Following is the statement I made during tonight's Board of Ed meeting:
I want to say thank you to the administrators -- in the schools and at the Ed Center – who worked so hard to put this budget together. As we’ve all said over and over, this has been a difficult process. As an organization, the district isn’t built to withstand an assault like this…change normally happens very gradually here.
Unfortunately, the cuts and their timing, forced us to make decisions that really involved much deeper questions about where our priorities are, what our expectations are, and what we, as a community, want from our schools. These are great conversations to have – but we shouldn’t be forced to rush them in the space of a week or two…not the best way to make long-term decisions about the future. One silver lining of this experience is that it’s identified some of these questions and revealed opportunities for improvements in our process.
That being said, we’ve done our best to quickly sort priorities and numbers and, as painful as the cuts are, and as hard as we’re all going to have to work to adjust, we will do it. On April 21, the day after the budget vote, we’ll still have the things that make Ridgewood great. We’ll still have amazing students, we’ll still have involved parents and we’ll still have excellent staff. A lot of places don’t have even one those things...budget cuts will hurt those places much more.
So thank you to the parents, students, staff and community members who shared your opinions. I hope we can all work together as a community to meet the financial challenges – which are still going to be here next year -- and to answer those big questions about where we’re going and how we’re going to get there. Sure, Trenton is out there...the economy is out there...Christie & the NJEA are out there...but it’s how we choose to respond in here, in Ridgewood, that will determine the future of our schools. We can do this. We’re going to be OK and we’re going to continue to deliver an excellent education. We have no choice, but to go forward and make it happen...and we will.
Thank you.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Frustration 101.2
I wanted to follow up a tiny bit on my expression of frustration at the REA’s non-ratifying of a concession to help with the 2010-11 budget. Based on some comments I’ve heard, I want to make something very clear:
I appreciate our teachers.
I respect our teachers.
I think our teachers are, on the whole, excellent.
I appreciate all the work our teachers do, every day.
I also appreciate their stated willingness to work together.
After that, my appreciation gets a little wobbly.
But I can’t say this enough...my frustration has nothing to do with the quality of our teachers or their teaching. Some people, in other venues, confuse the issues, and somehow the idea of contract concessions becomes intertwined with tenure and good teachers vs. bad or tired teachers. That’s not correct, and that’s not what I’m talking about.
I’m frustrated, as a taxpayer, with the lack of “working together.” The lack of shared sacrifice. I’m frustrated that (fill in the blank) program is being cut so that full raises can be paid. I just don’t think that’s right.
What I do think is right is paying teachers well...as well as we can afford to pay them.
I appreciate our teachers.
I respect our teachers.
I think our teachers are, on the whole, excellent.
I appreciate all the work our teachers do, every day.
I also appreciate their stated willingness to work together.
After that, my appreciation gets a little wobbly.
But I can’t say this enough...my frustration has nothing to do with the quality of our teachers or their teaching. Some people, in other venues, confuse the issues, and somehow the idea of contract concessions becomes intertwined with tenure and good teachers vs. bad or tired teachers. That’s not correct, and that’s not what I’m talking about.
I’m frustrated, as a taxpayer, with the lack of “working together.” The lack of shared sacrifice. I’m frustrated that (fill in the blank) program is being cut so that full raises can be paid. I just don’t think that’s right.
What I do think is right is paying teachers well...as well as we can afford to pay them.
The budget is set. Please vote yes on April 20.
So tonight the Board of Education passed the budget, thereby setting the amount of the tax levy that will be on the ballot on April 20. We did not go above the 4% cap. We are waiting for the super-duper official signed contract with Cigna to be our new health insurance provider. They have committed to a very promising savings – we just can’t name the amount until we have the contract in hand, which should be any day now. Once that’s inked, we discussed a list tonight of cuts which the Board will restore, if possible depending on the total savings:
5th Grade Instrumental Music
Librarians
LDTC Teachers in the elementary schools
Public Information Officer
RHS Library Restructuring
Middle School Assistant Principal
Middle School Music Teacher
Next on the list to restore, if we can work out the savings, is the Grade Advisor at RHS.
The budget vote will be April 20. Please understand that if the budget fails, there is no chance of restoring any other cuts, and we would most likely have to make additional cuts – and probably cut some or all of the items listed above.
If the budget fails, it goes to the Village Council. The Council reviews the budget and sets the new tax levy amount, or the total budget dollars. They can keep it the same as we’ve proposed, they can add to it (haha) or they can cut it further. They can give us their advice on what lines should be cut, but we do not have to follow their advice. We just have to meet the total dollar number.
Any questions on the budget, email budget11@ridgewood.k12.nj.us. The budget -- and the complete list of cuts -- is on the district website, and will be updated based on tonight's meeting.
5th Grade Instrumental Music
Librarians
LDTC Teachers in the elementary schools
Public Information Officer
RHS Library Restructuring
Middle School Assistant Principal
Middle School Music Teacher
Next on the list to restore, if we can work out the savings, is the Grade Advisor at RHS.
The budget vote will be April 20. Please understand that if the budget fails, there is no chance of restoring any other cuts, and we would most likely have to make additional cuts – and probably cut some or all of the items listed above.
If the budget fails, it goes to the Village Council. The Council reviews the budget and sets the new tax levy amount, or the total budget dollars. They can keep it the same as we’ve proposed, they can add to it (haha) or they can cut it further. They can give us their advice on what lines should be cut, but we do not have to follow their advice. We just have to meet the total dollar number.
Any questions on the budget, email budget11@ridgewood.k12.nj.us. The budget -- and the complete list of cuts -- is on the district website, and will be updated based on tonight's meeting.
And the political volleys continue.
It's really sick how our children's educations are being tossed around like a political football by both Governor Christie and the leadership of the NJEA. Yesterday Christie dangled a little, tiny carrot to teachers -- if you agree to a salary freeze then your district might get some of its state aid money back. Wow, sounds exciting, right? Don't be fooled. Based on the information given by the state, Ridgewood would potentially receive about $75,000 back in state aid. What's that, a single teacher? Not much of a carrot.
More noise from Trenton that truly has no relevance to Ridgewood.
See you at tonight's BOE meeting/Budget Hearing.
More noise from Trenton that truly has no relevance to Ridgewood.
See you at tonight's BOE meeting/Budget Hearing.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
State comparative spending report shows Ridgewood's continued efficiency
OK, I don't have time today to write a summary or look through the entire report, but you might want to check out the NJ Dept of Education's Comparative Spending Guide, which was released yesterday. Open the PDF and search for "Ridgewood" to see where we stand in terms of spending per student, ratio of teachers to students, ratio of administrators to students, etc.
You can see the report by clicking here.
I will write more about this later.
You can see the report by clicking here.
I will write more about this later.
Frustration 101.
Here’s a little local Jeopardy question for the day...
Answer:
Bridgewater-Raritan
West Windsor-Plainsboro
West Essex
Montclair
Boonton
Metuchen
But not Ridgewood.
Question:
Which districts’ teachers agreed to give up a portion of their contractual pay increases in order to stave off devastating budget cuts that would eliminate long-standing programs and force the layoff of dozens of teachers?
I’m so disappointed. Defeated. Depressed. Disgusted. Frustrated. And insulted.
In my opinion, which I remind you again is not the official opinion of the Board of Education, we will now be cutting programs in order to finance contractual raises for 2010-2011.
At the moment, we are not a community.
We faced an attack on our schools, on our values and on our traditions. And we were not able to join together in strength to withstand the assault. We did not come together as a community, with shared sacrifices and strengthened bonds. Nope.
This is not about the NJEA, Christie, Trenton, politics or the teaching profession in general. This is about Ridgewood. Things definitely need to change, but I submit that those changes need to start on the local level, beginning with how we view our relationships within the district. We need to work together...no one outside of Ridgewood is more vested in the outcome than those of us inside Ridgewood.
Those are just my emotional, immediate, politically incorrect thoughts on this dark, rainy morning. My next steps are to look forward, let this go (for now) and focus on the final budget to be voted upon by the BOE tomorrow night. I may be frustrated and sad, but I still believe in the power of this district -- the students, the parents, the administration and still the staff -- to cope with the changes to our programs and to continue to deliver an excellent education. What other choice to we have but to go forward and make it happen?
* Update 3/31/10 @ 9:00 AM: Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association did reach a Memorandum of Agreement, but as of this morning their official vote results have not been released. Should know more today.
Update 3/31/10 @ 1:22 PM: Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association voted yes and ratified the concessions for their budget.
Answer:
Bridgewater-Raritan
West Windsor-Plainsboro
West Essex
Montclair
Boonton
Metuchen
But not Ridgewood.
Question:
Which districts’ teachers agreed to give up a portion of their contractual pay increases in order to stave off devastating budget cuts that would eliminate long-standing programs and force the layoff of dozens of teachers?
I’m so disappointed. Defeated. Depressed. Disgusted. Frustrated. And insulted.
In my opinion, which I remind you again is not the official opinion of the Board of Education, we will now be cutting programs in order to finance contractual raises for 2010-2011.
At the moment, we are not a community.
We faced an attack on our schools, on our values and on our traditions. And we were not able to join together in strength to withstand the assault. We did not come together as a community, with shared sacrifices and strengthened bonds. Nope.
This is not about the NJEA, Christie, Trenton, politics or the teaching profession in general. This is about Ridgewood. Things definitely need to change, but I submit that those changes need to start on the local level, beginning with how we view our relationships within the district. We need to work together...no one outside of Ridgewood is more vested in the outcome than those of us inside Ridgewood.
Those are just my emotional, immediate, politically incorrect thoughts on this dark, rainy morning. My next steps are to look forward, let this go (for now) and focus on the final budget to be voted upon by the BOE tomorrow night. I may be frustrated and sad, but I still believe in the power of this district -- the students, the parents, the administration and still the staff -- to cope with the changes to our programs and to continue to deliver an excellent education. What other choice to we have but to go forward and make it happen?
* Update 3/31/10 @ 9:00 AM: Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association did reach a Memorandum of Agreement, but as of this morning their official vote results have not been released. Should know more today.
Update 3/31/10 @ 1:22 PM: Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association voted yes and ratified the concessions for their budget.
Monday, March 29, 2010
A brief history of tenure
For those who often inquire about tenure, I did run across this interesting article from Time magazine a few months ago. Click below:
A Brief History of Tenure
I also learned that New Jersey was the first state to pass a teacher tenure law, in 1909. (New York Times, 10/10/76).
A Brief History of Tenure
I also learned that New Jersey was the first state to pass a teacher tenure law, in 1909. (New York Times, 10/10/76).
Don't look to Massachusetts as a guide!
Glenn Koocher of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees recently sent this message to Dollar$ & Sense advocacy group (of which Ridgewood is a member). It was originally written for the New York State School Boards Association during a better economic time, but it remains appropriate.
"In theory, tax caps sound great. They promise to relieve taxpayers of a financial burden and force government to maximize their economies and efficiencies. They also transfer to the state many financial responsibilities for public education - which, if managed properly, could increase equity.
In real life, tax caps don't work. Here is what happened in Massachusetts:
1) The state hasn't picked up the slack. The revenue that schools lost as a result of Massachusetts' tax cap has been largely unrecovered. The Massachusetts Legislature didn't make up the difference in lost funds, then, or now. School districts have effectively lost the ability to budget at the pace of inflation, or even close to it. Economic growth has benefited public education, but schools compete with dozens of other legitimate public policy priorities at the state level.
2) We've been overwhelmed by climbing costs. Supplies, fuel, special education, employee health insurance and retiree benefits don't have to comply with tax cutting mandates. Also, tax caps exacerbate the impact of spiraling costs of state and federal regulatory compliance with voluminous mandates from accountability systems, No Child Left Behind, and special education legislation.
3) We have been fighting more among ourselves. Tax caps pit segments of the community against each other. An unfortunate inter-generational battle is being fought between students and older people. Teachers battle firefighters and police for the hearts, minds, and money of the voters. Meanwhile, the social services infrastructure that helps make up the 'children's services safety net' struggles for their resources.
4) We've hurt the weak. Tax cuts hurt low-income districts much more than wealthier ones. Economically disadvantaged communities struggle harder because they don't have the property and income tax bases to keep up with the richer districts whose budgets start and remain higher, even in a crisis.
5) We've lost talent. Over the long term, tax caps cut critical positions that are not only important today, but essential for the future. Massachusett's schools lost half a generation of future teachers who were laid off 25 years ago or who never got an opportunity to be public educators in the first place. Today's principal and superintendent shortage is, in part, the result of the absence of those potential leaders who left the profession and never came back.
Schools aren't the only victims. We have a crisis in social services and have seen a loss of community support for children and families, which has many ramifications for public education. It all relates to diminished tax revenue.
A bad public policy, once implemented, becomes entrenched and is difficult to rescind. If saving taxpayers money is now your priority, tax caps may be for you. But if maintaining a socially responsible education policy is important, New York policy makers would be well advised to be extremely cautious as they consider a tax cap. A poorly crafted proposal will sacrifice the future for many in exchange for short term benefits for some."
Mr. koocher's e-mail included these words of wisdom:
Proposition 2 1/2 was a fine theory brutalized by a vicious gang of facts.
"There is no greater tyranny than a poorly written law." (Edmund Burke, 1780)
"In theory, tax caps sound great. They promise to relieve taxpayers of a financial burden and force government to maximize their economies and efficiencies. They also transfer to the state many financial responsibilities for public education - which, if managed properly, could increase equity.
In real life, tax caps don't work. Here is what happened in Massachusetts:
1) The state hasn't picked up the slack. The revenue that schools lost as a result of Massachusetts' tax cap has been largely unrecovered. The Massachusetts Legislature didn't make up the difference in lost funds, then, or now. School districts have effectively lost the ability to budget at the pace of inflation, or even close to it. Economic growth has benefited public education, but schools compete with dozens of other legitimate public policy priorities at the state level.
2) We've been overwhelmed by climbing costs. Supplies, fuel, special education, employee health insurance and retiree benefits don't have to comply with tax cutting mandates. Also, tax caps exacerbate the impact of spiraling costs of state and federal regulatory compliance with voluminous mandates from accountability systems, No Child Left Behind, and special education legislation.
3) We have been fighting more among ourselves. Tax caps pit segments of the community against each other. An unfortunate inter-generational battle is being fought between students and older people. Teachers battle firefighters and police for the hearts, minds, and money of the voters. Meanwhile, the social services infrastructure that helps make up the 'children's services safety net' struggles for their resources.
4) We've hurt the weak. Tax cuts hurt low-income districts much more than wealthier ones. Economically disadvantaged communities struggle harder because they don't have the property and income tax bases to keep up with the richer districts whose budgets start and remain higher, even in a crisis.
5) We've lost talent. Over the long term, tax caps cut critical positions that are not only important today, but essential for the future. Massachusett's schools lost half a generation of future teachers who were laid off 25 years ago or who never got an opportunity to be public educators in the first place. Today's principal and superintendent shortage is, in part, the result of the absence of those potential leaders who left the profession and never came back.
