The Board of Education last Monday made a number of major decisions all in one night — to keep a nine-period day at Ridge High School, overturning a previous decision, to adopt an $89-million school budget to place on the April 27 ballot, and to investigate a solar project that would fund some needed roof repairs. The school board's 6-3 decision to return about the high school was reached after a number of board members said they had received at least 360 emails regarding the issue of the nine-period day. Board Member Ken Wilke said that approximately 98 percent of the emails he had received …

The amount of volunteer efforts this past year to go into providing local school improvements or programs has been astounding, whether it was the $420,000-plus raised to preserve full-day kindergarten next year or the $40,000 donated to upgrade air conditioning at the Liberty Corner School. Last weekend, the Cedar Hill Elementary School Parent-Teacher Organization combined a night on the town with fundraising for a proposed $100,000 overhaul and update of the elementary school's media Center.Casino Night, held on Saturday, March 19, at the Basking Ridge Country Club,  was attended by more …

It should be good news that the township school district for 2011-12 been promised almost double the state aid it received for the current school year: About $1.6-million, or a $777,000 increase.Yet the debate continued at Monday night's meeting, and afterward in comments posted on the Basking Ridge Patch, how the money should best be spent. The Board of Education, in concurrence with school officials, has tentatively earmarked the extra funding for fixing up school facilities, including roof repairs said to be essential.Some parents apparently want to see the funding used to restore the nine…

The good news is that the governor has announced that the state school aid for Bernards Township will nearly double for 2011-12. But now the question is what to do with the increase in funding.At Monday's Board of Education meeting, school officials introduced a proposed $82.4 million budget for 2011-12, with a two percent increase from the previous year. The proposed budget would allocate the additional $777,000 increase from last year's allotment of about $848,000 to fixing roofs and other improvements said to be needed in school buildings. The district is expecting to receive more than $1.…