparisons not to President Reagan, but to the last governor named Christie.

In 1993 Christie Whitman, like Chris Christie in 2009, won the Republican nomination for governor by tacking to the right in the primary. In the general election she promised to cut income taxes in every tax bracket and implement an initiative-and-referendum process to give voters direct input on public policies. Mr. Christie made the same promises last fall.

But here the comparison gets interesting. Ms. Whitman actually cut state income taxes across the board—before losing favor with conservatives thanks to her spending policies and judicial picks. But Mr. Christie hasn't mentioned cutting income taxes since election night. He's blasted runaway spending, for which he's received due credit. Yet his proposed state budget all but guarantees suburban homeowners a property-tax hike this year.

The most important political issue in New Jersey—the one that drives debates about income taxes, property taxes, and local government power—is public education. The core of the problem is a string of state Supreme Court decisions, the most sweeping of which were issued by judges Ms. Whitman put on the court.

These rulings have directed an ever larger share of state income taxes to a handful of urban school districts. Suburban homeowners pay income taxes to support the urban schools while also paying some of the highest property taxes in the country to support local schools.

Getting a better break for the suburbs has been Republicans' goal since the state income tax was instituted in 1976. And they were optimistic when Gov. Christie appointed Bret Schundler, a former Jersey City mayor and a strong supporter of school choice, as the state's commissioner of education. But Mr. Schundler shocked fellow Republicans by proposing a new education funding formula that tilts spending further in favor of cities.

In legislative hearings, Mr. Schundler said the formula had been fashioned to comply with past rulings of the state Supreme Court. The first such ruling came in 1976, when the court shut down the state's schools to demand that the state send more money to the cities. That crisis spurred then-Gov. Brendan Byrne, a Democrat, to push the legislature to create the state's income tax. He promised the money from the income tax would be used to cut property taxes statewide.

And it did—until 1985. That year the State Supreme Court, claiming that the constitution required the state to spend more money on schools in poorer communities, ordered New Jersey to pump large sums into what turned out to be 31 districts now known as the Abbott districts. Four years ago, the Abbott districts were receiving 56% of the income tax money that had been meant to relieve local property taxes, while the suburban districts got 44%. Under Mr. Christie's budget for next year, that 56% rises to 60%.

The Abbott districts get about $4.8 billion in aid, while the 500-plus other districts must split up $3.2 billion. Thus Asbury Park will receive $28,232 per-pupil from the state next year while Mendham, the governor's hometown, will get $2.32 per pupil.

The Christie formula zeroed out state aid to 59 towns, many of which gave him the largest pluralities in last year's elections. Many such towns send tens of millions in income taxes to Trenton, and also face endless property tax hikes to fund their own schools. West Orange resident Adam Kraemer, who spoke at an antitax rally in his North Jersey town recently, owns a four-bedroom home on a small lot and pays $25,972 a year in property taxes. Mr. Kraemer said he expects his tax bill to hit $27,600 under Mr. Christie's budget.

Mr. Christie has a habit of evading questions about what he would do for homeowners like Mr. Kraemer. So far, the governor has done little more than endorse a promise also made by Ms. Whitman: a proposal to create voucher programs. The governor argues that vouchers and charter schools would alleviate some of the financial pressure the Abbott districts place on the rest of the state. Fine, but in the meantime New Jersey homeowners are crying out for the sort of comprehensive reform Californians got under Proposition 13, the 1978 ballot measure that addressed a similar court takeover of school funding.

Mr. Christie's fortunes will rise and fall depending on whether he can take back control of school funding from the courts and give suburban towns an equal share of state aid. But if taxes continue to rise, his prospects will fall—no matter how much he pleases commentators who don't pay Jersey property taxes.

Mr. Mulshine is a columnist for the Newark Star Ledger.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Numbers show Ridgewood's extremely lean staffing.