Schools aren't the only victims. We have a crisis in social services and have seen a loss of community support for children and families, which has many ramifications for public education. It all relates to diminished tax revenue.
A bad public policy, once implemented, becomes entrenched and is difficult to rescind. If saving taxpayers money is now your priority, tax caps may be for you. But if maintaining a socially responsible education policy is important, New York policy makers would be well advised to be extremely cautious as they consider a tax cap. A poorly crafted proposal will sacrifice the future for many in exchange for short term benefits for some."
Mr. koocher's e-mail included these words of wisdom:
Proposition 2 1/2 was a fine theory brutalized by a vicious gang of facts.
"There is no greater tyranny than a poorly written law." (Edmund Burke, 1780)
Public Forum on Ed Funding April 5...have your voice heard
I'm told the organizers of this event are looking for large numbers of people to show up, to learn about what's going on with education funding in NJ and to protest the recent education cuts...
Dollar$ and Sense Education Advocacy Presents
The FACTS and FIGURES FORUM
APRIL 5TH - 7:30 P.M.
PARAMUS HIGH SCHOOL
99 East Century Road
Paramus, N.J.
www.paramusschools.org
Brief Meaningful Presentations
Local Legislators Invited
Question and Answer Panel
What To Do Next
Sponsored by Dollar$ & Sense Education Advocacy
www.dollarsandsense.bz
Bergen County Associations of School Administrators and School Business Officials
The agenda will be approximately as below:
Official speakers will include Jim Montesano, Paramus Superintendent of Schools, plus perspectives from a parent, a student, a school board representative and Richard Snyder of Dollar$ and Sense. There will also be a panel discussion with questions and answers.
Dollar$ and Sense Education Advocacy Presents
The FACTS and FIGURES FORUM
APRIL 5TH - 7:30 P.M.
PARAMUS HIGH SCHOOL
99 East Century Road
Paramus, N.J.
www.paramusschools.org
Brief Meaningful Presentations
Local Legislators Invited
Question and Answer Panel
What To Do Next
Sponsored by Dollar$ & Sense Education Advocacy
www.dollarsandsense.bz
Bergen County Associations of School Administrators and School Business Officials
The agenda will be approximately as below:
Official speakers will include Jim Montesano, Paramus Superintendent of Schools, plus perspectives from a parent, a student, a school board representative and Richard Snyder of Dollar$ and Sense. There will also be a panel discussion with questions and answers.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Out of town but not out of mind.
I was hoping that an out-of-state soccer tournament this weekend would give me a break from the relentless budget process. And while it was helpful to have some different vistas and some (very cold) fresh air on the sidelines, my super-connectedness made it hard to leave Ridgewood’s school budget troubles behind. With my cell phone receiving emails, tweets, texts, Facebook messages and local news headlines, the communication and comments from the public just kept (and keep) pouring in.
The main messages I’m receiving from community members are (in random order):
Fifth Grade Instrumental Music – please don’t cut it.
Librarians – please don’t cut them.
Taxes – please don’t raise them (I can’t afford to pay any more).
Taxes – please raise them (I’m willing to pay more to keep programs/teachers).
Reading Recovery – please don’t eliminate it.
Art – please don’t cut it.
Public Information Officer – please don’t cut it. We need communications now more than ever.
Administration – please cut more.
LDTCs and Supplemental Teachers – please don’t cut them.
Teachers – please renegotiate their contract and freeze or otherwise reduce their salary increase and/or benefits.
Thank you for your hard work and good luck making the tough budget decisions. There was actually one email like this today – and I really, truly appreciated it.
As for the individual cuts and the decisions to prioritize them, all of us on the Board have opinions and thoughts on what will be best for the district, given the unavoidable requirement to cut the budget. The superintendent and other administrators also have opinions and recommendations. This Wednesday, we’ll have to finalize the budget, after we know 1) what our new insurance premium will be (a somewhat lower-than-expected premium increase looks promising!), and 2) whether or not the members of our largest bargaining unit – the REA – agree to any concessions. At the 3/31 public meeting, we’ll discuss the budget cuts, prioritize them if necessary, and make any decisions required to meet the budget number.
As for the REA, I admit that I do not understand union psychology. It baffles me that our teachers – whom I generally love and respect – could possibly expect us to solve our most imminent financial crisis without their participation in the solution. As a Board member, it’s frustrating to not have “all hands on deck” and even more frustrating to make such deep cuts on some lines, while other lines (salaries and benefits) are untouched.
As a taxpayer, it’s insulting to think that while my husband was laid off for four months, and I was involuntarily cut to part time, and many of my friends and neighbors are in similarly dire straits, when we ask part of the community for help to solve our shared school budget problem, the answer is “no.”
I’m not understanding the value of the local union. Shouldn’t the community solve the community’s problems? Why should the state organization have influence over decisions made by the local union for the good of the local schools? We should circle the wagons and defend our district, our tradition of excellence, from outside pressures. If the NJEA leadership wants to do battle with Governor Christie, go ahead, but don’t use my children’s education as your weapon.
Anyway, the Board will hold our Regular Public Meeting and official Public Hearing on the Budget this Wednesday 3/31 at 7:30 p.m. in the RHS Campus Center. The 2010-11 budget, along with the current list of proposed cuts, can be found on the District website (click here).
The main messages I’m receiving from community members are (in random order):
Fifth Grade Instrumental Music – please don’t cut it.
Librarians – please don’t cut them.
Taxes – please don’t raise them (I can’t afford to pay any more).
Taxes – please raise them (I’m willing to pay more to keep programs/teachers).
Reading Recovery – please don’t eliminate it.
Art – please don’t cut it.
Public Information Officer – please don’t cut it. We need communications now more than ever.
Administration – please cut more.
LDTCs and Supplemental Teachers – please don’t cut them.
Teachers – please renegotiate their contract and freeze or otherwise reduce their salary increase and/or benefits.
Thank you for your hard work and good luck making the tough budget decisions. There was actually one email like this today – and I really, truly appreciated it.
As for the individual cuts and the decisions to prioritize them, all of us on the Board have opinions and thoughts on what will be best for the district, given the unavoidable requirement to cut the budget. The superintendent and other administrators also have opinions and recommendations. This Wednesday, we’ll have to finalize the budget, after we know 1) what our new insurance premium will be (a somewhat lower-than-expected premium increase looks promising!), and 2) whether or not the members of our largest bargaining unit – the REA – agree to any concessions. At the 3/31 public meeting, we’ll discuss the budget cuts, prioritize them if necessary, and make any decisions required to meet the budget number.
As for the REA, I admit that I do not understand union psychology. It baffles me that our teachers – whom I generally love and respect – could possibly expect us to solve our most imminent financial crisis without their participation in the solution. As a Board member, it’s frustrating to not have “all hands on deck” and even more frustrating to make such deep cuts on some lines, while other lines (salaries and benefits) are untouched.
As a taxpayer, it’s insulting to think that while my husband was laid off for four months, and I was involuntarily cut to part time, and many of my friends and neighbors are in similarly dire straits, when we ask part of the community for help to solve our shared school budget problem, the answer is “no.”
I’m not understanding the value of the local union. Shouldn’t the community solve the community’s problems? Why should the state organization have influence over decisions made by the local union for the good of the local schools? We should circle the wagons and defend our district, our tradition of excellence, from outside pressures. If the NJEA leadership wants to do battle with Governor Christie, go ahead, but don’t use my children’s education as your weapon.
Anyway, the Board will hold our Regular Public Meeting and official Public Hearing on the Budget this Wednesday 3/31 at 7:30 p.m. in the RHS Campus Center. The 2010-11 budget, along with the current list of proposed cuts, can be found on the District website (click here).
Bridgewater-Raritan teachers union, school board reach tenative agreement
By Stephen Stirling/For The Star-Ledger
March 26, 2010, 10:39PM
SOMERSET COUNTY - In an 11th-hour deal tonight, the Bridgewater-Raritan teachers union and school board reached a tentative agreement that includes $1.4 million in contract givebacks, a move that could save several teaching positions and sports from the chopping block, district officials said.
Specific details of the agreement reached in Somerset County’s largest school district were not released because the plan has not been voted on by the Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association membership, officials said. But school board President Jeffrey Brookner told parents tonight the savings would be put towards teacher salaries and funding high school and middle school sports and music programs that were in danger of being eliminated from the 2010-11 budget.
"I apologize for being wishy-washy, but the deal was literally struck just an hour before this meeting began," Brookner told about 250 parents and teachers on hand tonight for the board’s budget hearing at Bridgewater-Raritan High School.
If ratified by the BREA, the deal would provide some relief to the district, which lost 55 percent of its state aid and was preparing to slash upwards of $10 million from its initial $136 million budget.
The agreement came just days after Brookner said contract negotiations were all but dead. Both sides traded and rejected proposals from one another last weekend, leading Brookner to say Wednesday that the board did not expect any givebacks from the union.
The stalemate even drew the ire of Gov. Chris Christie’s administration, whose press secretary blasted the union in an statement Thursday.
Brookner said the board was expected to informally approve a budget plan tonight, pending the approval of the $1.4 million deal with the teachers union. The savings could possibly reduce the planned 4.8 percent tax increase originally proposed by the board, and could reduce the 76 teaching positions earmarked for elimination.
If the deal falls through the board plans to put a supplemental question on the ballot next month asking voters for an additional 0.32 percent tax increase to save high school ice hockey and winter track teams and middle school sports and after-school clubs, officials said.
Superintendent Michael Schilder said the budget process has taken its toll. "It’s not easy. It’s hard to be driving home at night and realizing that the cut you just made doesn’t make any sense, that it’s wrong and shouldn’t happen," he said.
"No one is to blame for the loss of state aid. It happened and we have to deal with it," he added.
The board is expected to reconvene and formally adopt its budget next week at a time and place to be determined.
© 2010 NJ.com. All rights reserved.
March 26, 2010, 10:39PM
SOMERSET COUNTY - In an 11th-hour deal tonight, the Bridgewater-Raritan teachers union and school board reached a tentative agreement that includes $1.4 million in contract givebacks, a move that could save several teaching positions and sports from the chopping block, district officials said.
Specific details of the agreement reached in Somerset County’s largest school district were not released because the plan has not been voted on by the Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association membership, officials said. But school board President Jeffrey Brookner told parents tonight the savings would be put towards teacher salaries and funding high school and middle school sports and music programs that were in danger of being eliminated from the 2010-11 budget.
"I apologize for being wishy-washy, but the deal was literally struck just an hour before this meeting began," Brookner told about 250 parents and teachers on hand tonight for the board’s budget hearing at Bridgewater-Raritan High School.
If ratified by the BREA, the deal would provide some relief to the district, which lost 55 percent of its state aid and was preparing to slash upwards of $10 million from its initial $136 million budget.
The agreement came just days after Brookner said contract negotiations were all but dead. Both sides traded and rejected proposals from one another last weekend, leading Brookner to say Wednesday that the board did not expect any givebacks from the union.
The stalemate even drew the ire of Gov. Chris Christie’s administration, whose press secretary blasted the union in an statement Thursday.
Brookner said the board was expected to informally approve a budget plan tonight, pending the approval of the $1.4 million deal with the teachers union. The savings could possibly reduce the planned 4.8 percent tax increase originally proposed by the board, and could reduce the 76 teaching positions earmarked for elimination.
If the deal falls through the board plans to put a supplemental question on the ballot next month asking voters for an additional 0.32 percent tax increase to save high school ice hockey and winter track teams and middle school sports and after-school clubs, officials said.
Superintendent Michael Schilder said the budget process has taken its toll. "It’s not easy. It’s hard to be driving home at night and realizing that the cut you just made doesn’t make any sense, that it’s wrong and shouldn’t happen," he said.
"No one is to blame for the loss of state aid. It happened and we have to deal with it," he added.
The board is expected to reconvene and formally adopt its budget next week at a time and place to be determined.
© 2010 NJ.com. All rights reserved.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Shortest meeting on record?
If you attended tonight’s Board of Ed meeting, or if you watched online or on Channel 77, you may have been surprised at how, well, uneventful the meeting was. First of all, the meeting was scheduled for 5:00 p.m. but didn’t start until around 5:45. Then, after the Pledge of Allegiance and comments from four members of the community, Dr. Fishbein made a brief statement, and then the meeting was adjourned. What was that all about?
Well, as Dr. Fishbein stated, we have a couple of things developing in terms of the budget. First, the District received some promising information from a new health insurance vendor and it looks like we will be able to cut some from the benefits line of the new budget. We are waiting to have the exact quote in writing, any day now. Second, we are in conversations with the REA (hence our late arrival at the Board table). In light of those two developments, we will be reprioritizing the list of cuts and preparing the final budget for next Wednesday’s official Public Hearing and the Board’s approval. It did not make sense to discuss the cuts any further -- nor to discuss the tax increase or potential for a waiver -- while things are in possible flux.
I do apologize to those who were waiting for us at 5:00. Our Executive Session meeting lasted longer than expected. Thank you for your patience.
The next meeting will be Wednesday, March 31, at 7:30 p.m. in the RHS Campus Center.
Well, as Dr. Fishbein stated, we have a couple of things developing in terms of the budget. First, the District received some promising information from a new health insurance vendor and it looks like we will be able to cut some from the benefits line of the new budget. We are waiting to have the exact quote in writing, any day now. Second, we are in conversations with the REA (hence our late arrival at the Board table). In light of those two developments, we will be reprioritizing the list of cuts and preparing the final budget for next Wednesday’s official Public Hearing and the Board’s approval. It did not make sense to discuss the cuts any further -- nor to discuss the tax increase or potential for a waiver -- while things are in possible flux.
I do apologize to those who were waiting for us at 5:00. Our Executive Session meeting lasted longer than expected. Thank you for your patience.
The next meeting will be Wednesday, March 31, at 7:30 p.m. in the RHS Campus Center.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Sorry so quiet...hope to post more soon...
Just a quick note -- I know it seems odd that I haven't been posting much during this toughest of times with lots of misinformation, rumors, fears and facts swirling around the village. Between the work of the Board trying to create a budget and hear from as many community members as possible, and my full-time job, I am stretched pretty thin. This weekend, from a soccer tournament in Baltimore, I hope to catch up on posts about the school budget, mostly. Until then, have a good Friday.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Higher taxes OK to save programs?
Quick note from a rest stop on the Mass Pike, heading back to Ridgewood...
One of the things the BOE is wrestling with is -- should we go with a waiver to raise taxes above the 4% cap, in order to reduce so e of the cuts in the school budget? I'm getting emails all day on both sides.
Many parents say "do it" -- they're willing to pay another 1% or 2% to "keep our schools great."
some other parents are saying "no way!" we can't afford any more taxes!
Others worry about seniors and others on a fixed income.
