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February 2011 – week 1 Issue
Charter Schools in Bergen County
New Contract for Tenafly School Teachers
Ordinance on House Numbers in Tenafly
Tenafly Looks at Summer Camps amidst Winter Woes
Charter Schools in Bergen County
Charter schools can ring in high costs for any town, and various towns in Bergen County are considering the benefits vs. costs of such an investment. In the town of Englewood, a Hebrew immersion program charter school has been approved. While the school caters to a specific student need in the town, officials are concerned about the financial future of the town as funds for sending kids to the school would have to come from property taxes. The new school would have 120 students in its first year of operation, of which 20 students would come from the Englewood Public Schools and others would come from various other public schools. In the Northern Valley High School district, officials added that charter schools were not needed as the public school was doing quite well and maintaining curriculum quality without reducing staff. In the town of Tenafly, the Superintendent added that while charter schools fulfill an important need of the student minorities, they are not viable during tough financial times. This is because, often funds have to be diverted from public schools to these ventures. Tenafly and Cresskill Schools did not need charter schools, as their towns’ public schools were doing quite well, they added. Officials from Fort Lee showed mixed reactions, adding that while effective charter schools can add immense value to a child’s education, bad school operations can negatively impact educational budgets in a town.
New Contract for Tenafly School Teachers
Teachers in Tenafly received a new two year contract that was approved in early January by the Tenafly Board of Education. After a year of negotiations, the Tenafly Board of Education (BOE) voted to approve the salary agreement between the Tenafly school district and the Tenafly Education Association (TEA). The contract was ratified by the union which includes Tenafly School teachers, custodians, secretaries and also aides. As per the new contract, there would be a 2.33% increase for 2010-2011 school year. Also teachers will forfeit budgeted tuition reimbursement money of 0.17%. As per the new contract, teachers will also be required to participate in common planning time with administrators for developing curriculum and instruction. Also middle school teachers will be extending their supervisory duties at middle school. While most are in agreement with the new contract calling it a fair one, few expressed concern and stated that they had expected a salary freeze, as it is the largest cost item in the school budget. In an address given by the Tenafly superintendent, the three goals of creating a fair and equitable arrangement recognizing the value of staff, repair-work of the TEA salary guide and future planning of the district for time to come have been met.
Ordinance on House Numbers in Tenafly
An ordinance regulating the way addresses are displayed on buildings would soon come to force in the town of Tenafly. In new developments, the borough of Tenafly has brought out an ordinance for assuring easy to read numbers on Tenafly homes for the benefit of fire fighters and other emergency workers. The size, location and style of building address numbers has been specified too keeping in mind the readability of the content. The figures would have to be in Arabic numerals and would need to be a minimum of four inches high and half inch wide. The numbers should face the street and must be placed above the main entrance or at ten feet from it. They must be made out of durable reflective material that is with sufficient contrast to the background. However and single and double family homes can display the numbers on their garage doors also. Buildings with multiple entrances are needed to display the addresses at all entrances. All buildings, residences and even businesses would be required to comply with the law by March 31 and the borough would begin enforcing the ordinance from April 1, 2011. This ordinance came up after various emergency workers reported cases of not being able to find addresses or not being able to find locations quickly enough.
Tenafly Looks at Summer Camps amidst Winter Woes
Many families in Tenafly are now keeping their eyes open on summer camps. During a well organized event on January 23, 2011, the American Camp Association conducted a fair at the Clinton Inn, where various summer camps could showcase their offerings. Over 24 such camps participated in the event and could show off their large swimming pools, range of activities like sports, drama, dancing, cooking etc and also their price packages. Over 90% of these camps were noted to offer scholarships as per the American Camp Association. The costs of these packages ranged somewhere from $300 to $1000 per week, depending upon the location and kind of facilities offered. Many parents and children across Tenafly attended the event and many said that the economic recession had affected the way they considered summer camps. While approximately 11.5 million people attend such camps every year, many have economized by cutting down on the number of weeks that their children attend camps. Some families are seen to apply for financial aid while many others wait till the last minute to ensure that their finances are secure. However most parents showcase the enthusiasm to give their kids the enriching camp experience, even though for a lesser period of time. Keeping up the current economic crisis in view, many camps have upgraded their facilities and are promising more bang for your buck.
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