Tag: Doesn’t Add Up

Posted on

Why N.J. teacher attendance data doesn’t add up

Ridgewood Teachers

By Adam Clark | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on April 09, 2017 at 7:00 AM, updated April 09, 2017 at 9:47 AM

TRENTON — None of Piscataway Township’s teachers took a sick day last year, faculty at one Sussex County school were absent for nearly half of the year, and teachers at another school showed up only 10 percent of the time.

Those unlikely scenarios all played out last school year, at least according to data released in the state’s school report cards.

New Jersey for the first time last week released statistics for how often teachers and support staff miss school, showing that the vast majority of teachers are in the classroom more than 90 percent of the time.

But the faculty attendance rates, released amid a national push to judge schools on more than just test scores, also include a series of implausible statistics and misleading mistakes, school officials say.

https://www.nj.com/education/2017/04/69_nj_schools_claim_no_teachers_took_sick_days_las.html#incart_2box_nj-homepage-featured

Posted on

Reader says Ridgewood School Budget Math Doesn’t Add Up

Ridgewood EA teachers protest

James, something doesn’t make sense here: When the Ridgewood teacher contract was approved last October, it put the district $2.5 million over the 2% property tax cap during the life of the three-year contract for teacher salaries alone which grow over 2.7% in year two and three of the contract and over 2.13% for the life of the contract. At the time Sheila Brogan explained that the amount was still above the 2% cap, necessitating certain cuts to be made to programs and personnel to make the district cap compliant and that the challenge of funding the contract “will require budgetary reductions next year that will result in changes to staffing and programming.” So what happened? This budget is a $4 million YoY INCREASE in spending. How is that a sign that the BOE has worked closely with Superintendent Fishbein to identify reductions that will have the least impact on the instructional programs and extra-curricular offerings? Looks like this budget adds to the budget above and beyond the $2.5 million three year excess just for teacher salaries under the new contract, how does this make any sense? Let’s hope this budget is voted down. It’s all about teacher salaries, not about our kids.