Ridgewood board approves four‑year teacher agreement, appoints new GW principal; hears students and residents on teacher moves and turf

The Ridgewood Board of Education voted on May 20 to approve a four‑year memorandum of agreement with the Ridgewood Education Association, appointed David (Dave) Bailey to be principal of George Washington Middle School for the 2024–25 school year and heard sustained public comment from students and residents about a proposed teacher reassignment and the health implications of artificial turf.

Board action and what was approved

The board approved a memorandum of agreement between the district and the Ridgewood Education Association that the administration described as a four‑year settlement with a 2.95% base salary increase and additional salary‑guide enhancements that administration said combine to roughly 3.25% when viewed together. The agreement also includes benefit changes described in the administration’s remarks; the board discussed, then amended, the draft language to remove a projection sentence about reductions in services and to make explicit that state and federal revenue remains uncertain. Trustees completed the vote after a protracted discussion and amendment process and the motion passed.

The board also voted to appoint David Bailey as principal of George Washington Middle School, following a multi‑round stakeholder search in which the district said he was the unanimous panel choice.

Why it mattered

Trustees said the MOA is intended to help the district recruit and retain teachers in a tight labor market. At the same time, several board members pressed for clarity about the multi‑year fiscal effects of a four‑year deal and asked that public communications be transparent about the combined cost (base increase plus guide enhancements and fringe changes) and how that compares with county and state averages.

Public comment and community concerns

A large group of middle‑school students and some parents used public comment to urge the board to reconsider moving a popular advanced‑math teacher (referred to in the meeting transcript with variant spellings) from Benjamin Franklin Middle School to George Washington Middle School mid‑transition. Students described the teacher’s adapted curriculum and close knowledge of their cohort and asked the board to keep the teacher through the current school year to avoid disrupting their learning. Several students spoke directly; for example, Parth Agarwal, a seventh grader, said the teacher “knows our strengths, knows our weaknesses, and he knows what we need best.” These pleas prompted the superintendent to tell students the administration would take their feedback into consideration.

Residents also raised questions about athletic‑field use and an NJDEP application for an artificial turf installation next to Route 17. Speakers asked why the board’s fields were counted multiple times in a village submission, whether the athletic‑department field‑use and fee numbers were accurate, and whether the district physician had issued a formal position about turf‑related health risks. Board members agreed to request a legal opinion from the board attorney and to consult the district physician about whether disclosures or participant waivers are advisable.

Student research spotlight

Earlier in the meeting, Mason Freeman, a Ridgewood High School RAP student, presented a year‑long analysis of an AI‑based patient monitoring product (referred to as Augie/AUGIE) used at Valley Hospital. Mason summarized before‑and‑after fall rates from mid‑2022 through 2023 across several units and cautioned about limits: single‑hospital data, a six‑month implementation window, and missing demographic identifiers. He recommended multi‑year, multi‑site studies to test whether performance varies by unit type, nursing‑station layout or patient populations.

What the board will do next

Trustees asked central office to circulate clear numbers when they communicate the MOA’s fiscal impact (base increases, guide enhancements and fringe implications) and agreed to seek a written legal opinion about disclosure/waiver requirements for artificial‑turf users and to consult the district physician. The board also instructed relevant committees (policy, curriculum, communications) to clarify Glenn School/REACH enrollment and wait‑list processes and to improve transparency about field‑use reporting when external agencies request district data.

The board closed the meeting and said it will reconvene in public on June 10.