Others say grow the budget as much as possible now, so that when Trenton imposes the 2.5% "hard" cap next year, we'll have a larger base budget from which to start.
Still others say raise taxes more ONLY if there is some concession from teachers.
Thoughts anyone?
One of the things the BOE is wrestling with is -- should we go with a waiver to raise taxes above the 4% cap, in order to reduce so e of the cuts in the school budget? I'm getting emails all day on both sides.
Many parents say "do it" -- they're willing to pay another 1% or 2% to "keep our schools great."
some other parents are saying "no way!" we can't afford any more taxes!
Others worry about seniors and others on a fixed income.
Others say grow the budget as much as possible now, so that when Trenton imposes the 2.5% "hard" cap next year, we'll have a larger base budget from which to start.
Still others say raise taxes more ONLY if there is some concession from teachers.
Thoughts anyone?
Monday, March 22, 2010
Real world impact of Christie cuts felt at schools.
Reprinted from the Asbury Park Press:
TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie's cuts-driven state budget proposal set off alarms in many government and political circles, perhaps none louder than the impact of a planned $820 million reduction in financial aid to local school districts.
That emerged as the lead focal point for a multitude of reasons, including the strong connection between school budgets and local property taxes, the enormity of the money at stake and Christie's weeks-long rhetorical war aimed at the teachers' union.
There's also this factor: It's one of the first ways that the real-world impact of Christie's budget plan will be measured, as school districts putting their tax levies before voters on April 20 have until Monday to submit budget plans to the state.
That impact is likely to be sharp. In addition to pink slips for teachers and other employees, some of that cut — plus some of the $445 million being sliced from funding for towns and cities — is likely to show up in property tax bills, given that the state's 4 percent cap on property tax growth exempts losses in state aid.
Christie wants to remove that exemption, as part of a harder 2.5 percent limit on property tax increases he wants approved by the Legislature in the short term and by voters via constitutional amendment in November. But that's not coming in time to alter this year's school budgets, says New Jersey School Boards Association executive director Marie Bilik, who said property tax hikes as high as 10 percent are possible.
"I agree with the governor's theory, I absolutely do. Phasing in the 2.5, controlling the cost of government — it's the only way we are going to survive. But you can't do it three days before the budget's due and expect to maintain high-quality education," Bilik said. "The boards are faced with challenges and decisions like they've never been faced with before."
Michael Kaelber, legal and policy services director for the NJSBA, said the state's property tax cap provides a dollar-for-dollar increase in the cap for every dollar lost in state aid. A district that loses $1 million in aid can raise its levy by $1 million, plus 4 percent, and remain within the legal limits.
"Now, whether that goes to the voters or not, if the election proceeds, there's at least two factors that control that," Kaelber said. "One is the county superintendent review of the budget, because the county super's going to approve what the district has submitted. And where he sees inefficiencies or she sees inefficiencies, they'll make the appropriate changes to that and recommendations to the district."
Executive county superintendents are state officials, part of the Christie administration.
The second factor, Kaelber said, is whether districts choose to pass along the increase.
"Each local board right now is struggling with, "Can we pass any of this on to taxpayers in our community in this difficult economic time?' And if there's a decision made that that's just not economically feasible in their community, now you're back to looking at programs and jobs and things of that nature," he said.
The Christie administration counters that teacher layoffs shouldn't be a given. Although preparations for layoffs will probably be needed, says the state Department of Education in a memo, long-time employees with richer compensation packages will retire if arbitration reforms, health-benefit cost-sharing and pension changes are enacted.
"Because the governor has proposed an Aug. 1 effective date for severalof his reforms, many school district employees nearing retirement will likely choose toleave this year so that they can enjoy free health care benefits and richer pensionbenefits for the rest of their lives," says the DOE's memo.
"If the governor's full program is eliminated, then I don't think you'll see any layoffs," said Education Commissioner Bret Schundler. "You would see instead some early retirements. But at the end of the day, you'd see districts best able to weather the very dramatic reduction in federal aid that they'll be receiving this year."
Schundler was referring to the state's use of more than $1 billion in federal stimulus funding to offset school aid in the current budget year, none of which is available for next school year.
Bilik said the teacher exodus is a viable possibility but worried districts would lose credibility with local residents if they issued layoff notices, saw a defeated budget reduced further, then withdrew pink slips after teachers retired. "What would the taxpayers think? "That school board again lied to us."
TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie's cuts-driven state budget proposal set off alarms in many government and political circles, perhaps none louder than the impact of a planned $820 million reduction in financial aid to local school districts.
That emerged as the lead focal point for a multitude of reasons, including the strong connection between school budgets and local property taxes, the enormity of the money at stake and Christie's weeks-long rhetorical war aimed at the teachers' union.
There's also this factor: It's one of the first ways that the real-world impact of Christie's budget plan will be measured, as school districts putting their tax levies before voters on April 20 have until Monday to submit budget plans to the state.
That impact is likely to be sharp. In addition to pink slips for teachers and other employees, some of that cut — plus some of the $445 million being sliced from funding for towns and cities — is likely to show up in property tax bills, given that the state's 4 percent cap on property tax growth exempts losses in state aid.
Christie wants to remove that exemption, as part of a harder 2.5 percent limit on property tax increases he wants approved by the Legislature in the short term and by voters via constitutional amendment in November. But that's not coming in time to alter this year's school budgets, says New Jersey School Boards Association executive director Marie Bilik, who said property tax hikes as high as 10 percent are possible.
"I agree with the governor's theory, I absolutely do. Phasing in the 2.5, controlling the cost of government — it's the only way we are going to survive. But you can't do it three days before the budget's due and expect to maintain high-quality education," Bilik said. "The boards are faced with challenges and decisions like they've never been faced with before."
Michael Kaelber, legal and policy services director for the NJSBA, said the state's property tax cap provides a dollar-for-dollar increase in the cap for every dollar lost in state aid. A district that loses $1 million in aid can raise its levy by $1 million, plus 4 percent, and remain within the legal limits.
"Now, whether that goes to the voters or not, if the election proceeds, there's at least two factors that control that," Kaelber said. "One is the county superintendent review of the budget, because the county super's going to approve what the district has submitted. And where he sees inefficiencies or she sees inefficiencies, they'll make the appropriate changes to that and recommendations to the district."
Executive county superintendents are state officials, part of the Christie administration.
The second factor, Kaelber said, is whether districts choose to pass along the increase.
"Each local board right now is struggling with, "Can we pass any of this on to taxpayers in our community in this difficult economic time?' And if there's a decision made that that's just not economically feasible in their community, now you're back to looking at programs and jobs and things of that nature," he said.
The Christie administration counters that teacher layoffs shouldn't be a given. Although preparations for layoffs will probably be needed, says the state Department of Education in a memo, long-time employees with richer compensation packages will retire if arbitration reforms, health-benefit cost-sharing and pension changes are enacted.
"Because the governor has proposed an Aug. 1 effective date for severalof his reforms, many school district employees nearing retirement will likely choose toleave this year so that they can enjoy free health care benefits and richer pensionbenefits for the rest of their lives," says the DOE's memo.
"If the governor's full program is eliminated, then I don't think you'll see any layoffs," said Education Commissioner Bret Schundler. "You would see instead some early retirements. But at the end of the day, you'd see districts best able to weather the very dramatic reduction in federal aid that they'll be receiving this year."
Schundler was referring to the state's use of more than $1 billion in federal stimulus funding to offset school aid in the current budget year, none of which is available for next school year.
Bilik said the teacher exodus is a viable possibility but worried districts would lose credibility with local residents if they issued layoff notices, saw a defeated budget reduced further, then withdrew pink slips after teachers retired. "What would the taxpayers think? "That school board again lied to us."
Board of Ed meeting is moved to RHS Campus Center.
The next Board of Ed meeting will be tonight (Monday) at 7:30 p.m. at the Campus Center at Ridgewood High School. The meeting begins with a joint meeting of the BOE and the Village Council, where we will review the budget with them. Later in the agenda we'll take care of some other business, and give further attention to the budget and the status of proposed cuts. Meeting will be broadcast on Cablevision Channel 77 and webcast live on the district website (click here). As always, there will be two opportunities for public comment. You can view the entire agenda here.
Fiscal responsibility.
A friend contacted me Friday night in response to an email I sent, encouraging residents to contact our legislators to complain about the state aid cut. Among other specific suggestions regarding healthcare and salaries, she mainly asked for fiscal responsibility. This was my response:
I can assure you we are doing or have already done many things in the name of fiscal responsibility. We have been searching for a new healthcare company and so far the companies are either declining to bid or the bids are coming in around the same place, which is an increase of 29.5% over last year's premium. Historically we have enjoyed very low increases -- last year was 2%. Over the past 10+ years increases have ranged from 2% to 14%. We occasionally compare to the state plan, but our numbers have always come out better. This year's huge increase is due to an extremely bad year for claims -- claims are running at 98% of premiums. When that happens, you can imagine the healthcare company needs to make a profit so they raise the rates next year. We are looking at a variety of alternatives. As you know, our healthcare plan is contractual, and we have one more year on the REA contract. The contract is binding: we can't do anything about it for 2010-11. I believe you're correct that the entire negotiation process is going to look very different next year.
Other things we have done to be fiscally responsible -- we privatized our custodial and transportation long ago. We dropped the extremely expensive Village as our landscaping provider last year. We have shared services agreements on office supplies and energy purchasing. We have reduced our energy costs dramatically over the past 10 years, even as we have added classrooms. We have created programs to keep special ed kids in the district, at great savings. To give credit where it's due, many of our teachers DO contribute to their healthcare, and we are one of the very few districts in the state where that is true. We also have some of the lowest administrative costs in the county and we are below the state average. That being said, we are going to be cutting administrators with this budget.
The elephant in the room is the REA (and our other bargaining units) and you are correct, we cannot continue like this. We have asked repeatedly, last year and this year, if they will open their contracts and help save the district (those are my words, not official ha). Last year we got a memorandum of agreement (unheard of in the state last year, and the unions' leadership deserves credit for this) but the members voted no. This year...well, now it is "come to jesus" time and they have a few days to step up, if they so desire. Sheila Brogan specifically asked at tonight's meeting if Dr. Fishbein would ask them once again. We will see what happens.
You are also correct that the quality of our education is at stake. We do have amazing staff and great students and a wonderful community and we will figure this out. It will be painful and there will be disagreements but I am an eternal optimist and I know we will go through the fire and come out the other side.
Sending emails to the legislators is probably futile but it's also something that can't hurt.
I can assure you we are doing or have already done many things in the name of fiscal responsibility. We have been searching for a new healthcare company and so far the companies are either declining to bid or the bids are coming in around the same place, which is an increase of 29.5% over last year's premium. Historically we have enjoyed very low increases -- last year was 2%. Over the past 10+ years increases have ranged from 2% to 14%. We occasionally compare to the state plan, but our numbers have always come out better. This year's huge increase is due to an extremely bad year for claims -- claims are running at 98% of premiums. When that happens, you can imagine the healthcare company needs to make a profit so they raise the rates next year. We are looking at a variety of alternatives. As you know, our healthcare plan is contractual, and we have one more year on the REA contract. The contract is binding: we can't do anything about it for 2010-11. I believe you're correct that the entire negotiation process is going to look very different next year.
Other things we have done to be fiscally responsible -- we privatized our custodial and transportation long ago. We dropped the extremely expensive Village as our landscaping provider last year. We have shared services agreements on office supplies and energy purchasing. We have reduced our energy costs dramatically over the past 10 years, even as we have added classrooms. We have created programs to keep special ed kids in the district, at great savings. To give credit where it's due, many of our teachers DO contribute to their healthcare, and we are one of the very few districts in the state where that is true. We also have some of the lowest administrative costs in the county and we are below the state average. That being said, we are going to be cutting administrators with this budget.
The elephant in the room is the REA (and our other bargaining units) and you are correct, we cannot continue like this. We have asked repeatedly, last year and this year, if they will open their contracts and help save the district (those are my words, not official ha). Last year we got a memorandum of agreement (unheard of in the state last year, and the unions' leadership deserves credit for this) but the members voted no. This year...well, now it is "come to jesus" time and they have a few days to step up, if they so desire. Sheila Brogan specifically asked at tonight's meeting if Dr. Fishbein would ask them once again. We will see what happens.
You are also correct that the quality of our education is at stake. We do have amazing staff and great students and a wonderful community and we will figure this out. It will be painful and there will be disagreements but I am an eternal optimist and I know we will go through the fire and come out the other side.
Sending emails to the legislators is probably futile but it's also something that can't hurt.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Wrestling with the budget cuts.
Sorry I have been so slow to post a recap of last Friday’s special meeting of the Ridgewood Board of Education. It was such an unpleasant experience, I have been avoiding writing about it. Unfortunately, I can’t avoid thinking about it and working on thoughts and responses for the next meeting (tomorrow night).
Last Friday, Superintendent Dan Fishbein presented a list of proposed cuts totaling $3,924,494. Our job as the BOE, along with the administrators, is to identify approximately $2.9 million in cuts. These are in addition to the $3.4 million in cuts we discussed last Monday. As I’ve written before, this level of cuts is unprecedented in Ridgewood, and the results are guaranteed to alter the education we are able to provide to our children. The choices are excruciating. None of them is “good.” All of them represent a loss of service, a loss of content and, sadly, a loss of people.
All weekend I’ve been playing with the spreadsheet. How tragic and impossible is it to try and compare the value of things like Reading Recovery vs. 5th Grade Instrumental Music…class sizes vs. capital repairs…crisis counselor vs. special ed teachers at RHS, full-time librarians vs. world languages in 6th grade. It’s a nightmare scenario with no happy ending.
And then there’s the question of tax increase. All the cuts we’ve been considering are in an effort to keep our tax increase at 4% as required by the state-mandated cap. Of course, with our unexpected loss of state aid, Ridgewood could apply for (and would automatically be granted) a waiver that would allow our taxes to increase above the cap. On the one hand, it allows us to retain some services and personnel. On the other hand, it increases everyone’s tax bill. My thinking is that going above the cap is a sure recipe for our budget to fail – especially since we just asked our voters to approve a tax increase for the bond referendum.
I’ve heard from both sides on this issue. Interestingly, some towns are just passing along the state aid cut in its entirety, and raising taxes to cover it. Randolph (a district much like Ridgewood) has vowed to increase taxes 10%, in order to avoid making more cuts. Teaneck, amazingly, will also ask voters for a 10% increase – and this is after their at-cap 4% increase last year was defeated.
One cynical person said, “you should go ahead and raise the taxes more than 4%, the budget will fail, and then the Village Council will recommend cuts. They’ll never make you cut $2.9 million, so you’ll come out ahead.” Hmmm…that’s one way to look at it.
I’d love to hear from you on this topic.
Personally, I don’t see how we could ask the community to pay more in taxes, without some sort of concession from our bargaining units. Nothing has happened on that front and the clock is ticking.
