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Wyckoff, New Jersey
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Education
English rates fell more than 10 points and math rose for two small groups: students with individualized education programs and Hispanic/Latino students, who had about 80 and 40 test-takers last year.
Public Safety
S1421 would require municipalities to formally budget for emergency medical services, potentially forcing the replacement of volunteer ambulance corps with paid staff.
A state bill requiring municipalities to budget for EMS could effectively end volunteer ambulance corps like Wyckoff's, where volunteers provide all emergency medical services at no cost to taxpayers.
Community
Three neighbors appeared in support as the board unanimously approved a second-story addition on a substandard corner lot — a project driven by the need to create an accessible first-floor bedroom suite for the homeowners' parents.
The owners of a substandard corner lot on Princeton Avenue won unanimous approval to add a second story, with the project designed to create first-floor accessible accommodations for the homeowners' aging parents and three neighbors appearing to support the application.
State & Local
New Jersey's affordable housing law cycles every ten years, and Wyckoff has been navigating its requirements since the 1980s. Here is the full picture of what the fourth round means for residents.
Wyckoff's affordable housing obligation cycles every ten years under a state Supreme Court mandate. The fourth round's overlay zones target commercial corridors and two financially strained church properties — and the fifth round begins in 2035.
Community
After four months of hearings that reshaped the project, the Planning Board unanimously approved a new retail building at the Cedar Hill Shopping Center — with conditions.
The Wyckoff Planning Board unanimously approved a new retail building at the Cedar Hill Shopping Center after a four-month review, with conditions addressing landscaping, driveway safety, and snow removal.
State & Local
The legal tool at the heart of New Jersey's affordable housing debate can override local zoning entirely. Here's how it works and what's at stake for Wyckoff.
Builder's remedy lets developers override local zoning in towns that haven't met their affordable housing obligations. Wyckoff is racing to meet a March 15th deadline to protect itself from this threat.
State & Local
An undersized lot on Auburn Street presented a clear hardship, the board found, as the owners received unanimous approval to add a second floor and covered front porch to a ranch-style home.
The owners of a Dutch Colonial ranch home on Auburn Street won unanimous approval to add a second story, with the board citing a clear hardship from the property's undersized lot.
Community
Three signature events and a full calendar of programming will mark Wyckoff's 100 years as an incorporated township.
Three signature public events — a formal gala in March, a Main Street street fair and fireworks in June, and a historic cemetery tour in October — anchor Wyckoff's year-long centennial celebration.
Education
A federal judge in Massachusetts let the proposed class action against Curriculum Associates, the company behind the iReady software used in Wyckoff's K-8 schools, proceed on five of its nine claims. The ruling is not a finding that the company did anything wrong.
A judge let the student-data lawsuit against iReady's maker proceed on five of nine claims on Sept. 30. It's not a finding the company broke the law.
Education
At the Sept. 14 K-8 Board of Education meeting, three parents raised concerns about classroom technology policy, including one parent's account of a gap between summer discussions on device limits and what happened in the first week of school. District officials described a shift toward paper and hands-on materials in the youngest grades — at the meeting, at a Washington School parent night the next evening, and in a follow-up response confirming it as a districtwide goal.
Three parents raised concerns about classroom technology policy at the Wyckoff K-8 Board of Education's Sept. 14 meeting. One, Abby Kalter, said the district discussed limiting devices for young students over the summer, then six-year-olds received Chromebooks in the first week of school. A third speaker cited a petition from more than 800 community members. Superintendent Kerry Postma said the district would take the feedback into consideration. In a follow-up response, Assistant Superintendent Rob Famularo confirmed paper-first learning is a districtwide goal and detailed device use by grade.
Wyckoff, New Jersey
A regular roundup of town government, schools, and the stories that shape our community — free, no spam.
SubscribeSuperintendent: phone-free day has gone 'remarkably smoothly'
DeMarco told the board the district's phone-free school day has gone "remarkably smoothly" with very few issues, as the first month of the…
Board approves design contracts for 18-21 program space and HVAC
The board approved two architectural and engineering contracts: $117,900 with Solutions Architecture for alterations at Ramapo High School…
85% of multilingual learners moved up a level
The district reported that 85% of its multilingual learners increased at least one English proficiency level from last year on the state's…
Board reports district's state monitoring scores
The board approved a resolution reporting the district's 2026 initial placement scores in the state's monitoring system, the Quality Single…
Football's First Weekend Falls During Rosh Hashanah
The recreation football league's first week of games was scheduled for Saturday night, Sept. 12, during Rosh Hashanah, which runs sundown…
Board Reviews Draft Policy on 'Reclassed' Students in Rec Sports
The board discussed a continuing trend of families "reclassing" children, meaning they repeat a grade at a private school the year after…