Superintendent’s Report: Governor Recognizes Fort Lee’s Blue Ribbon School, Officials Read at Local School

Fort Lee Superintendent of Schools Raymond Bandlow Tuesday pointed out that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie “cited Fort Lee School No. 3 among other [New Jersey] Blue Ribbon schools in his formal budget message.”

Six traditional New Jersey public schools were honored as part of the national Blue Ribbon Schools program in 2010, including School No. 3.

“Using the Blue Ribbon designation as a uniformly accepted marker of high or considerably improved student achievement, a look at the spend in Blue Ribbon schools underscores the fact that higher levels of spending simply do not translate to a better, fairer or more effective education,” Christie wrote.

Christie noted that five of the six New Jersey Blue Ribbon schools spend less per pupil than the statewide average of $17,620.

Fort Lee School No. 3’s per-pupil district spending was $14,918.

“These schools prove that you do not have to overspend to achieve remarkable results,” Christie wrote.

The other New Jersey Blue Ribbon schools and their per-pupil district spending were noted as follows:

Bandlow also provided pictures to Patch of local officials reading to children at School No.1 on March 2, which was “Read Across America Day,” the National Education Association’s annual reading motivation and awareness program.

“Read Across America also provides NEA members, parents, caregivers and children the resources and activities they need to keep reading on the calendar 365 days a year,” according to an NEA press release.