Can I just complain about one more thing? The way we've got to contemplate and act on these cuts in such a short window of time, is really wrong. We are rushing, out of necessity, to make value judgments on the "worth" of certain programs and structures. In fact, we could have calmly and rationally discussed the value of Reading Recovery any time of year. We could have studied the relative worth of, and our community's priorities for, class sizes or elementary music, six months ago. Now we've got to do it in a four week period. One thing I can say, since next year's budget will probably bring more cuts, I hope we can start analyzing our options before March 2011. But for now...onward through the fire.
Tomorrow night Dr. Fishbein will present a preliminary budget, incorporating cuts based on our discussion the other night and additional input from Board members. The Board must vote on a total budget number tomorrow, so the budget can be delivered on time to the County Superintendent.
Last Friday, Superintendent Dan Fishbein presented a list of proposed cuts totaling $3,924,494. Our job as the BOE, along with the administrators, is to identify approximately $2.9 million in cuts. These are in addition to the $3.4 million in cuts we discussed last Monday. As I’ve written before, this level of cuts is unprecedented in Ridgewood, and the results are guaranteed to alter the education we are able to provide to our children. The choices are excruciating. None of them is “good.” All of them represent a loss of service, a loss of content and, sadly, a loss of people.
All weekend I’ve been playing with the spreadsheet. How tragic and impossible is it to try and compare the value of things like Reading Recovery vs. 5th Grade Instrumental Music…class sizes vs. capital repairs…crisis counselor vs. special ed teachers at RHS, full-time librarians vs. world languages in 6th grade. It’s a nightmare scenario with no happy ending.
And then there’s the question of tax increase. All the cuts we’ve been considering are in an effort to keep our tax increase at 4% as required by the state-mandated cap. Of course, with our unexpected loss of state aid, Ridgewood could apply for (and would automatically be granted) a waiver that would allow our taxes to increase above the cap. On the one hand, it allows us to retain some services and personnel. On the other hand, it increases everyone’s tax bill. My thinking is that going above the cap is a sure recipe for our budget to fail – especially since we just asked our voters to approve a tax increase for the bond referendum.
I’ve heard from both sides on this issue. Interestingly, some towns are just passing along the state aid cut in its entirety, and raising taxes to cover it. Randolph (a district much like Ridgewood) has vowed to increase taxes 10%, in order to avoid making more cuts. Teaneck, amazingly, will also ask voters for a 10% increase – and this is after their at-cap 4% increase last year was defeated.
One cynical person said, “you should go ahead and raise the taxes more than 4%, the budget will fail, and then the Village Council will recommend cuts. They’ll never make you cut $2.9 million, so you’ll come out ahead.” Hmmm…that’s one way to look at it.
I’d love to hear from you on this topic.
Personally, I don’t see how we could ask the community to pay more in taxes, without some sort of concession from our bargaining units. Nothing has happened on that front and the clock is ticking.
Can I just complain about one more thing? The way we've got to contemplate and act on these cuts in such a short window of time, is really wrong. We are rushing, out of necessity, to make value judgments on the "worth" of certain programs and structures. In fact, we could have calmly and rationally discussed the value of Reading Recovery any time of year. We could have studied the relative worth of, and our community's priorities for, class sizes or elementary music, six months ago. Now we've got to do it in a four week period. One thing I can say, since next year's budget will probably bring more cuts, I hope we can start analyzing our options before March 2011. But for now...onward through the fire.
Tomorrow night Dr. Fishbein will present a preliminary budget, incorporating cuts based on our discussion the other night and additional input from Board members. The Board must vote on a total budget number tomorrow, so the budget can be delivered on time to the County Superintendent.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Letter to parents from Dr. Fishbein
The following letter was emailed to parents today from Superintendent of Schools Dan Fishbein:
Dear Parent(s) or Guardian(s):
I am reaching out to you because I am aware that there is a great deal of anxiety about what is transpiring during this 2010-2011 school budget season. As you may know, at this point we are required to deliver a budget to the community that balances our expenditures with the revenues the district will have available for the upcoming year. Usually, about 90% of the district’s revenue comes from the local tax levy, which the law allows to grow by a maximum of 4% each year. The rest of the district’s revenue comes from state aid and other sources, such as rental of our facilities, tuition, and interest.
The state’s fiscal problems have driven officials in Trenton to announce this past week a cut of $2,985,477 in state aid to the Ridgewood Public Schools, which is 100% of our state aid. This loss is in addition to $3.4 million dollars of expenditures that we must cut from our 2010-2011 budget to stay within the 4% cap that state law puts on our tax levy growth. Much of that $3.4 million overage comes from an expected 25% - 30% increase in the district’s medical insurance premium for next year. Unfortunately, public school districts just aren’t able to create new, meaningful revenue streams, so reducing expenditures has to be our primary focus in balancing the budget. The types of cuts and dollar amounts are unprecedented in the Village of Ridgewood.
Professionally and personally, this is the most difficult budget I have had to deliver to a Board of Education in all the years I have been a Superintendent. Ridgewood is not an “average” school district. It is an outstanding one. Every single idea for a budget cut reflects the loss of a person and/or a program that contributes to what makes us exceptional here in Ridgewood. The fact that we had to make $2.5 million dollars in cuts last year means that every cut we need to make this year is even closer to the “core” of what makes this district special. The fact that I live here, and educate my own children in our schools, means that I feel the impact of these necessary but far-reaching decisions both as a Superintendent and as a parent. That’s why I began our budget development process for next year by asking for input from administrators, the district’s unions, and from your elected Board of Education. Many questions were asked, and many suggestions were made. Some ideas were viable and some were not. The viable ideas, the ones that could work to reduce our expenditures, were then prioritized. Not every suggestion I was given during the budget development process made it to the first, second or third round of proposed cuts, but many did. While ultimately, it’s not important who made which recommendation, I am grateful for every suggestion, for the thoughtfulness and concern that was evident in each and every proposal.
As the Superintendent of Schools, I am the leader of our school district. My responsibility is to provide support when necessary, provide guidance when necessary and give direction when necessary. Budget development, especially in hard times like the ones we’re now in, requires that I give direction in the form of decisions about which cuts we should use to bring about a balanced budget, and in which order. My job is to assemble the budget “package” and recommend it to the Board.
Ultimately, every budget cut that will be made is my decision. I understand that disagreement and frustration about the budget cuts, and even about the budget process, are inevitable. I also know that many in the community will voice their frustration with me.
This is as it should be. I would prefer to remain the focus of discontent rather than see our cohesive community be jeopardized from discord between parents and teachers; between teachers and teachers; or between teachers and administrators. It’s normal to be angry and upset. But I urge you to refrain from directing negative emotions towards our faculty and staff. Please also know that the difficult decisions that must be made are being done with significant input from district staff and administration, and much thought, energy and emotion on everyone’s part, including mine.
We are facing difficult financial times. It is my sincere hope that we choose to face our fiscal challenges as a community rather than individuals. We can blame others because we have lost things that are important to us and we can try to protect our individual interests. But ultimately decisions have to be made and the budget has to comply with all legal requirements. In order to face these challenges as a community, we will need to accept that cuts are inevitable, and that while we may be individually unhappy with the necessary cuts, we will do our best as an educational community to go forward after the budget vote on April 20.
It is my hope that despite the difficulties ahead, we will continue our great tradition of working together to keep Ridgewood as one of the outstanding school systems in New Jersey.
Sincerely yours,
Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Dear Parent(s) or Guardian(s):
I am reaching out to you because I am aware that there is a great deal of anxiety about what is transpiring during this 2010-2011 school budget season. As you may know, at this point we are required to deliver a budget to the community that balances our expenditures with the revenues the district will have available for the upcoming year. Usually, about 90% of the district’s revenue comes from the local tax levy, which the law allows to grow by a maximum of 4% each year. The rest of the district’s revenue comes from state aid and other sources, such as rental of our facilities, tuition, and interest.
The state’s fiscal problems have driven officials in Trenton to announce this past week a cut of $2,985,477 in state aid to the Ridgewood Public Schools, which is 100% of our state aid. This loss is in addition to $3.4 million dollars of expenditures that we must cut from our 2010-2011 budget to stay within the 4% cap that state law puts on our tax levy growth. Much of that $3.4 million overage comes from an expected 25% - 30% increase in the district’s medical insurance premium for next year. Unfortunately, public school districts just aren’t able to create new, meaningful revenue streams, so reducing expenditures has to be our primary focus in balancing the budget. The types of cuts and dollar amounts are unprecedented in the Village of Ridgewood.
Professionally and personally, this is the most difficult budget I have had to deliver to a Board of Education in all the years I have been a Superintendent. Ridgewood is not an “average” school district. It is an outstanding one. Every single idea for a budget cut reflects the loss of a person and/or a program that contributes to what makes us exceptional here in Ridgewood. The fact that we had to make $2.5 million dollars in cuts last year means that every cut we need to make this year is even closer to the “core” of what makes this district special. The fact that I live here, and educate my own children in our schools, means that I feel the impact of these necessary but far-reaching decisions both as a Superintendent and as a parent. That’s why I began our budget development process for next year by asking for input from administrators, the district’s unions, and from your elected Board of Education. Many questions were asked, and many suggestions were made. Some ideas were viable and some were not. The viable ideas, the ones that could work to reduce our expenditures, were then prioritized. Not every suggestion I was given during the budget development process made it to the first, second or third round of proposed cuts, but many did. While ultimately, it’s not important who made which recommendation, I am grateful for every suggestion, for the thoughtfulness and concern that was evident in each and every proposal.
As the Superintendent of Schools, I am the leader of our school district. My responsibility is to provide support when necessary, provide guidance when necessary and give direction when necessary. Budget development, especially in hard times like the ones we’re now in, requires that I give direction in the form of decisions about which cuts we should use to bring about a balanced budget, and in which order. My job is to assemble the budget “package” and recommend it to the Board.
Ultimately, every budget cut that will be made is my decision. I understand that disagreement and frustration about the budget cuts, and even about the budget process, are inevitable. I also know that many in the community will voice their frustration with me.
This is as it should be. I would prefer to remain the focus of discontent rather than see our cohesive community be jeopardized from discord between parents and teachers; between teachers and teachers; or between teachers and administrators. It’s normal to be angry and upset. But I urge you to refrain from directing negative emotions towards our faculty and staff. Please also know that the difficult decisions that must be made are being done with significant input from district staff and administration, and much thought, energy and emotion on everyone’s part, including mine.
We are facing difficult financial times. It is my sincere hope that we choose to face our fiscal challenges as a community rather than individuals. We can blame others because we have lost things that are important to us and we can try to protect our individual interests. But ultimately decisions have to be made and the budget has to comply with all legal requirements. In order to face these challenges as a community, we will need to accept that cuts are inevitable, and that while we may be individually unhappy with the necessary cuts, we will do our best as an educational community to go forward after the budget vote on April 20.
It is my hope that despite the difficulties ahead, we will continue our great tradition of working together to keep Ridgewood as one of the outstanding school systems in New Jersey.
Sincerely yours,
Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Special Board of Ed meeting tonight 5:00 & a comment about April Break
I'm trying to figure out how to get myself psyched up for this meeting at 5:00. Hmmm...Take a nap? Eat some junk food? Exercise? Waste time on Facebook? Keep trying to think of elements to cut from the budget?
Just a quick note to let you know that the meeting will be televised on Channel 77 and webcast on the District website.
While I have your attention, for all of you who are asking about the loss of two days of April Break, thanks to the two storm days this week...and asking why can't we just move the professional development day or have kids go to school on Good Friday...
As I understand it, the District is contractually required to hold a specific number of professional days for staff, on days when students are not present. We also are required to give students 180 days of school. If we moved that professional development to some other day, we would not be able to give the kids another day off. As for that decision and the Good Friday decision, both of those were considered by the Calendar Committee (which does have parent involvement) when the 2009-2010 calendar was set. Booking a trip has always been a risk during April Break, because as the Academic Calendar clearly states, any excess "snow" days will come from the Friday of that break, and then Thursday, then Wednesday, etc. My son will be on a church service trip, that I already paid for, so he'll have two more absence days. It's annoying, but I feel like our family gambled and and that's that.
Enjoy the beautiful weather and maybe I'll see you at the Ed Center at 5:00.
Just a quick note to let you know that the meeting will be televised on Channel 77 and webcast on the District website.
While I have your attention, for all of you who are asking about the loss of two days of April Break, thanks to the two storm days this week...and asking why can't we just move the professional development day or have kids go to school on Good Friday...
As I understand it, the District is contractually required to hold a specific number of professional days for staff, on days when students are not present. We also are required to give students 180 days of school. If we moved that professional development to some other day, we would not be able to give the kids another day off. As for that decision and the Good Friday decision, both of those were considered by the Calendar Committee (which does have parent involvement) when the 2009-2010 calendar was set. Booking a trip has always been a risk during April Break, because as the Academic Calendar clearly states, any excess "snow" days will come from the Friday of that break, and then Thursday, then Wednesday, etc. My son will be on a church service trip, that I already paid for, so he'll have two more absence days. It's annoying, but I feel like our family gambled and and that's that.
Enjoy the beautiful weather and maybe I'll see you at the Ed Center at 5:00.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Friday night's all right for...talking budget!
There will be a special meeting of the BOE tomorrow (Friday) at 5:00 p.m. at the Ed Center, third floor. The district is in a time crunch to get a budget put together for review at Monday's regular meeting and delivery to the County Superintendent next week. The main topic tomorrow will be -- of course -- the additional $2.9 million in cuts.
Press Release from the Ed Center
The following press release was just distributed from Dr. Fishbein and the Ed Center:
RIDGEWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT RECEIVES NO STATE AID FOR 2010-2011
MARCH 18, 2010 – On Wednesday, March 17, the Board of Education received state aid figures for the 2010-2011 school year. In line with proposals made by Governor Christie in his annual budget speech the previous day, the Ridgewood Public Schools will receive zero dollars in state aid next year, which amounts to a loss of $2,985,477 to the district. This loss in aid is in addition to a $3.4 million gap that the district has been striving to close in order to bring the proposed 2010-11 school budget to the four percent cap as mandated by state law.
Impact
“In the face of this heavy blow, the district’s administrators will now finalize the educational plan that they believe will best serve our students and community in the coming school year,” said Dr. Daniel Fishbein, Superintendent of Schools. “Every attempt will be made to find cost savings in a manner that will result in the least harm to our core programs. However, there is no doubt that the plan will include painful budget reductions, and even more painful staff layoffs.”
The Superintendent is responsible for making the specific recommendations to the Board of Education that will reduce next year’s budget. Those recommendations will be reviewed by the Board. On Monday, March 22, a preliminary 2010-11 budget reflecting the nearly $3 million reduction in state aid will be presented for the first time at the regularly scheduled meeting of the Ridgewood Board of Education at 7:30 p.m. at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, on the third floor. The public is encouraged to attend that meeting and offer their questions and comments.
