Ridgewood School District Advocacy Notes
Courtesy of Sheila Brogan Ridgewood Board of Education Member
Last month the Assembly went back to work in Trenton and below are four bills Ridgewood Residents should be watching:
- A930/S655 directs the NJSIAA to establish interscholastic adapted athletic programs for students who are participating in adapted athletic programs developed by their school district. This bill was passed by the Assembly on a vote of 79 to 0. It has now been sent to the Senate Education Committee for consideration by the Senate.
- A1943 establishes a three year pilot program to provide instruction in personal finance to high school seniors. On September 22, 2008 this bill passed the Assembly by a vote of 77 to 2. It has now been referred to the Senate for consideration. The pilot program will be offered in six school districts; two in the northern NJ, two in central NJ, and two in southern NJ. The program will develop curriculum that will include instruction on budgeting, savings and investments, credit card debt, and personal financial responsibility.
- A2250 would eliminate the use of the Special Review Assessments (SRAs) as an alternative to the HSPA which students must pass to meet graduation requirements. This bill was discussed by the Assembly Education Committee with the Department of Education Commissioner, Lucille Davy. Davy did not support elimination of SRAs. No vote was taken on the bill.
- A3043 requires school districts to develop a Nepotism policy prohibiting the district to hire relatives of Board of Education members, the superintendent, the Business Administrator, the Personnel Director, and the Board Attorney. This bill was discussed in the Assembly Education Committee and no action was taken.
Pension and Benefit Reform
Governor Corzine signed the Public Employees Pension and Benefit Reform Act into law on September 29, 2008. The law raises the retirement age from 60 to 62 for teachers hired after the enactment date. It eliminates pensions for part-time workers earning less than $7,500 a year. Time worked in another state will no longer be counted towards the twenty-five year of employment needed to receive health benefits at retirement.
School Construction
On Tuesday, September 30, seven school districts asked voters for funding for school construction. Four out of the seven bond referendums were approved by voters for a total of $35.5 million. These school districts will receive debt service aid for eligible costs.
Economic Crisis
The crisis in the banking and mortgage industry will impact NJ's budget. Governor Corzine, expecting that the first quarter revenues will be less than estimated, has talked of millions of dollars of mid-year budget cuts.
An amendment to the Economic Bailout Bill passed by Congress last week and signed into law on Friday by President Bush will require health insurance to cover mental and physical illnesses equally. This would eliminate higher co-pays for psychiatric services and assure parity in coverage between mental health and physical health services. The law will go into effect on January 1, 2010 and will increase premium costs for health insurance for employers employing more than fifty people.
Related Links
Ridgewood High School's Ranking Surges in NJ Monthly's List of Top New Jersey High Schools
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