Over the past few weeks, Governor Christie and the media have made a big deal about some recently-released data. It showed that statewide, over the past 10 years, enrollment in New Jersey schools has grown 3%, while staffing in NJ schools has grown 14%. The Governor and others used these statistics to back-up the claim that there has been a "hiring spree" in our schools and that today there is "plenty of room to cut." I would totally agree on a statewide level.

However, the statistics in Ridgewood are very different:

2000-2010 Ridgewood: (from DOE reporting)
Enrollment Growth = 11%
Total Staff Growth = 6.9%

And if we project ahead to next year (2010-11) based on the cuts we are making, it will look like this:

2000-2011 Ridgewood: (from DOE reporting)
Enrollment Growth = 11%
Total Staff Growth = 0%

In other words, Ridgewood's staffing-to-enrollment growth ratio is the complete opposite of the rest of the state. (See year-by-year comparison chart at the end of this post.)

Unlike many other districts, Ridgewood is educating many more students in a much more rigorous program with much more state-mandated curriculum – and with the same number of staff -- as 10 years ago. This doesn’t look like “bloat” to me.

FYI, the number of administrators in the district has gone down 34% in the same 10-year period. Our highest number of administrators was 37 in 2004-2005 down to 27 currently in 2009-2010 and cut to 21 next year. We have not had so few administrators in decades.

Our district serves 5,700+ students every day. And we will accomplish this next year with 21 administrators. I have to be honest and say while I’m all for streamlining and working “lean,” I’m a bit concerned about the workloads and effectiveness of those 21 administrators. It is for this reason that I can’t support cutting any more administration at this time.

Of course, if the Governor’s proposed 2.5% budget cap becomes law, we’ll be cutting our budget more next year, and we may have to find ways to consolidate a few more administrators. But for now, for this year, I think we’ve cut enough.

P.S. When you hear statements in the media from Governor Christie or Commissioner Schundler or the NJEA, please don't assume that the statistics they quote necessarily hold true for Ridgewood. They usually don't.


P.P.S. Let me be crystal clear for those who would like further explanation: The point of this post is not to lament that our staffing has somehow not "kept up" with enrollment growth. I am simply pointing out that our statistics are not the same as the state statistics. I think that's good news. Come on, admit it: even if you still think the budget should be cut more, or certain staff should be let go, this is a positive fact...right?

RHS "paperless" systems increasing efficiency; gaining interest from other schools

Lest you think Ridgewood is the district that's afraid of technology (more on that soon), I'm happy to share this article that was posted this morning on www.northjersey.com. It's from their monthly Parent Paper magazine, and it tells about some of the "paperless" systems being used at Ridgewood High School and other schools to save time and money and improve communications.

An excerpt from the article:

Heading into the second decade of the 21st century, a growing number of school districts are making smart choices in terms of the three "E’s," economy, ecology and efficiency. By using today’s available technologies, they are saving taxpayer dollars, the planet and time by leaving a lot of the paperwork behind.

Making the transition to a paperless or near-paperless system, however, involves a great deal of planning. In the Ridgewood School District, which plans to become virtually paperless in September, there are three different programs in use. Laura Moore, guidance counselor and Naviance Site manager at Ridgewood High School, was on the committee that chose their new student information system, Skyward. "Through Skyward, teachers can keep their grades online," she explains. "We will use this site to both post information and communicate with students and parents. This is what we call a ‘push-and-pull site, as we will be communicating back and forth with students and parents. All report cards will be posted electronically on this site, along with mid-quarter progress for each student." In addition, Moore says all of the district’s health, attendance, disciplinary and guidance records and all course scheduling will be kept through Skyward. It is also used as a financial tool. "There’s an application with Skyward for making payments for school lunches, PSATs, and AP exams," adds Moore.

The new system creates a level of efficiency that, in addition to being cost-effective, is also time-efficient. John Lorenz, Ridgewood High School principal notes, "Teachers, parents and students are all very excited about communicating this way because it avoids the time lag. This will be pretty much an overnight turnaround."


Read the full story by clicking here.