Challenges
The Ridgewood Board of Education is now confronted by the largest budget cuts in the district’s 116-year history. Ridgewood is one of 59 New Jersey districts to receive no state aid. Though the majority of New Jersey districts have not been completely deprived of aid, all face similar, serious situations. In the next ten days, communities all over the state will be struggling with agonizing choices. “Our goal in Ridgewood is to do everything we can to sustain the high educational quality that meets community expectations and sustains our property values,” said Dr. Fishbein. “Now, more than ever, we depend on public input and support to accomplish our goals.”
Dr. Fishbein added that this year, a shortened budget timetable imposed by the state has made 2010-11 school year budget construction extremely difficult. In the following prepared statement, the superintendent spoke of the grim news and urged the public to attend the upcoming meetings of the Board of Education.
“The desperate condition of the state’s economy has made extraordinary sacrifices inevitable. Many members of the Ridgewood community have been hurt by the severe recession, making it imperative that we make every effort possible to balance our fiscal and educational responsibilities. We have been dealt a very hard blow. We and our advocates will be working hard in Trenton in the coming weeks and months to secure promises for reductions in onerous and costly state mandates, and we will be monitoring other legislation that will affect our ability to provide for our students. We will meet with our legislators and report back to you on our efforts. It is a very unsteady time in our district’s history. But one thing is certain: Our strength has always come from Ridgewood, not Trenton. Please remember to join the Board and me at our public meetings on March 22 and March 31, as we take the next difficult steps in the 2010-11 budget process. Those wishing to send questions in advance should direct them to me at budget11@ridgwood.k12.nj.us or call the Board Office at 201-670-2700 ext. 10530.”
Next Steps
After approval by the Board, the 2010-11 preliminary budget will go to the Executive County Superintendent (ECS). When the ECS approves the budget, the Board will hold the legally mandated Official Public Hearing. This hearing will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 31, at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, on the third floor. Again, the public is encouraged to attend.
Ridgewood residents who are registered voters will be eligible to vote in the School Board/School Budget election that will be held on Tuesday, April 20, 2010. Regular district polling locations will be open that day from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
RIDGEWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT RECEIVES NO STATE AID FOR 2010-2011
MARCH 18, 2010 – On Wednesday, March 17, the Board of Education received state aid figures for the 2010-2011 school year. In line with proposals made by Governor Christie in his annual budget speech the previous day, the Ridgewood Public Schools will receive zero dollars in state aid next year, which amounts to a loss of $2,985,477 to the district. This loss in aid is in addition to a $3.4 million gap that the district has been striving to close in order to bring the proposed 2010-11 school budget to the four percent cap as mandated by state law.
Impact
“In the face of this heavy blow, the district’s administrators will now finalize the educational plan that they believe will best serve our students and community in the coming school year,” said Dr. Daniel Fishbein, Superintendent of Schools. “Every attempt will be made to find cost savings in a manner that will result in the least harm to our core programs. However, there is no doubt that the plan will include painful budget reductions, and even more painful staff layoffs.”
The Superintendent is responsible for making the specific recommendations to the Board of Education that will reduce next year’s budget. Those recommendations will be reviewed by the Board. On Monday, March 22, a preliminary 2010-11 budget reflecting the nearly $3 million reduction in state aid will be presented for the first time at the regularly scheduled meeting of the Ridgewood Board of Education at 7:30 p.m. at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, on the third floor. The public is encouraged to attend that meeting and offer their questions and comments.
Challenges
The Ridgewood Board of Education is now confronted by the largest budget cuts in the district’s 116-year history. Ridgewood is one of 59 New Jersey districts to receive no state aid. Though the majority of New Jersey districts have not been completely deprived of aid, all face similar, serious situations. In the next ten days, communities all over the state will be struggling with agonizing choices. “Our goal in Ridgewood is to do everything we can to sustain the high educational quality that meets community expectations and sustains our property values,” said Dr. Fishbein. “Now, more than ever, we depend on public input and support to accomplish our goals.”
Dr. Fishbein added that this year, a shortened budget timetable imposed by the state has made 2010-11 school year budget construction extremely difficult. In the following prepared statement, the superintendent spoke of the grim news and urged the public to attend the upcoming meetings of the Board of Education.
“The desperate condition of the state’s economy has made extraordinary sacrifices inevitable. Many members of the Ridgewood community have been hurt by the severe recession, making it imperative that we make every effort possible to balance our fiscal and educational responsibilities. We have been dealt a very hard blow. We and our advocates will be working hard in Trenton in the coming weeks and months to secure promises for reductions in onerous and costly state mandates, and we will be monitoring other legislation that will affect our ability to provide for our students. We will meet with our legislators and report back to you on our efforts. It is a very unsteady time in our district’s history. But one thing is certain: Our strength has always come from Ridgewood, not Trenton. Please remember to join the Board and me at our public meetings on March 22 and March 31, as we take the next difficult steps in the 2010-11 budget process. Those wishing to send questions in advance should direct them to me at budget11@ridgwood.k12.nj.us or call the Board Office at 201-670-2700 ext. 10530.”
Next Steps
After approval by the Board, the 2010-11 preliminary budget will go to the Executive County Superintendent (ECS). When the ECS approves the budget, the Board will hold the legally mandated Official Public Hearing. This hearing will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 31, at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, on the third floor. Again, the public is encouraged to attend.
Ridgewood residents who are registered voters will be eligible to vote in the School Board/School Budget election that will be held on Tuesday, April 20, 2010. Regular district polling locations will be open that day from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Ridgewood’s schools will be changed forever.
Sorry to be so dramatic, but I think that’s a fair statement. Ridgewood’s schools will be changed forever by yesterday’s announcement that our “categorical” state aid is being cut 100%, or $2.9 million, on top of the $3.34 million in cuts already required, to keep the budget “at cap.” Over $6 million in cuts at one time will undo much of what this community has worked very hard over many years to create. Will it also identify opportunities for efficiency or thinking outside the box? Sure. Will we recover and thrive again? Probably. Hopefully. But make no mistake, those efficiencies and outside-the-box ideas will come -- at least for a time -- at an actual price in terms of quality of education. Right now, the Ridgewood Tradition of Excellence is under attack.
As a taxpayer, I can feel some excitement at Sheriff (oops, Governor) Christie’s slash and burn attack on the status quo. Sure, I hate how high my property taxes are. New Jersey is broken and somebody needs to fix it. When left to their own devices over the years, our lawmakers were unable or unwilling to fix it themselves. But I have a question: why do we have to try and fix it all at once? Why do decades of state-level mismanagement have to be corrected on the backs of our children? How on earth do Governor Christie and Education Commissioner Schundler expect our school district to simply “cut” $6 million without severely impacting what happens in our classrooms every day? He wants to battle the NJEA – great idea, but unfortunately, for the foreseeable future, it will be our children who are collateral damage.
There are so many questions about what the Governor can and can’t realistically do. Yesterday’s speech was his proposed budget. It still needs to be approved by the legislature, by sometime in June. I’m fairly certain the lawsuits are already being prepared by urban districts scheduled to lose even more aid. But regardless of the questions and challenges, our local school district, like all the other districts, must adhere to our schedule, which culminates in a budget vote on April 20. The next step on that road is that somehow or other, the superintendent will present the Board and the public with a new budget this Monday night, reflecting the new cuts. Next week, we’ll hold three public meetings to discuss the budget, describe the cuts and answer questions. Please try to attend one of these sessions:
Tuesday March 23 @ 7:30 PM BF Middle School Auditorium
Wednesday March 24 @ 9:00 AM at GW Middle School Auditorium
Thursday March 25 @ 7:30 PM at Ridgewood High School Library
We are required to deliver the balanced budget to the County Superintendent on March 26.
Then, Wednesday March 31 @ 7:30 PM we’ll hold the official Public Hearing and the BOE will have to approve the budget at our regular meeting, at the Ed Center.
In the meantime, the blog New Jersey Left Behind put together an interesting survey of response to Christie’s speech from around the state. Click here to read.
I'm sorry for the delay in writing something about yesterday's news. I was quite honestly dumbfounded. And then I had a deadline for work. And then it was College Night at RHS with my son. It was eerie to walk around the gym, talking to college reps, and wonder what kind of students we'll be delivering to them in a few years.
I'm also sorry for the gloomy tone. I want to optimistic, as I usually am. I know this is a great community with a lot of smart people and good intentions. Of course, we'll survive. But it's going to take a long, hard effort from all of us.
As a taxpayer, I can feel some excitement at Sheriff (oops, Governor) Christie’s slash and burn attack on the status quo. Sure, I hate how high my property taxes are. New Jersey is broken and somebody needs to fix it. When left to their own devices over the years, our lawmakers were unable or unwilling to fix it themselves. But I have a question: why do we have to try and fix it all at once? Why do decades of state-level mismanagement have to be corrected on the backs of our children? How on earth do Governor Christie and Education Commissioner Schundler expect our school district to simply “cut” $6 million without severely impacting what happens in our classrooms every day? He wants to battle the NJEA – great idea, but unfortunately, for the foreseeable future, it will be our children who are collateral damage.
There are so many questions about what the Governor can and can’t realistically do. Yesterday’s speech was his proposed budget. It still needs to be approved by the legislature, by sometime in June. I’m fairly certain the lawsuits are already being prepared by urban districts scheduled to lose even more aid. But regardless of the questions and challenges, our local school district, like all the other districts, must adhere to our schedule, which culminates in a budget vote on April 20. The next step on that road is that somehow or other, the superintendent will present the Board and the public with a new budget this Monday night, reflecting the new cuts. Next week, we’ll hold three public meetings to discuss the budget, describe the cuts and answer questions. Please try to attend one of these sessions:
Tuesday March 23 @ 7:30 PM BF Middle School Auditorium
Wednesday March 24 @ 9:00 AM at GW Middle School Auditorium
Thursday March 25 @ 7:30 PM at Ridgewood High School Library
We are required to deliver the balanced budget to the County Superintendent on March 26.
Then, Wednesday March 31 @ 7:30 PM we’ll hold the official Public Hearing and the BOE will have to approve the budget at our regular meeting, at the Ed Center.
In the meantime, the blog New Jersey Left Behind put together an interesting survey of response to Christie’s speech from around the state. Click here to read.
I'm sorry for the delay in writing something about yesterday's news. I was quite honestly dumbfounded. And then I had a deadline for work. And then it was College Night at RHS with my son. It was eerie to walk around the gym, talking to college reps, and wonder what kind of students we'll be delivering to them in a few years.
I'm also sorry for the gloomy tone. I want to optimistic, as I usually am. I know this is a great community with a lot of smart people and good intentions. Of course, we'll survive. But it's going to take a long, hard effort from all of us.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Ridgewood state aid cut may be catastrophic
The district will have details hopefully by the end of the day, but based on published reports it appears from Governor Christie's budget address yesterday that our state aid for next year MAY be cut in its entirety...all of it...100%...as in $2.9 million. This would be on top of the $3.3 million we've already cut from the proposed budget. This is beyond shocking.
The Governor also proposed lowering the tax levy cap to 2.5%. I'm not sure if that could be enacted for immediately upcoming budget, but if it were, that would be another $1.2 million cut.
Details to come when I know more.
The Governor also proposed lowering the tax levy cap to 2.5%. I'm not sure if that could be enacted for immediately upcoming budget, but if it were, that would be another $1.2 million cut.
Details to come when I know more.
Ridgewood Public Schools Bond Sale will be March 25
The sale of bonds approved by our referendum will take place on March 25 at noon. You can find out more about the auction by clicking here (the info should be posted soon, in the "upcoming auctions" section).
The results of the auction will determine our interest rate. During the lead-up to the referendum, we estimated 4.75% interest. Our bonding financial company is estimating 4.06%. We'll see what happens on 3/25.
Several people have contacted the district because they want to purchase the bonds. Great way to invest in Ridgewood...a win-win!
I'll report the results here as soon as I can.
The results of the auction will determine our interest rate. During the lead-up to the referendum, we estimated 4.75% interest. Our bonding financial company is estimating 4.06%. We'll see what happens on 3/25.
Several people have contacted the district because they want to purchase the bonds. Great way to invest in Ridgewood...a win-win!
I'll report the results here as soon as I can.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Two Ridgewood students to attend North Jersey Spelling Bee
From www.northjersey.com:
Two Ridgewood students will compete for a national spot at the North Jersey Spelling Bee final on Thursday.
Olivia Cecoltan of Travell School and Jeffrey Sheu of Benjamin Franklin Middle School will be among 32 spellers from Bergen, Essex, Morris and Passaic counties. The winner will attend the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., compliments of The Record and Herald News, sponsors of the North Jersey event.
Earlier semifinal rounds brought together the winners of 162 school bees, students in fourth through eighth grade. Last year’s champion, Michael Sun, an eighth grader at West Brook Middle School in Paramus, is not competing this year, so the field is open for a new champion.
The even will take place at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Hackensack.
Congratulations Olivia and Jeffrey, and good luck! Ridgewood is rooting for you!
Two Ridgewood students will compete for a national spot at the North Jersey Spelling Bee final on Thursday.
Olivia Cecoltan of Travell School and Jeffrey Sheu of Benjamin Franklin Middle School will be among 32 spellers from Bergen, Essex, Morris and Passaic counties. The winner will attend the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., compliments of The Record and Herald News, sponsors of the North Jersey event.
Earlier semifinal rounds brought together the winners of 162 school bees, students in fourth through eighth grade. Last year’s champion, Michael Sun, an eighth grader at West Brook Middle School in Paramus, is not competing this year, so the field is open for a new champion.
The even will take place at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Hackensack.
Congratulations Olivia and Jeffrey, and good luck! Ridgewood is rooting for you!
Reality bites.
Sorry, I have no energy today for a catchy headline. In addition, I'm having a little trouble finding time to blog in-between Board of Education meetings and my "real" job. So for now, how about a quick recap of last night's meeting?
First, the DEP held its public hearing on the synthetic turf fields to be installed at the RHS Stadium and Stevens Fields. I have to admit, I've never really understood the DEP public hearing concept. I assume the DEP is staffed by experts, scientists, etc., whose job is to study -- in a dispassionate and objective manner -- the environmental impact of projects. What does public opinion have to do with science? Are these environmental experts going to learn something from neighbors' Google searches or Powerpoints? I will say I was disappointed at the number of turf supporters who were standing in the back of the room but did not speak at the microphone. Then again, maybe they didn't have any science to offer, because the science has already been clearly presented. Anyway, in my opinion, the vote last December was the place for public "opinion," and the hearing last night was for discussion of science.
