Donations Dominate BOE Meeting

The Ridgewood Board of Education accepted several grants and donation at last night's meeting.

Receiving gifts from seven groups within the Ridgewood community, the school board closed out its regular biweekly meetings for the 2009-10 school year.

First, two grants were presented by the Ridgewood Education Foundation: the Alumni Teacher/Van Huyck Scholarship and a gift from former student David Madden. REF leaders Elizabeth Gordon and Rebecca Silbernagel were on hand for the grants.

The $2,500 Van Huyck Scholarship will be used for travel expenses for three teachers to attend an Alan November conference in Boston, and the $1,000 Madden gift is for extracurricular activities at Ridgewood High School.

November is an internationally renowned education expert. Last fall, he did several workshops with Ridgewood teachers and offered a learning through technology presentation to community members at Benjamin Franklin Middle School.

John Altieri (Willard), Margaret Best (Ridge) and Keith Cook (RHS) will attend the "Building Learning Communities" workshop in Boston this July. The grant funds $833 for each to attend.

A RHS graduate, Madden is the second most winning contestant on the TV quiz show Jeopardy! This spring, Madden held his inaugural Tri-State History Bowl at his alma matter. 

The board also accepted donations from five other groups. The biggest: $38,230 from the Ridgewood Ice Hockey Foundation to be used for supplies, ice time and transportation for the RHS hockey program.

Orchard Elementary Home and School Association also donated $20,860, which will go to the purchase of playground equipment. The Orchard School PEP Club also donated $2,140 to the playground cause.

The Board of Education itself received an endowment. The Ridgewood Japanese Association donated $1,000, which will be used to improve the sound system on the third floor of the Education Center where the board holds its meetings.

Other highlights from the night include a renewal of transportation contracts for the 2010-11 school year as well as the approval of an activity participation fee program—referred to as "Pay to Play."

In total, the board approved an estimated $713,930 in daily busing costs for the next school year. That figure—contracted mostly with Durham School Services—reflects a 0 percent increase in rates, as set by the state. 

Individual transportation contracts ensure parents of students who are unable to take the bus a per diem of $30 to get their child to and from school—totaling about $5,400 annually.

The activity participation fee program requires each pupil participating in one or more school-sponsored athletic or co-curricular activities to pay a single annual fee. However, the fee can be waived or reduced based on financial hardship using the New Jersey eligibility standards for free and reduced price meals. 

Last night's meeting was the last regular biweekly session until the school year begins. Only one meeting will be held in each July and August.