Ridgewood District Needs to Cut $655K

Programs could be at stake after first budget comes in high, though officials stress it's still very preliminary and subject to change

Members of the Ridgewood school board may be feeling a slight sense of deja vu. As they had in 2010-2011, the district is facing a significant gap in revenues and expenditures.  A preliminary budget presentation revealed the board is short roughly $655,000 and has less than three weeks to find the cash. If it can't, it must start looking at what it can slash. "I do not know what needs to be cut at this time," Superintendent Daniel Fishbein said in an e-mail Wednesday. "That is what we are working on." Education officials, when asked, did not speculate as to what programs may be reduced should the shortfall remain. In a comprehensive but early look at the budget at Monday's school board meeting, Assistant Superintendent for Business Angelo …

•  20 Comments
• Photos (2)

Girls Lax Repeats as State Champs; Tax Dollars Rising After Budget Adoption This Week

Villager also pleads guilty in Madoff case; water main breaks, damages Linwood Ave.

It was a hot, hot, hot week in Ridgewood. Sure, that could just mean the 100+ temperatures that sweated out the region but it could also mean the series of hot stories we covered this week. So cool down with our recap of parking, shutdowns to critical county roads in Ridgewood, taxes that are a rising, and all sorts of other good stuff. 1) So you are a student at RHS. You weren't "lucky" enough to shell out the $500 to park at the church, you didn't get any spots on Heermance and Vets wasn't too appealing an option. So you park on Kenilworth. Well, you did. The council tinkered with the "don't park there" ordinance and now RHS students can't park on both sides between East Ridgewood and Spring Aves. – morning 'til late afternoon from …

• Photos (1)

Christie: We'll Cut Spending, Fix Pension System, Boost Aid To Every School District

Governor lays out priorities in budget address.

Governor Chris Christie vowed on Tuesday afternoon to continue with what he called a “new normal” in New Jersey, calling for a reform effort that “marks the line in the sand that separates the way things used to be, and the way they are going to be.” Christie said his budget reduces government spending 2.6 percent from last year’s $30.2 billion budget and “marks a departure from the Trenton tradition of budgeting to meet deficit projections that embrace wish-list spending by legislators and assume continuous funding increases that irresponsibly ignore actual revenue sources.” Instead, his budget takes a “bottom to top” approach, and establishes priorities and will fund them based on revenue that is actually available, he said. The 2012 …

•  97 Comments
• Photos (4)
• Documents (2)

Department Cuts Loom as Council Talks Budget

Village leaders discuss budgets in lengthy hearing.

With the recent failure of the school board budget, finances are much on villagers' minds. Village Council members—who will now be forced to review the school district's budget—continued work on their own, and finished meetings with department leaders Wednesday night. A common theme throughout the five-hour hearing was department heads stating their budgets are already stretched thin. Cutting staff, many said, would cause service delays for residents. Still, council and village staff are forced to produce a balanced budget, and with decreased state aid and increased benefit costs, cuts are unavoidable.  "The service levels cannot continue and us making cuts. Everyone will have to experience the effects of service cuts, including residents…

• Photos (1)

Letter to the Editor: Longtime Residents Support BOE

Tommie Hutto-Blake and Al Blake pen letter.

This opinion statement is from two 25-year residents and Ridgewood voters who no longer have school-age children in our public schools but certainly remember well that the main reason we moved to this New Jersey village (with one preschool child and one on the way) was due to the fine reputation of the Ridgewood public schools. The Ridgewood schools served our two daughters well. We didn't realized just how well prepared they were until we watched them excel during their university years. Simply put, the staff at the elementary, middle and high school levels were the key to their success. We have been pleased to see the many "vote yes" lawn signs in our neighboring villages of Glen Rock, Wyckoff, Midland Park and Ho-Ho-Kus regarding the …

Budget Cuts Will Cause Inevitable Service Delays

Village wades through budget issues.

At an afternoon budget workshop and evening public meeting, council members, village staff, and residents discussed the budget's impact. Village Manager Dr. Kenneth Gabbert introduced a budget that fought off decreased revenue, state aid, and increased salary and benefit obligations. Although a 3.5 percent increase from the previous year is expected, layoffs throughout nearly all village departments are proposed. Decreased staff will naturally cause increased wait time for village service. "I assume it's going to be a way of life in the village," Deputy Mayor Killion said. "People are going to need to understand the service won't be there. We'll have to cut back some hours of operation." If many proposed cuts become reality, longer waits …

• Photos (3)

Board Talks Budget As Vote Nears

Insurance savings should save library, LDTC staff, superintendent says.

With a budget vote seven days away, school board members called for the public to support their initiative. Superintendent Dr. Daniel Fishbein said, "It is important for a big voter turnout. We all know we've been through a lot to get to this point." Namely, Fishbein was referring to the 100 percent cut in state aid and significant benefit increases to force a $6.33 million budget gap. After personnel and programming cuts, the board will offer voters a $89,441,565 budget for approval April 20. At last night's Board of Education meeting, Fishbein did deliver one note of good news—the district is finalizing its negotiations with health care providers to find a lower insurance increase. Consequentially, cuts to libraries, middle school …

• Photos (4)

Parks & Rec Cuts Hit Department's 'Integrity'

Department officials discuss budget with council.

Editor's Note: An earlier edition inaccurately said a recreation supervisor's position was in jeopardy. The correction now reads parks supervisor. Parks and Recreation Department leaders beseeched council last night to reduce layoffs to personnel. At Village Council's first department budget workshop, Director Tim Cronin and Deputy Director Nancy Bigos explained that cuts would greatly affect the department's service.  "We've worked really damn hard, and this hurts," Bigos said. "For me, it's the integrity of the department if you're going to cut programs." Offsetting a $1 million budget gap, Village Manger Dr. Kenneth Gabbert has said the village may cut 7 to 9 percent of its staff. For the Parks Department staffing, a secretary position…

• Photos (2)

Board of Education Adopts Budget

REA promises to continue concession negotiations.

Editor's note: The original tax levy was misidentified. The correct amount is $367. After hearing comments from taxpayers, teachers and students, the Board of Education last night formally adopted a budget totaling $89,441,565 for the 2010-11 school year. Superintendent Dr. Daniel Fishbein said the board will have to raise a little over $3 million in new taxes. For homeowners, that will mean a $45.92 tax increase for every $100,000 of assessed valuation. He said taxes for the average home in Ridgewood will go up $367. "This has been the most challenging budget of my career as an administrator," Fishbein told a crowd of about 60 people, including a WCBS-TV crew, gathered in the Campus Center at Ridgewood High School. He cited normal year-to…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (3)

Board Prepares for Budget Decision Tonight

Advertised budget shared with community.

As the Ridgewood Board of Education votes tonight on its final budget, the advertised budget released yesterday contains few surprises. In total, the proposed 2010-11 budget is $89,441,565—about $1 million down from the previous year. With increasing benefit and salary obligations and a decrease in state revenue, the board was forced to close a $6.33 million gap. To balance the budget, the district had to decrease expenditures to make up for lost revenues. Some areas were cut to make up for increases the district could not prevent (like benefits, which increased from $10.6 million to $12.8 million.). In total, the local tax levy will increase about $3.1 million up to $79,828,606. For general instruction, funding to regular programs will …

• Photos (1)
• Documents (1)