June 3,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, In recent days there have been many heated arguments on social media in regards to the lack of a teacher contract. We parents have been accused of not reacting sooner to the stalled contract negotiations. We have placed our faith in the elected officials of the Board of Education (BOE). The BOE officials are educated professionals who are expected to formulate opinions and make decisions regarding contract negotiations. They have access to information which is readily available. As parents our days are filled with work, sports and other activities. We don’t have the time to research and review this information ourselves.
The teachers think we ignore their protests. We witness their protests but we choose to ignore them because their actions are offensive. With every protest our indignation grows: with every field trip the teachers have elected to miss, with the Halloween parade where the chosen costume was a red shirt, with all the school events where the teachers were absent, with the recommendation letters the teachers have either refused to write or have written the bare minimum , with all the mornings we have watched the teachers stand outside the school and march in together, with every mass exodus at the end of the day and with the countless other signs we noticed.
Now they are threatening to take our clubs away from our children. They want us to react and so we will. We will educate ourselves so that we as parents can make a decision. The following facts collected from public sources should help us parents better understand the issues behind the contract negotiations:
FACTS:
Among the top 100 schools with the highest teacher salaries, Ridgewood is listed at #17. https://patch.com/new-jersey/
The median teacher salary for Ridgewood is $78,318
https://www.nj.com/education/
There are teachers in our school system who make triple figure salaries.https://board-of-education.
It is hard to believe there are elementary school librarians earning triple figures.
It should be noted that if there is a large number of teachers in the district who have been here a long time, this will shoot the median up as in any school district.
It is being said that by not giving the teachers what they want, we will force them to retire and we will lose good teachers. It seems that some of the teachers who are paid well are very vocal yet they are the ones pushing the median up. It also implies that the young teachers are not as good as the older ones because if the seasoned teachers leave we will be left with poor educators.
When compared to the private sector, the teachers’ salaries are competitive.
The private sector has a 40-hour work week for 48 weeks. Teachers work 37.5 hours 37.5 weeks a year.
The teachers are guaranteed some type of a raise. Private sector positions have received few to no raises over the past several years.
The argument that the raises don’t cover the increase the teachers have to contribute into health care is the same across all industries.
Private sector positions are paying the same if not more into their healthcare and get fewer benefits.
Teachers have a union that they pay $840 a year to fight for them.
https://www.njea.org/members/
If the private sector employee is not in agreement with what they are receiving, they have to accept it or move on.
With all of this being said, we try to raise our children by example. There are many good teachers in this community. We want to support our teachers. We all want what is fair, but the arguments that they are not treated fairly and are overworked and underpaid are no longer valid.
Many of these teachers are our friends and neighbors. As parents we should be able to express our opinions. The reason many people are afraid to speak up is due to the fact that we are put down and made to feel that our jobs are less important than that of a teacher’s. Just because we entrust you with our children does not mean that you should be treated any better than the rest of us.
We try to teach our children by example. What example are you teaching them- that if I don’t get what I want, I will make sure I will use all my sick days; that if I don’t get paid to start work until a certain time, I will stand outside until I am required to enter the building. The fact is that we will be sending our children into the world soon. Our children will not survive in the private sector if they choose to follow the example set by their teachers.
Shame on you teachers for saying that you care about our children because if you did, you would have attended the field trips, you would have incorporated your red shirts into Halloween costumes, you would have put effort into the letters of recommendation and you would have continued to do what make you happy- teach. Your recent actions, however, say otherwise.
To the parents- please read the information provided. The teachers will get a contract, they will get their raises, they will contribute to their health care and we will all be back in the same situation in three years.
Know the facts and support our children.