That being said, I'm all for dialogue and sharing opinions in general. I did want to point out -- anyone who was not able to attend last night and wants to share their feelings with the DEP may do so in writing for seven days. Please send your thoughts, postmarked by 3/22/10, to:
Dennis Contois
Bureau of Inland Regulation
State of New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection
P.O. Box 439
Trenton, NJ 08625-0439
After the DEP portion of the meeting, we moved on to the 2010-2011 budget. It sucks. To be more specific, Dr. Fishbein presented the latest version of the proposed budget, which includes cuts totaling $3,354,301. In addition, for the first time, a list was given of the cuts themselves. The largest cuts/savings (those over $75,000) proposed include:
-- Elimination of 1 Guidance Counselor at RHS ($83,696)
-- Cut 3 administrators (area supervisors) by combining positions at RHS ($311,569)
-- Reduce Librarian to 80%
-- Cuts in Business Office advertising (for positions), supplies & services ($75,298)
-- Reducing supplies and services in MIS ($75,000)
-- Cuts in maintenance supplies & favorable new contract ($140,019)
-- Cuts in custodial supplies & favorable new contract ($242,193)
-- Grades 6-8 Reduce substitute allocations, cut 2 world language teachers ($287,947)
-- Grades 9-12 Reduce substitute allocations, eliminate 1 PE position, eliminate Investigation Chem & Bio courses
-- K-12 Instruction Supplies ($320,563)
-- K-12 Textbooks ($166,658)
-- Resource Center Aides ($360,000)
-- Cut 2 Basic Skills Instruction teachers
-- Restructure Collaborative program at RHS (eliminate several PT positions) ($95,838)
-- Reduce capital projects ($400,000)
As all of us on the Board have said at one time or another, none of these cuts is "good." All of these cuts will alter education in Ridgewood, probably forever. These are programs and priorities that have been painstakingly built-up over the years, and we're being forced to dismantle them in large chunks.
Most of the large audience at the Ed Center last night was teachers, and I have never heard such a large group be as quiet as it was when these cuts were reviewed. Talk about silence you could cut with a knife, it was beyond that. Afterwards, I think five people got up to speak. I was shocked. When I first saw the crowd, I thought I'd be sitting there for hours, as each person came to the microphone to plead for their program or position. But only five speakers? All I can assume is that the rest of them were stunned -- by the enormity of the problem and by the reality that with cuts this far-reaching, asking the Board to "find the money somewhere else," is close to futile.
That's not to say the administration and Board aren't still working. They are and we are. These cuts are preliminary and we will continue to try and come up with a solution that does the least harm.
Of course, to make things even worse, today Governor Christie makes his budget address and the advance reports say that schools are going to get hit with more cuts from the state. We face a reduction in aid from the state and a potential lowering of the "budget cap" from 4% to 2.5%. This will be devastating. (Have I used that word already? If so, sorry. I need to keep that page of my thesaurus folded down.) After today's speech, the state has until Thursday to tell school districts exactly what is happening with aid. Also, we are hoping that by the end of this week, we will have the quotes back for our health insurance plan, so we'll know for sure how much our premiums are going up. (Or, we'll have a better idea -- nothing can be locked in until after the budget election...just another flaw in the system.) We're currently estimating an increase of 25%-30%.
At the end of this week, with the real numbers from the state, and somewhat more "real" numbers from health insurance, the administration will go back to the budget and make more adjustments and -- probably -- more cuts. The budget will be presented to the Board at next Monday's meeting, and the Board will be asked to vote to approve the dollar amount for the budget (not necessarily the specific cuts). More to come...
First, the DEP held its public hearing on the synthetic turf fields to be installed at the RHS Stadium and Stevens Fields. I have to admit, I've never really understood the DEP public hearing concept. I assume the DEP is staffed by experts, scientists, etc., whose job is to study -- in a dispassionate and objective manner -- the environmental impact of projects. What does public opinion have to do with science? Are these environmental experts going to learn something from neighbors' Google searches or Powerpoints? I will say I was disappointed at the number of turf supporters who were standing in the back of the room but did not speak at the microphone. Then again, maybe they didn't have any science to offer, because the science has already been clearly presented. Anyway, in my opinion, the vote last December was the place for public "opinion," and the hearing last night was for discussion of science.
That being said, I'm all for dialogue and sharing opinions in general. I did want to point out -- anyone who was not able to attend last night and wants to share their feelings with the DEP may do so in writing for seven days. Please send your thoughts, postmarked by 3/22/10, to:
Dennis Contois
Bureau of Inland Regulation
State of New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection
P.O. Box 439
Trenton, NJ 08625-0439
After the DEP portion of the meeting, we moved on to the 2010-2011 budget. It sucks. To be more specific, Dr. Fishbein presented the latest version of the proposed budget, which includes cuts totaling $3,354,301. In addition, for the first time, a list was given of the cuts themselves. The largest cuts/savings (those over $75,000) proposed include:
-- Elimination of 1 Guidance Counselor at RHS ($83,696)
-- Cut 3 administrators (area supervisors) by combining positions at RHS ($311,569)
-- Reduce Librarian to 80%
-- Cuts in Business Office advertising (for positions), supplies & services ($75,298)
-- Reducing supplies and services in MIS ($75,000)
-- Cuts in maintenance supplies & favorable new contract ($140,019)
-- Cuts in custodial supplies & favorable new contract ($242,193)
-- Grades 6-8 Reduce substitute allocations, cut 2 world language teachers ($287,947)
-- Grades 9-12 Reduce substitute allocations, eliminate 1 PE position, eliminate Investigation Chem & Bio courses
-- K-12 Instruction Supplies ($320,563)
-- K-12 Textbooks ($166,658)
-- Resource Center Aides ($360,000)
-- Cut 2 Basic Skills Instruction teachers
-- Restructure Collaborative program at RHS (eliminate several PT positions) ($95,838)
-- Reduce capital projects ($400,000)
As all of us on the Board have said at one time or another, none of these cuts is "good." All of these cuts will alter education in Ridgewood, probably forever. These are programs and priorities that have been painstakingly built-up over the years, and we're being forced to dismantle them in large chunks.
Most of the large audience at the Ed Center last night was teachers, and I have never heard such a large group be as quiet as it was when these cuts were reviewed. Talk about silence you could cut with a knife, it was beyond that. Afterwards, I think five people got up to speak. I was shocked. When I first saw the crowd, I thought I'd be sitting there for hours, as each person came to the microphone to plead for their program or position. But only five speakers? All I can assume is that the rest of them were stunned -- by the enormity of the problem and by the reality that with cuts this far-reaching, asking the Board to "find the money somewhere else," is close to futile.
That's not to say the administration and Board aren't still working. They are and we are. These cuts are preliminary and we will continue to try and come up with a solution that does the least harm.
Of course, to make things even worse, today Governor Christie makes his budget address and the advance reports say that schools are going to get hit with more cuts from the state. We face a reduction in aid from the state and a potential lowering of the "budget cap" from 4% to 2.5%. This will be devastating. (Have I used that word already? If so, sorry. I need to keep that page of my thesaurus folded down.) After today's speech, the state has until Thursday to tell school districts exactly what is happening with aid. Also, we are hoping that by the end of this week, we will have the quotes back for our health insurance plan, so we'll know for sure how much our premiums are going up. (Or, we'll have a better idea -- nothing can be locked in until after the budget election...just another flaw in the system.) We're currently estimating an increase of 25%-30%.
At the end of this week, with the real numbers from the state, and somewhat more "real" numbers from health insurance, the administration will go back to the budget and make more adjustments and -- probably -- more cuts. The budget will be presented to the Board at next Monday's meeting, and the Board will be asked to vote to approve the dollar amount for the budget (not necessarily the specific cuts). More to come...
Monday, March 15, 2010
Tonight's meeting focus: budget, of course
I'm sorry I have not been able to post a more thorough and thoughtful preview of tonights meeting of the Board of Education. Between no power and work deadlines, I just can't so it. The agenda is online of course.
In a nutshell and from my memory (I'm currently riding shotgun while my son drives to soccer):
Approval of bonding terms/details
Budget details
Approval of construction management company
that's about it. Come on down or watch it live at the district website or on channel 77
One more thing -- DEP hearing at 6:30. Public is invited to give input/opinions on the turf fields at RHS Stadium and Stevens Fields
In a nutshell and from my memory (I'm currently riding shotgun while my son drives to soccer):
Approval of bonding terms/details
Budget details
Approval of construction management company
that's about it. Come on down or watch it live at the district website or on channel 77
One more thing -- DEP hearing at 6:30. Public is invited to give input/opinions on the turf fields at RHS Stadium and Stevens Fields
Schools closed tomorrow; not sure about meetings
Ridgewood schools are closed tomorrow. I'm not sure what the status is for the two important meetings tomorrow night -- the DEP hearing at 6:30 p.m. and our Board of Education meeting at 7:30 p.m. I'll post update as soon as I know what's going on.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Dad's Night is here again...
This weekend Dad's Night will present its shows for the 66th consecutive year. Thank you to all the Somerville and Hawes Dads who make this show the amazing, special, successful, fun, lucrative, heartwarming and entertaining show that it has been since 1944! My husband "graduated" from Dad's Night in 2005 and I miss those days...there is nothing like an auditorium full of kids seeing their Dads singing and dancing in various crazy costumes and -- more often than not -- women's dresses.
Sure, back then I complained a little bit about the Thursday night "meetings," the last-minute costume construction (do you know how hard it is to find pink ballet slippers in Men's size 11?), watching TWO performances of a show that lasted for hours...but I never complained about the friendships, the parties, the Dads' relationships, and the money raised! And now I truly look back fondly on all that stuff -- the good, the bad, the ugly and the dressed-in-a-wig-and-skirt.
A big thank you to the Dads of Somerville and Hawes. Have a great time this weekend!
Sure, back then I complained a little bit about the Thursday night "meetings," the last-minute costume construction (do you know how hard it is to find pink ballet slippers in Men's size 11?), watching TWO performances of a show that lasted for hours...but I never complained about the friendships, the parties, the Dads' relationships, and the money raised! And now I truly look back fondly on all that stuff -- the good, the bad, the ugly and the dressed-in-a-wig-and-skirt.
A big thank you to the Dads of Somerville and Hawes. Have a great time this weekend!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Art, life & hard choices.
I took a little break from budget stuff tonight and attended the Student Art Show at the Ed Center. I always love the art show -- so many talented students, it takes your breath away. And I love seeing all the little kids with their parents, posing for pictures in front of their masterpiece, watching their parents talk to their art teacher or principal. All while the student string quartet plays beautifully in the background.
I took my son with me and he was OK with chit-chatting with various parents and teachers. After a short time, however, he started getting tired of all the gloomy budget talk. Every conversation seemed to quickly become some version of, "Wow,I feel so bad for you this time of year." Or "What's the story with the librarians?" Or "Who decides what cuts get made?" And even, "I never thought I would see these things happen in Ridgewood."
Wow, it's enough to take all the fun out of a nice little evening of art! On that last comment about "these things" happening in Ridgewood, I can say, "you and me both!" Even though we've been saying for months that millions of dollars would have to be cut from the budget, I understand it's hard for people to react until they start to hear about specific people being let go. Then it becomes real. Believe me, if there were a way to save all this money without cutting people, we'd do it. Anything. But the dollar amount we have to achieve with cuts is just too much. Instead, on any list of proposed cuts I've seen, there is not a single cut that is "good." There is not a single cut that promises to make our Ridgewood education better. That's really something. So far, I have seen with my own eyes that the cuts are comprehensive. They touch all schools, all levels. Everything has been studied and discussed and considered, from an overall-benefit-to-the-district standpoint. Principals suggested cuts at their buildings' levels, and there were additional district-wide cuts. The superintendent, who is "CEO" of the district, makes his recommendations to the Board, and the Board discusses and argues and questions and pushes back and suggests alternatives.
Three different people today asked me if the Board has "anything" to do with the cuts, or if the Ed Center just gets to do whatever they want and we "rubber stamp" it. (I guess I'm glad that people feel free to ask me these types of questions!)
It's important for me to express this and make it clear: The Board discusses all of it. We don't always agree with the administration. We don't always agree with each other. We are five different people with five different perspectives. That's what happens on a Board. Throughout, though, we are all trying to do what's best for the students of the district. And like I mentioned above, when all the choices are "bad" choices, well...it's going to be a long five weeks. And before you know it, one day we'll have to get up and implement these changes together.
I took my son with me and he was OK with chit-chatting with various parents and teachers. After a short time, however, he started getting tired of all the gloomy budget talk. Every conversation seemed to quickly become some version of, "Wow,I feel so bad for you this time of year." Or "What's the story with the librarians?" Or "Who decides what cuts get made?" And even, "I never thought I would see these things happen in Ridgewood."
Wow, it's enough to take all the fun out of a nice little evening of art! On that last comment about "these things" happening in Ridgewood, I can say, "you and me both!" Even though we've been saying for months that millions of dollars would have to be cut from the budget, I understand it's hard for people to react until they start to hear about specific people being let go. Then it becomes real. Believe me, if there were a way to save all this money without cutting people, we'd do it. Anything. But the dollar amount we have to achieve with cuts is just too much. Instead, on any list of proposed cuts I've seen, there is not a single cut that is "good." There is not a single cut that promises to make our Ridgewood education better. That's really something. So far, I have seen with my own eyes that the cuts are comprehensive. They touch all schools, all levels. Everything has been studied and discussed and considered, from an overall-benefit-to-the-district standpoint. Principals suggested cuts at their buildings' levels, and there were additional district-wide cuts. The superintendent, who is "CEO" of the district, makes his recommendations to the Board, and the Board discusses and argues and questions and pushes back and suggests alternatives.
Three different people today asked me if the Board has "anything" to do with the cuts, or if the Ed Center just gets to do whatever they want and we "rubber stamp" it. (I guess I'm glad that people feel free to ask me these types of questions!)
It's important for me to express this and make it clear: The Board discusses all of it. We don't always agree with the administration. We don't always agree with each other. We are five different people with five different perspectives. That's what happens on a Board. Throughout, though, we are all trying to do what's best for the students of the district. And like I mentioned above, when all the choices are "bad" choices, well...it's going to be a long five weeks. And before you know it, one day we'll have to get up and implement these changes together.
Nationwide Common Core Standards are ready for review by the public.
Here is a link to the Common Core Standards, which represent an effort by the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association to standardize curricula across the country (except for Alaska and Texas, which have declined to participate). The standards are available for public comment until April 2nd.
You can view various sections (Reading, Math, etc.) online or print out PDFs.
You can view various sections (Reading, Math, etc.) online or print out PDFs.
DEP Hearing on artificial turf fields
Just wanted to remind you that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will hold a hearing for public comments on the turf fields we'll be installing at the RHS Stadium and Stevens Fields. Such a hearing is standard procedure whenever the DEP receives letters from the public regarding a project and, since they received a few letters from Ridgewood, they'll have the hearing.
The hearing will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 15, at the Ed Center, 3rd floor. This is one hour before the start of our regular Board of Education meeting, at 7:30 p.m. We're not exactly sure about the format for the hearing -- it's being run by the DEP and they have not answered most of our questions -- but we do know that all speakers will have a maximum of three minutes to share their thoughts. I do not know if the DEP representative(s) will answer questions.
