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Messages - lab94

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Hackensack Discussion / School test scores
« on: November 01, 2005, 03:36:10 PM »
Please take 5 minutes to read page 23 in the County Seat. Dan Kirsch from the BOE wrote about how the State test scores are broken down by groups and sub-groups. It shows how unfair the test is to schools that are so diverse like Hackensack.

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Hackensack Discussion / Re: Teterboro Airport
« on: May 31, 2005, 01:39:09 PM »
Wow, another plane crashes at Teterboro!!! Is anyone keeping count? I think that’s 3 this year and about 10 in the last 5 or 6 years if you include the planes that crashed in route to other airports. I had people over on Mon. (I live on Hopper St.) and they were amazed at how low they come in. Every 2 minutes, we were taking bets if the planes would give us the high beams if we flipped them the bird as they flew over. But, ask them if I'm in the flight pattern?  They tell you the planes only use a north approach in bad weather (IFR). But on Mon. the weather was not that bad out; in fact I got a nice tan watching them fly over my house.

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Hackensack Discussion / Re: Clothing Drop Boxes Legit?
« on: May 16, 2005, 10:00:39 PM »
If you want to use a legit one, you can use the ones that have been put out at each of the schools in town. The Hackensack PTA (all the schools together) uses the money from those boxes for Hackensack students. I believe most of the money goes to scholarships.

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Hackensack Discussion / Re: City Council Election (Updated 5/11/05)
« on: May 16, 2005, 09:51:35 PM »
It won't be long before The Record starts printing articles like Newsweek did! I think it all boils down to two things, big egos and the biggest thing is MONEY. Make good headlines that sell the papers. They don't care if it's true, as long as it sells. Hell, they could care less if it hurts peoples reputations or if it gets people killed! It's all about the money.

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Hackensack Discussion / Re: Troubling all school systems
« on: April 30, 2005, 12:02:55 PM »
This is a huge problem!! Not only with the newly implemented programs but with some of the older ones that don't get funding increases. One of them is the all day kindergarten. Years ago the State said Hackensack had to have it and made it mandatory. The State said it would fund it, and they did. Years later the funding amount has not changed but the school has had to add more teachers to keep up the number of children attending these classes. Then add the cost of the teacher’s salary increases and the rise in insurance costs over the years and you end up with a large amount of cash that needs to be used to make up the gap in the school budget.
 Last year the school received about $350,000 in Help funds, next year we get $0. The State says the funding stayed flat, but I would call it a decrease. The BOE has a power point on the budget on there website (www.hbe.net) it’s OK but doesn’t get into all the details.

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Hackensack Discussion / Re: School Board Election (April 19, 2005)
« on: April 21, 2005, 01:52:08 PM »
Hey, wetochwink  Save some of your anger for next year. If I understand how this worked out it is $63.00. per household. Thats because the law s-1701 made the school eliminate all  but $100,00 in extra cash ( emergency money fund ) It had around 3 million in it. So that extra cash was put into the budget this year. That would mean next year there would be an extra 3 million to raise to balance the budget! I'm not 100% on this but this is how it was explained to me.

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Hackensack Discussion / Re: Teterboro Airport
« on: February 02, 2005, 01:03:36 PM »
Again it looks like we have lucked out. Our luck can't last forever! How many accidents or as they called them incidence have happen in the last five years. We have todays, the one on Jan 13. There was the one at the end of last year when the plane skidded off the runway (wasn't a plane blown over by wind around the same time). Then there was the other plane that crashed at the end of the runway and the pilot died. and there was the one that crashed and a few people died ( I think it was 4 ) in Hasbrouck HTS. I thought I heard of two other planes that had crashed at other airports that had left from Teterboro. I also wonder if the Schools,High Rises,and other buildings have a disaster plan for a plane crash, not just a regular fire plan.

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Hackensack Discussion / Re: BOE - priming the pump
« on: January 31, 2005, 11:31:02 AM »
Do you need to ask if your taxes are going up? From what I have heard (not from BOE) this could be a bad year for the schools. Mostly do to the new law passed (http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bills/BillView.asp) #s1701. Last year this bill was fast tracked and signed I think in July. So when Elections came around, the political party's were telling us how they would keep property tax's down. This Bill only allows the BOE to raise the budget by 2.5% or the cost of living, whichever is higher. The BOE can only keep 3% or $100,000 Kept in surplus And if the BOE go's over the budget the state can withhold the equal amount in state aid the following year. And the Chance of the BOE getting a referendum for the budget is almost none because the reasons the state has now set for that. To put this in prospective, I think the health insurance costs were up this year by almost 10%. Other costs like the price of oil to heat the schools are up what about 20%.  The cost to bus some of the children ( gas and insurance). Oh I almost forgot to mention that the schools had a large jump in handicapped children that need special care (one on one or special schools) that comes out of the budget. Plus any other expense you may know about. I think this may answer the Question on weather are taxes will be going up.

