Waldwick
September 14, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 5
The restoration of a portion of the Waldwick School District’s state aid will allow the Kids, Kids, Kids program to
State aid will keep child development program free
remain tuition free. The 25-year-old program is run three mornings a week for two-and-a-half hours pride in the pool, and it shows,” said Councilman Tom Giordano. On Sept. 4, a Cathy Lane residence was burglarized. The resident was away on vacation and a family member who had been watching the house discovered the burglary, which occurred between 7:30 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. Entry was made through a first floor window at the rear of the house. A screen was pried off and the suspect climbed through the window, which had been left partially open. It appears that jewelry was taken from the master bedroom and bathroom closets and cabinets were also targeted, police said. Anyone with information about either of these two incidents is asked to call the Waldwick Police Department at (201) 6525700 or e-mail Detective Sergeant Doug Moore at dmoore@waldwicknj.org. As always, residents are encouraged to report any suspicious activity immediately to allow for a prompt response by the police department. a session. Approximately 15 local fouryear-olds participate in the class, which is overseen by a district teacher and students from the child development class. Waldwick Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patricia Raupers explained that, when the school district lost $1 million in state aid, officials began to review areas where fees might become necessary. A fee of $1,500 per child had been instituted for the child development program, which had traditionally been offered free of charge, and the plan was to have parents provide the necessary supplies for the class. That decision has since been reversed, due to the state’s recent distribution of $250,000 in aid to Waldwick. “When we lost the $1 million, we scrambled to find ways to close the gaps,” Dr. Raupers said. “With the additional state aid, we were able to look over some areas where we thought fees might have to be charged.”
Vandals broke into the Waldwick municipal pool property over the Labor Day and threw all outdoor furniture into the pool and took a laptop computer from the pool manager’s office. According to Waldwick Police, sometime between the evening hours of Sept. 3 and the morning of Sept. 4, unknown individuals entered the pool property and threw picnic tables, chairs, and pool equipment into the pool. The pool manager’s office was entered and a laptop computer was taken. Pool and DPW personnel, who managed to get everything cleaned up in time to open the pool to residents for the last weekend of the season, received high praise from borough officials during last week’s meeting. “They did a sensational job to open after the storm, and then the crews were back again on Sunday morning after the vandalism so they could reopen,” said Borough Administrator Gary Kratz. “They did an excellent job. They take
Burglaries under investigation
The superintendent said the decision to keep the Kids, Kids, Kids program tuitionfree was the easiest one to make in terms of the use of the $250,000 aid distribution. Although she did not provide a specific amount that will be devoted to the child development program, she said some of the state aid would be earmarked for the supplies, instructional materials, and snacks for the class. The school board is still reviewing how the remainder of the funds will be used, she said. “It still places us at a tremendous loss,” Raupers said of the overall loss of aid. She noted that the district had been planning to initiate a full-time kindergarten program, which is now on hold. She added that Waldwick has also been forced to eliminate world language instruction at the elementary school level. “We’re really fighting to hold on to the programs we have,” she added.