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Wyckoff, New Jersey
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Government
Township Attorney David Becker told the Township Committee Wyckoff remains part of a 27-town, Montvale-led coalition still fighting the state in court over how it wrote the Fourth Round rules — even though Wyckoff's own housing case is already settled.
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 state law signed in January requires cursive in grades three through five starting this year, and Wyckoff wrote the lessons over the summer. The assistant superintendent presented it inside a new district focus he called "balanced technology" — a look at whether classroom screens are the right tool — and tied the two together himself.
Cursive handwriting instruction begins in Wyckoff's elementary classrooms in 2026-27 under P.L. 2025, c. 284, signed by Gov. Murphy on Jan. 19, 2026, which requires it in grades three through five. Assistant Superintendent Robert Famularo told the K-8 Board of Education on Aug. 17 that the model is a 10-minute mini-lesson on day one introducing the strokes, followed by independent practice on days two through five, using purchased Zaner-Bloser materials. The state's Feb. 11 guidance sets only two requirements and no minimum minutes, curriculum, or test. Famularo presented cursive inside a new district area of focus he called "balanced technology" — a review of whether classroom technology is the right tool, with the closest look at kindergarten through second grade — and tied handwriting to it directly. A board member asked whether current sixth, seventh and eighth graders had missed cursive entirely; Famularo said he did not have an exact answer. An elective or club at Eisenhower was raised from the dais, but nothing was voted on or committed to.
Education
Twenty-one students are waiting for a subscription bus seat at Eisenhower Middle School this year, more than double last year's waitlist. The district is surveying parents on a YMCA before/aftercare option that would need at least 10 sign-ups to run.
The Wyckoff K-8 Board of Education discussed a growing Eisenhower Middle School subscription-bus waitlist (21 students this year vs. 10 last year) at its August 17, 2026 meeting, after a parent raised busing and pedestrian-safety concerns during public comment. Officials explained the state's two-mile mandatory-busing threshold and the district's subscription-seat process, and said Superintendent Dr. Postma has surveyed parents on a YMCA before/aftercare option at Eisenhower, which requires at least 10 sign-ups to run.
Wyckoff, New Jersey
A regular roundup of town government, schools, and the stories that shape our community — free, no spam.
SubscribeBushda Recommended as Indian Hills Athletics Director
Superintendent Shauna DeMarco recommended Matthew Bushda, a 20-year Indian Hills teacher and administrator who is also an alumnus and…
Two Teachers Named District's First AI and Technology Specialists
Cindy VanderMolen and Michael Paravati were recommended as the district's first AI and technology instructional specialists. Both will…
Board to Consider Retroactive Diploma for Vietnam-Era Veteran
The board is set to award a retroactive Ramapo High School diploma to Edward Peplig, who left school to serve in the U.S. Navy during the…
Ramapo Elevator Down, Facilities Committee Reviews Scoreboards and Trees
The Finance and Facilities Committee reported the elevator at Ramapo High School is out of service and needs a motherboard replacement,…
Aging Sewage Plant Costs District $75,000 a Year
The Finance and Facilities Committee said an outdated sewage treatment plant is costing the district approximately $75,000 annually in…
District Recoups $612,650 Reselling Laptops
Business Administrator Matt Bouldin said the district has taken in $612,650 so far reselling its three-year-old laptop fleet, offsetting a…