Ridgewood NJ , School board must talk healthcare costs with union no truer statement has ever been said and since the teachers unions were overwhelming supporters of Obamacare for the rest of us ,its high time they participate in the “healthcare” they pushed on the rest of America .
OCTOBER 9, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2015, 12:30 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
BOE must talk healthcare costs with REA
To the Editor:
I am proud to say that I have been educating 6 and 7 year olds in this community for 32 years. Many of these children have gone on to become doctors, lawyers, actors, and most dear to my heart, teachers, as well as numerous other professions. The one thing they have in common is Ridgewood and the superior education they received here.
As I enter into my 33rd year of teaching, I look into the eyes of my current students, knowing the path in front of them will lead them to a successful future because of the dedicated teachers and administrators who work here.
Each year, teachers are asked to do more and more for less and less. We all understand the economic realities that face us today. Teachers are taxpayers, too, and we all have our own budgets to balance.
As a member of the REA, this is my 11th contract negotiation, and it is sad to observe that every negotiation has become more and more acrimonious; however, never in my 33 years has a Ridgewood Board of Education refused to discuss all of the topics that need to be negotiated, specifically healthcare.
Every day I come to work knowing both parents and administrators expect me to be keeping the best interests of my students in mind. I would like to think that the board is doing the same for my colleagues and me. My personal contribution in 2012 to our health benefit package was over $2,200. In 2015, I am now contributing almost $10,000, which is a 350 percent increase. However, my salary certainly did not increase that much. It actually increased by 4.9 percent over the same time period. Anyone retiring from Ridgewood within the next five years will not be able to make the same amount of money that he/she did in 2012. That is just wrong!
All that I am requesting of our Board of Education is to have respect for us as educators, professionals, and community members and to sit down with the REA to talk about the cost of our healthcare benefits.
Donna Pedersen
Ridgewood
Related topic–The house next to the HS on Ridgewood Ave is for sale. The Board should buy it. That could be a good spot to resolve parking issues and/or other over crowding issues. It would be a wise investment in an era of historically low borrowing costs.
I read both Ms. Pedersen’s and Ms. Rodenfeld’s letters in the Ridgewood News this weekend. The issue of healthcare has been coming for years – and that’s after longer tenured teachers have enjoyed full & mostly paid healthcare for their entire careers in education. This is all part of working during the lean Obama years with pitiful economic growth for 7 years. In the private sector, many people like me have paid up to 50% of our healthcare costs without the benefit of a 4.9% raise in the past 2 years. Teachers need to realize that they work far less hours per day and only 10 months a year and still make more than the average person in the workforce. They chose education as their profession and it was not forced upon them to take a high-paying job for working 185 days a year.
Dear Donna:
Prior to your start of contributions towards healthcare in 2012 the taxpayers paid 100% of the cost. Even now the taxpayers are paying 70% of the cost.
If you want to reduce the cost of your healthcare benefits, then start talking about changes to the plan, because your deductibles and co-pays are unrealistic.
And welcome to the real world!
Welcome to reality teachers, but i do find it difficult to believe that from 2012 until 2015 your cost have gone up at such an extreme rate.On another subject maybe it is time to retire and enjoy your golden years at taxpayer expense.