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Hackensack Discussion / Re: High School
« on: November 18, 2004, 10:52:35 PM »
I agree with sayhey,post the facts and not a bunch of crap. The fact is my son attends one of the elementry schools , and 85% of the fourth graders past the state test in 2004.That might not be great,but look at the diversity in town. Then remember that all test scores are included now. That includes bi-lingual students and special ed students. At the beginning of the year I had a chance to put my son in another school because his was considered failing, only because the scores did not increase  the % the state required. Yes, the schools need to do better, but don't make it sound like its a free for all at these schools. Maybe us parents should take some of the blame? Are the parents doing everything they can at home? The kids are only in school 6 1/2 hrs. a day and only 180 days a year. So as parents we also need to be teachers.

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Hackensack Discussion / Re: Sex offender
« on: November 08, 2004, 12:22:11 PM »
I agree with you Jeanne, but the town did everything they could. There are tuff guidelines they have to follow with this. Believe it or not groups like the ACLU and others are against Meagan"s Law saying it infringes on the sex offenders civil rights. And they would love to see a town do something wrong so they can go back to court and fight it again.

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Thank you Anderson for the suggestions. Don't worry I don"t take any thing persoally here. This is a great way to get ideas and thoughts out in the open.
 I know this is the same with other groups that I am on too. We do try to meet with parents face to face or we even call them. In the begining of the year there is a thing called a parent tea. We invite them for coffee & tea etc. so we can intraduce are selfs to them. There is another one like that for all the new parents that start each year. In addition to that we have people there on back to school night, game night, book fair, pajama night, earthday, etc. So we do try, maybe more one one ones will help. The only problem I found is when we do that, The'll say they will help but then not show up. I don't know if they feel pressured when we do that. The #1 reason people say they dont want to help is they dont have time. I understand that now adays most familys need both parents working.
Thanks again

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Hackensack Discussion / School Board Forum
« on: April 22, 2004, 11:35:19 AM »
The rest of the Hillers PTA meetings are 5/5 and 6/2. They start at 6:30pm

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Hackensack Discussion / School Board Forum
« on: April 22, 2004, 10:52:01 AM »
[As with the city meetings - most of us can't make them]
 Do you think it is any easer for the PTA parents most of  us are involved with many other things during the week with are kids.Some of them being baseball, soccer, boy or girl scouts, karate, church groups, dance,swimming, music lessons and add what ever groups the parents go to. We are here to do what we can for the kids. We are not a group that has a hidden conspiracy! That is a insult to the parents that volunteer their time! Its not hard to remember that the PTA meets the first Wed. of each month during the school year.(with a few exeptions). If I'm right the blockwatch group meets within a 4-5 min. walk from the school, why doesnt someone from that group make an effert to come and see a meeting. They dont because their busy. It would be great if the paper had someone at the PTA meetings but do they have 7 reporters. I think all 7 schools have the same days they meet. Plus are they willing to list every thing all the PTA's give them in the paper for free. Thats alot of ad space to give up. The city website? Ha look at it.  Yea it would be nice to have everything done right but it takes time, and people. And why the PTA was draged in to this is crazy. Just becauce you have a gripe with the BOE and the town(as do most of us).Don't tarnish the PTA's reputation!

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Hackensack Discussion / Re:Questionable Properties
« on: April 21, 2004, 04:06:55 PM »
You can add 155 Hopper St to the list. It burned the weekend after Thanksgiving. All the windows and doors are boarded up including the holes in the roof. I don't know if its true but someone told me the town allows one year or more before things get done. As long as the home owner can show they are working on it, like arguing with the insurance company.

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 Hey wetochwink,

All the PTA meetings are open to the public, and they are listed on the school event website(hillers). We would love the pubic to come, we cant get parents to come to the meetings. We even provide baby sitting and at the beginng of the year we served dinner. Every meeting we have give aways. One month it was a DVD player. The PTA is not into advertising. We do not have money for that.  We cant afford public mailings. Out of 500+ students only 140 or so parents joined the PTA. Then you need to subtract all the teachers that joined.(all the teachers at hillers did). That not that good. Then you look at the money. $5 each then deduct the state pta fees the county fees so on and so on. So that leaves us with about $2 each. Are PTA has only 4 or 5 people that does everything, they even use vacation time to attend events during the day. Thats becauce the people that dont work are too busy to help. Give it a year or so and there wont be a PTA at Hillers, unless things change. Three of the members wont be back next year and not too many people are lining up for there spots on the board. You know me, I'm in the same boat as you with taxs. We moved here the taxs were $4100. With the new increase it will be way over $7000. And lets get one thing clear, The PTA has nothing to do with the budget. WE have no input on it at all. If any thing being on the PTA and being a homeowner makes it even harder to vote. Knowing what are children need at school and knowing what it will do to my monthly tax payments. Maybe the County Seat can print all the meeting dates and times. If you have another Idea let me know.

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