If you support the turf fields -- as you know I do -- I hope you will come out and share your views. If you have environmental concerns, I hope you will come express those as well.
Please arrive early. Between the DEP hearing and our budget discussions, I'm sure the room will be a little more full than it usually is on Monday nights!
See you there!
The hearing will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 15, at the Ed Center, 3rd floor. This is one hour before the start of our regular Board of Education meeting, at 7:30 p.m. We're not exactly sure about the format for the hearing -- it's being run by the DEP and they have not answered most of our questions -- but we do know that all speakers will have a maximum of three minutes to share their thoughts. I do not know if the DEP representative(s) will answer questions.
If you support the turf fields -- as you know I do -- I hope you will come out and share your views. If you have environmental concerns, I hope you will come express those as well.
Please arrive early. Between the DEP hearing and our budget discussions, I'm sure the room will be a little more full than it usually is on Monday nights!
See you there!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Charging students for parking at Vets?
The Village Council is considering charging students $425 for a school year parking permit at Vets (or, more accurately, Maple South). I think this is a terrible idea. If you have an opinion, one way or another, you can voice your thoughts to the Village Council at their meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) night. I don't know the details for what time they meet...presumably you can find details at the Village website www.ridgewoodnj.net.
Our students have nowhere to park. Many of them drive from the West Side. The empty-all-day Vets parking lot has traditionally been the perfect location. It's sitting there empty all day, and it's far enough away that students still get a little exercise. It's true that some students are able to park at First Pres Church (I believe their fee is also $425 per year...what a coincidence), but those popular spots are awarded by lottery.
Anyway, please let your Councilmembers know how you feel about this idea. which I understand will raise approx. $20,000 for the Village's tough budget. Send them an email or attend the Village Council meeting. (One thing that won't help is complaining to the RHS principal, or the Ed Center, or Board members. Sorry...it's not our idea and it's not our charge!)
Our students have nowhere to park. Many of them drive from the West Side. The empty-all-day Vets parking lot has traditionally been the perfect location. It's sitting there empty all day, and it's far enough away that students still get a little exercise. It's true that some students are able to park at First Pres Church (I believe their fee is also $425 per year...what a coincidence), but those popular spots are awarded by lottery.
Anyway, please let your Councilmembers know how you feel about this idea. which I understand will raise approx. $20,000 for the Village's tough budget. Send them an email or attend the Village Council meeting. (One thing that won't help is complaining to the RHS principal, or the Ed Center, or Board members. Sorry...it's not our idea and it's not our charge!)
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Budget update: the pain is becoming real.
The District administration has been working on putting together a package of cuts across the district totaling $3,354,300, which is the amount we need to cut in order to keep the budget "at cap" as mandated by state law. That's assuming our aid from the state remains "flat" or unchanged from last year. Depending on what the Governor says in his budget address next Tuesday, our required cuts could go as high as $4,252,300...or even higher if the rumor of a reduced cap becomes reality.
The Board of Education has been involved to a great degree throughout the process. People have asked me to explain our involvement. I sometimes hear a question like "Why does the administration get to do whatever it wants? Aren't you in charge of the schools?" First, as I've explained before, the Board of Education is not "in charge of" the schools -- at least not on a day-to-day administration basis. That's the superintendent's job...and our job is to make sure he's doing it well. According to state statute, the BOE is responsible for supervising one person only: the Superintendent.
Dr. Fishbein will outline the process in greater detail at his Budget Workshops tonight and tomorrow, and I don't want to jump the gun too much, but I can assure you that the Board has been involved, asking questions, getting more information, pushing back on some things and asking for more on others. Each of us has focused on trying to find the least painful cuts, that will impact our Ridgewood education the least. But make no mistake, the cuts will impact our education.
Last night, the Board was presented with the current working budget, as of yesterday. The process is not complete and the numbers are not yet final. It is not "written in stone." The budget as of last night (click here and then click on "Fiscal Year 2011 Budget As Of 3.09.10" to view) shows the proposed spending (increased or decreased) in the line items as they are specified by the state. Someone questioned why the staff was not shown this budget yesterday afternoon, and the answer is -- the budget needed to be presented to the Board first, before it could be released. Any presentations to the Board must be in public -- and last night was the Board meeting. There was not a conspiracy and no evil plan. (It would have been better, in retrospect, if the staff had known that the "snapshot" budget was going to be presented last night, but it was online as of 9:00 this morning and it's still there, ready for additional public comment next week.)
Contributing to the challenges of this process is one important fact: when we talk abstractly about cuts, or cutting programs, remember that programs = people. That's where the bulk of the expense comes from. Whenever we talk about cuts, we're talking about cutting people. Since we don't want people, who are loyal employees who have served the district well, to read about their jobs being cut in the newspaper or on a blog or hear about it on the sidewalk, there are a lot of conversations that need to take place before the cuts become public knowledge. And since all these conversations can't take place at the same time, what inevitably happens is that once people start being told about cuts, the information starts to get out, and it takes on a life of its own. Suddenly everyone "knows" what's in the budget -- before they've even seen it. Rumors start flying, assumptions get made, and the process for the entire community gets exponentially more complicated, more emotional and more urgent.
Next Monday 3/15, I expect to see the budget (and cuts) in greater detail at our public meeting. Then, by Thursday 3/18 we will hear from the state as to our revenue, and whether the cap will be changed. Then we will have a very short time to finalize the budget. (Please note -- the governor's address is being held later than ever before this year, due to the new governor, the terrible state of our economy, and his new staff and new ideas. I can understand him needing more time, but this has seriously eroded our ability to have a public conversation about the budget, before the election on April 20.) The Board must deliver a budget to the County Superintendent on 3/22, and we'll hold our official "Public Hearing" on 3/31 (instead of Monday 3/29, which is Passover).
Further complicating the budget communication process is the schedule for our April Break, which has schools closed from April 2 through April 11. That doesn't leave a lot of time for HSA meetings, which are traditionally a great place for parents to see the budget "up close" and ask direct questions of Dr. Fishbein and BOE members. Because of this short window, we will be holding joint HSA meetings to discuss the budget. Please feel free to attend any of these sessions:
* March 23 @ 7:30 p.m. at BF Auditorium
* March 24 @ 9:00 AM at GW Auditorium
* March 25 @ 7:30 p.m. at RHS Campus Center
I know this process is difficult. I know it doesn't seem to make sense in a lot of ways. People will be shocked at some cuts. I wouldn't criticize these folks for "not paying attention," but let's be honest. It's hard to pay attention until things become real. That's human nature.
Please come to one of the Budget Workshops tonight or tomorrow for more info on how the process works and why. And feel free to ask any questions. I know Dr. Fishbein is answering questions at budget10@ridgewood.k12.nj.us. You can also email me directly at lauriegood@mac.com, or post a question or comment here on my blog.
The Board of Education has been involved to a great degree throughout the process. People have asked me to explain our involvement. I sometimes hear a question like "Why does the administration get to do whatever it wants? Aren't you in charge of the schools?" First, as I've explained before, the Board of Education is not "in charge of" the schools -- at least not on a day-to-day administration basis. That's the superintendent's job...and our job is to make sure he's doing it well. According to state statute, the BOE is responsible for supervising one person only: the Superintendent.
Dr. Fishbein will outline the process in greater detail at his Budget Workshops tonight and tomorrow, and I don't want to jump the gun too much, but I can assure you that the Board has been involved, asking questions, getting more information, pushing back on some things and asking for more on others. Each of us has focused on trying to find the least painful cuts, that will impact our Ridgewood education the least. But make no mistake, the cuts will impact our education.
Last night, the Board was presented with the current working budget, as of yesterday. The process is not complete and the numbers are not yet final. It is not "written in stone." The budget as of last night (click here and then click on "Fiscal Year 2011 Budget As Of 3.09.10" to view) shows the proposed spending (increased or decreased) in the line items as they are specified by the state. Someone questioned why the staff was not shown this budget yesterday afternoon, and the answer is -- the budget needed to be presented to the Board first, before it could be released. Any presentations to the Board must be in public -- and last night was the Board meeting. There was not a conspiracy and no evil plan. (It would have been better, in retrospect, if the staff had known that the "snapshot" budget was going to be presented last night, but it was online as of 9:00 this morning and it's still there, ready for additional public comment next week.)
Contributing to the challenges of this process is one important fact: when we talk abstractly about cuts, or cutting programs, remember that programs = people. That's where the bulk of the expense comes from. Whenever we talk about cuts, we're talking about cutting people. Since we don't want people, who are loyal employees who have served the district well, to read about their jobs being cut in the newspaper or on a blog or hear about it on the sidewalk, there are a lot of conversations that need to take place before the cuts become public knowledge. And since all these conversations can't take place at the same time, what inevitably happens is that once people start being told about cuts, the information starts to get out, and it takes on a life of its own. Suddenly everyone "knows" what's in the budget -- before they've even seen it. Rumors start flying, assumptions get made, and the process for the entire community gets exponentially more complicated, more emotional and more urgent.
Next Monday 3/15, I expect to see the budget (and cuts) in greater detail at our public meeting. Then, by Thursday 3/18 we will hear from the state as to our revenue, and whether the cap will be changed. Then we will have a very short time to finalize the budget. (Please note -- the governor's address is being held later than ever before this year, due to the new governor, the terrible state of our economy, and his new staff and new ideas. I can understand him needing more time, but this has seriously eroded our ability to have a public conversation about the budget, before the election on April 20.) The Board must deliver a budget to the County Superintendent on 3/22, and we'll hold our official "Public Hearing" on 3/31 (instead of Monday 3/29, which is Passover).
Further complicating the budget communication process is the schedule for our April Break, which has schools closed from April 2 through April 11. That doesn't leave a lot of time for HSA meetings, which are traditionally a great place for parents to see the budget "up close" and ask direct questions of Dr. Fishbein and BOE members. Because of this short window, we will be holding joint HSA meetings to discuss the budget. Please feel free to attend any of these sessions:
* March 23 @ 7:30 p.m. at BF Auditorium
* March 24 @ 9:00 AM at GW Auditorium
* March 25 @ 7:30 p.m. at RHS Campus Center
I know this process is difficult. I know it doesn't seem to make sense in a lot of ways. People will be shocked at some cuts. I wouldn't criticize these folks for "not paying attention," but let's be honest. It's hard to pay attention until things become real. That's human nature.
Please come to one of the Budget Workshops tonight or tomorrow for more info on how the process works and why. And feel free to ask any questions. I know Dr. Fishbein is answering questions at budget10@ridgewood.k12.nj.us. You can also email me directly at lauriegood@mac.com, or post a question or comment here on my blog.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Tonight’s Board of Ed meeting
We’ve got a pretty full agenda for tonight’s meeting of the Ridgewood Board of Education. You can join us at the Ed Center at 7:30 p.m….or tune in on CableVision Channel 77…or watch the live Webcast on the district website…or watch the webcast archive later. Here’s a sampling of what we’ll be doing:
Acceptance of some generous grant awards from the Ridgewood Education Foundation (thank you REF!).
Discussion of our bond rating and the types of financing options available for our Referendum bonds. Our financial advisors and bonding attorney will be present to talk about the different options.
Dr. Fishbein will give us an update on Referendum projects and work being done by our architect and engineer.
We’ll have an update on the 2010-11 budget, with a balanced budget presented. Of course, this is still preliminary as we’re waiting for the Governor’s budget address to get our firm numbers on state aid. We can’t finalize the budget and lock-in the cuts we need to make until we have that info. But as we’ve been saying all along – it’s likely we will need to cut around $3.5 million. The administration is working through various ideas for getting to that number, but however it shakes out, we’re all going to feel the cuts.
The Board will be asked to award the new contract for custodial/maintenance/grounds services to GCA Services Group (our current provider). GCA had the low bid and will be able to continue with the systems and work they’ve been doing (and doing well, in my opinion).
The Board will be discussing the Parent Satisfaction Survey, which the Communications Committee has drafted. The survey is proposed to be administered to all parents in the district to gauge their satisfaction with various aspects of their children’s schools, including academics, extra-curriculars, facilities and communications.
We’ll also be discussing the renewal of Pomptonian Food Services for 2010-2011 school year.
A couple of reminders on upcoming events:
DEP hearing on the field improvements at RHS and Stevens Fields – March 15 @ 6:30 p.m. at the Ed Center, 3rd floor. Note – this is the DEP’s hearing, not ours. We don’t know what the format will be, if there will be a time limit for speakers, etc. All we know is they asked for one hour to be scheduled and we’ll do it right before our regular meeting which will start at 7:30 p.m.
Budget Workshops – Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. at GW and Wednesday at 1:00 at RHS Campus Center. The focus will be on the budget process and Trenton’s influence on what happens in Ridgewood.
March 22 the Village Council will attend our Board meeting to review the proposed budget.
March 31 Official Public Hearing on the Budget.
Acceptance of some generous grant awards from the Ridgewood Education Foundation (thank you REF!).
Discussion of our bond rating and the types of financing options available for our Referendum bonds. Our financial advisors and bonding attorney will be present to talk about the different options.
Dr. Fishbein will give us an update on Referendum projects and work being done by our architect and engineer.
We’ll have an update on the 2010-11 budget, with a balanced budget presented. Of course, this is still preliminary as we’re waiting for the Governor’s budget address to get our firm numbers on state aid. We can’t finalize the budget and lock-in the cuts we need to make until we have that info. But as we’ve been saying all along – it’s likely we will need to cut around $3.5 million. The administration is working through various ideas for getting to that number, but however it shakes out, we’re all going to feel the cuts.
The Board will be asked to award the new contract for custodial/maintenance/grounds services to GCA Services Group (our current provider). GCA had the low bid and will be able to continue with the systems and work they’ve been doing (and doing well, in my opinion).
The Board will be discussing the Parent Satisfaction Survey, which the Communications Committee has drafted. The survey is proposed to be administered to all parents in the district to gauge their satisfaction with various aspects of their children’s schools, including academics, extra-curriculars, facilities and communications.
We’ll also be discussing the renewal of Pomptonian Food Services for 2010-2011 school year.
A couple of reminders on upcoming events:
DEP hearing on the field improvements at RHS and Stevens Fields – March 15 @ 6:30 p.m. at the Ed Center, 3rd floor. Note – this is the DEP’s hearing, not ours. We don’t know what the format will be, if there will be a time limit for speakers, etc. All we know is they asked for one hour to be scheduled and we’ll do it right before our regular meeting which will start at 7:30 p.m.
Budget Workshops – Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. at GW and Wednesday at 1:00 at RHS Campus Center. The focus will be on the budget process and Trenton’s influence on what happens in Ridgewood.
March 22 the Village Council will attend our Board meeting to review the proposed budget.
March 31 Official Public Hearing on the Budget.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Super Science Saturday is tomorrow at RHS: Check out this unique Ridgewood event!
Edited from The Ridgewood News:
For the 22nd year, Super Science Saturday will fill Ridgewood High School (RHS) with a dazzling array of scientific exhibits, shows and presentations. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday (tomorrow!). Everyone, all ages, is invited.
This year's event, will feature about 200 students, some as young as kindergarten age, and about 40 adult presenters, from professional scientists to college students.
Each year the science event features a special show by the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia. This year, beginning at 9:30 a.m., the institute will stage a presentation on the human body.
Among the highlights of the day-long showcase will be the Ridgewood Fire Department's demonstration of thermal imaging cameras, during which kids can enter a darkened classroom and use thermal night scopes to simulate what it is like to be a firefighter in a rescue mission. About 40 RHS students will present cyber robots they built, and other RHS students will showcase their findings on nanotechnology and solar cells by demonstrating how energy and electricity can be culled from blueberry juice.
Representatives from Whole Foods Market will discuss health and wellness, and The Valley Hospital, a sponsor of the event with the Ridgewood Education Foundation, will be touting its youth fitness center. A 4H Club will bring its petting zoo, complete with chicken eggs, which, Flicker said, have often hatched in the midst of Super Science Saturday.
A paper airplane contest will take place, and model rockets will be launched from the football field at 1:20 p.m. In addition, attendees can make their own Flubber, and a new event will offer dissections for children who receive parental approval and sign up.
See you there!
For the 22nd year, Super Science Saturday will fill Ridgewood High School (RHS) with a dazzling array of scientific exhibits, shows and presentations. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday (tomorrow!). Everyone, all ages, is invited.
This year's event, will feature about 200 students, some as young as kindergarten age, and about 40 adult presenters, from professional scientists to college students.
Each year the science event features a special show by the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia. This year, beginning at 9:30 a.m., the institute will stage a presentation on the human body.
Among the highlights of the day-long showcase will be the Ridgewood Fire Department's demonstration of thermal imaging cameras, during which kids can enter a darkened classroom and use thermal night scopes to simulate what it is like to be a firefighter in a rescue mission. About 40 RHS students will present cyber robots they built, and other RHS students will showcase their findings on nanotechnology and solar cells by demonstrating how energy and electricity can be culled from blueberry juice.
Representatives from Whole Foods Market will discuss health and wellness, and The Valley Hospital, a sponsor of the event with the Ridgewood Education Foundation, will be touting its youth fitness center. A 4H Club will bring its petting zoo, complete with chicken eggs, which, Flicker said, have often hatched in the midst of Super Science Saturday.
A paper airplane contest will take place, and model rockets will be launched from the football field at 1:20 p.m. In addition, attendees can make their own Flubber, and a new event will offer dissections for children who receive parental approval and sign up.
See you there!
What do teachers want?
Interesting report just out from a study of teachers' opinions by the Gates Foundation. Here's the text of the article that appeared in the Seattle Times:
What do teachers want?
Supportive principals more than higher salaries.
Digital media more than textbooks.
Evaluations based on how much their students learn, rather than on principals' observations.
Those are a few findings from what's thought to be the largest-ever survey of American public-school teachers, sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Scholastic publishing company.
Over the phone and online, about 40,000 teachers answered questions about what they need to help more students achieve, and what they think about issues such as merit pay, testing and common learning standards.
The results offer a rich look at the challenges and frustrations of teachers and underscore how deeply many care about their work. Seven out of 10, for example, reported they attend student events at night or on weekends.
For the Gates Foundation, the goal was to highlight teacher opinions on how best to improve the nation's schools — a debate taking place in school districts and state capitols across the nation.
"We wanted to put teachers' voices front and center in the debate around education reform," said Vicki Phillips, the Gates Foundation's education director. "Teachers are on the front line of this work every day ... it doesn't make sense not to be talking to teachers."
Harris Interactive, a market research firm, conducted the survey from mid-March through mid-June last year. Teachers weren't told who sponsored the survey.
Enough teachers responded that the results were broken out by state, and sometimes by age, or the median income of a school's families.
The results for Washington state largely mirrored the national results. One exception was merit pay. Forty-seven percent of Washington's teachers said pay for performance was "not at all important" in keeping good teachers. Nationally, just 36 percent of teachers said the same.
Another was the importance of a longer school day and year. Forty-two percent of Washington teachers said those would have a strong impact on student achievement, compared with just 29 percent nationally.
And a slightly lower rate of Washington teachers listed supportive leadership as "absolutely essential" in keeping good teachers — 62 percent compared with 68 percent nationally.
Other highlights of the national results:
• While 92 percent of teachers said tests given in class are essential or very important in measuring student achievement, just 27 percent said the same about state standardized tests.
• Just 22 percent said they thought evaluations by principals were a very accurate measure of their work.
• Less than half said higher salaries are absolutely essential for keeping good teachers, and only 8 percent said they thought pay for performance is vital.
• Forty percent said students entered their classrooms below grade level.
• Nearly 60 percent said common learning standards in all states would have a strong impact on student achievement.
• Just 12 percent strongly agree that traditional textbooks engage students, while 44 percent said the same about digital resources such as classroom technology.
• Close to a third — 30 percent — said monetary rewards for teachers had no impact on increasing students' academic achievement.
• The results also showed some divides by age. New teachers, for example, value pay for performance more than veterans.
Phillips said some questions addressed national-education issues while others focused on areas of interest to the Gates Foundation.
The results also supported some of the Gates Foundation's views on education reform — especially its support of national learning standards. But not all.
While the foundation also supports performance pay for teachers, the teachers surveyed did not assign it much value.
Teachers' opposition to pay for performance was not surprising, Phillips said.
"While we are proponents of performance-based compensation," she said, "we also agree with teachers that it shouldn't be based on one test ... or capricious evaluation, or popularity."
That's one reason the Gates Foundation is researching new ways of evaluating teachers, she said. "We want to figure out what set of indicators teachers would see as fair."
The survey findings won't cause the foundation to make major changes, Phillips said, but they do provide food for thought about how it tries to help improve the quality of teaching. That's been a focus of the foundation's education giving since Phillips arrived several years ago.
Leaders of the nation's two leading teachers unions both praised the survey at a Wednesday press event, saying teachers deserve to be heard and often are not.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said at medical conferences, doctors mostly talk to each other about their work. Yet at education conferences, she said, it's superintendents and consultants talking to teachers.
"What we see is an absence of a deep respect for our profession," she said.
The survey is just one way the foundation solicits teachers views. It also uses teachers as advisers in many of its efforts. And it says it plans to do a second teacher survey, although probably not as large as this one.
What do teachers want?
Supportive principals more than higher salaries.
Digital media more than textbooks.
Evaluations based on how much their students learn, rather than on principals' observations.
Those are a few findings from what's thought to be the largest-ever survey of American public-school teachers, sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Scholastic publishing company.
Over the phone and online, about 40,000 teachers answered questions about what they need to help more students achieve, and what they think about issues such as merit pay, testing and common learning standards.
The results offer a rich look at the challenges and frustrations of teachers and underscore how deeply many care about their work. Seven out of 10, for example, reported they attend student events at night or on weekends.
For the Gates Foundation, the goal was to highlight teacher opinions on how best to improve the nation's schools — a debate taking place in school districts and state capitols across the nation.
"We wanted to put teachers' voices front and center in the debate around education reform," said Vicki Phillips, the Gates Foundation's education director. "Teachers are on the front line of this work every day ... it doesn't make sense not to be talking to teachers."
Harris Interactive, a market research firm, conducted the survey from mid-March through mid-June last year. Teachers weren't told who sponsored the survey.
Enough teachers responded that the results were broken out by state, and sometimes by age, or the median income of a school's families.
The results for Washington state largely mirrored the national results. One exception was merit pay. Forty-seven percent of Washington's teachers said pay for performance was "not at all important" in keeping good teachers. Nationally, just 36 percent of teachers said the same.
Another was the importance of a longer school day and year. Forty-two percent of Washington teachers said those would have a strong impact on student achievement, compared with just 29 percent nationally.
And a slightly lower rate of Washington teachers listed supportive leadership as "absolutely essential" in keeping good teachers — 62 percent compared with 68 percent nationally.
Other highlights of the national results:
• While 92 percent of teachers said tests given in class are essential or very important in measuring student achievement, just 27 percent said the same about state standardized tests.
• Just 22 percent said they thought evaluations by principals were a very accurate measure of their work.
• Less than half said higher salaries are absolutely essential for keeping good teachers, and only 8 percent said they thought pay for performance is vital.
• Forty percent said students entered their classrooms below grade level.
• Nearly 60 percent said common learning standards in all states would have a strong impact on student achievement.
• Just 12 percent strongly agree that traditional textbooks engage students, while 44 percent said the same about digital resources such as classroom technology.
• Close to a third — 30 percent — said monetary rewards for teachers had no impact on increasing students' academic achievement.
• The results also showed some divides by age. New teachers, for example, value pay for performance more than veterans.
Phillips said some questions addressed national-education issues while others focused on areas of interest to the Gates Foundation.
The results also supported some of the Gates Foundation's views on education reform — especially its support of national learning standards. But not all.
While the foundation also supports performance pay for teachers, the teachers surveyed did not assign it much value.
Teachers' opposition to pay for performance was not surprising, Phillips said.
"While we are proponents of performance-based compensation," she said, "we also agree with teachers that it shouldn't be based on one test ... or capricious evaluation, or popularity."
That's one reason the Gates Foundation is researching new ways of evaluating teachers, she said. "We want to figure out what set of indicators teachers would see as fair."
The survey findings won't cause the foundation to make major changes, Phillips said, but they do provide food for thought about how it tries to help improve the quality of teaching. That's been a focus of the foundation's education giving since Phillips arrived several years ago.
Leaders of the nation's two leading teachers unions both praised the survey at a Wednesday press event, saying teachers deserve to be heard and often are not.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said at medical conferences, doctors mostly talk to each other about their work. Yet at education conferences, she said, it's superintendents and consultants talking to teachers.
"What we see is an absence of a deep respect for our profession," she said.
The survey is just one way the foundation solicits teachers views. It also uses teachers as advisers in many of its efforts. And it says it plans to do a second teacher survey, although probably not as large as this one.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
BOE Candidates for April 20 election
Two people are running uncontested in the Board of Education election to be held April 20. Michele Lenhard will be running for her second term on the Board. Charlie Reilly, who served on the Board previously, from 1990 to 2005, submitted his petition for candidacy. Joseph Vallerini will not be seeking re-election. Yesterday at 4:00 was the deadline for submitting petitions.
That's all the news for now...I'm off to Summit to hear the new Education Commissioner and other legislators tell us what they think is ahead for school funding and regulation in New Jersey.
That's all the news for now...I'm off to Summit to hear the new Education Commissioner and other legislators tell us what they think is ahead for school funding and regulation in New Jersey.
Monday, March 1, 2010
In this corner, NJEA...in that corner Gov. Christie...
updated 3/1/10 @ 1:45 p.m.
Wow, all I kept thinking as I read the story on the New Jersey Education Association in yesterday's Bergen Record, was how NJEA Executive Director Vincent Giordano sounds (and looks, for that matter) like a mafia don. I mean, really, his "you shouldn't have disrespected us" and "if you put us in the corner we're gonna take off the gloves" lines sound like something from Goodfellas. (And BTW I paraphrased those quotes, but they're pretty close.)
I especially liked his threat to spend "10 times" what they already spent trying to defeat Christie's election, to now fight the education reforms the new governor is proposing.
I really encourage all Ridgewood taxpayers to read the article and learn about the position -- and the power -- of the NJEA. One thing is clear to me -- we're in for a battle royale. Personally, I resent the NJEA's recent newspaper ads headlined "Who will speak for students?" Really, NJEA? Do you honestly expect me to believe that your $4.5 million in PAC spending, your $533,000 in salary for your Exec Director and President (two people who are not educating anybody, BTW), and your $98 million dues are speaking for students? I respect any workers' group's right to organize and fight for its members but let's remember that's what you're doing. Fighting for your members.
If anyone is "speaking for the students" it's the unpaid, volunteer school board members throughout the state. (Calm down, I'm not lamenting the lack of pay and I'm not fishing for sympathy, I'm just offering a contrast.) Dear Mr. Giordano, I'm trying to speak for the students, too. We should all have an equal voice, regardless of our bank accounts. I would say I'll "take off the gloves," too, but I can't do it without sounding silly. Instead, right now all I can do is watch the Christie-NJEA battle take shape and keep my focus on Ridgewood and getting through our 2010-11 budget process.
I want to reiterate that my comments above are about the NJEA leadership. I respect and value the teachers in Ridgewood, but I have an educational responsibility to our students and a financial responsibility to our community/taxpayers.
Tomorrow night I'll be traveling with other Board members, administrators and parents to Summit to hear Education Commissioner Bret Schundler and other legislators speak on the state of education in New Jersey. It's open to the public -- email me if you'd like info/directions or click here for more info.
Wow, all I kept thinking as I read the story on the New Jersey Education Association in yesterday's Bergen Record, was how NJEA Executive Director Vincent Giordano sounds (and looks, for that matter) like a mafia don. I mean, really, his "you shouldn't have disrespected us" and "if you put us in the corner we're gonna take off the gloves" lines sound like something from Goodfellas. (And BTW I paraphrased those quotes, but they're pretty close.)
I especially liked his threat to spend "10 times" what they already spent trying to defeat Christie's election, to now fight the education reforms the new governor is proposing.
I really encourage all Ridgewood taxpayers to read the article and learn about the position -- and the power -- of the NJEA. One thing is clear to me -- we're in for a battle royale. Personally, I resent the NJEA's recent newspaper ads headlined "Who will speak for students?" Really, NJEA? Do you honestly expect me to believe that your $4.5 million in PAC spending, your $533,000 in salary for your Exec Director and President (two people who are not educating anybody, BTW), and your $98 million dues are speaking for students? I respect any workers' group's right to organize and fight for its members but let's remember that's what you're doing. Fighting for your members.
If anyone is "speaking for the students" it's the unpaid, volunteer school board members throughout the state. (Calm down, I'm not lamenting the lack of pay and I'm not fishing for sympathy, I'm just offering a contrast.) Dear Mr. Giordano, I'm trying to speak for the students, too. We should all have an equal voice, regardless of our bank accounts. I would say I'll "take off the gloves," too, but I can't do it without sounding silly. Instead, right now all I can do is watch the Christie-NJEA battle take shape and keep my focus on Ridgewood and getting through our 2010-11 budget process.
I want to reiterate that my comments above are about the NJEA leadership. I respect and value the teachers in Ridgewood, but I have an educational responsibility to our students and a financial responsibility to our community/taxpayers.
Tomorrow night I'll be traveling with other Board members, administrators and parents to Summit to hear Education Commissioner Bret Schundler and other legislators speak on the state of education in New Jersey. It's open to the public -- email me if you'd like info/directions or click here for more info.
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