July 19,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Schools had 3 teachers listed on the Department of Educations list of teachers in the $100,000 per year club.
The three Ridgewood teachers all make $116,173 annually. They are:
DEBELLA, MARGARET SCHAEFER
SCHAEFER, RICHARD MCNAMEE
MCNAMEE, HAROLD NELSON
SCHAEFER, RICHARD MCNAMEE
MCNAMEE, HAROLD NELSON
The Department of Education releases this annual list of teachers and their salaries. The list of educators making joining the $100,000 club has grown . Over a decade ago the list barely had any teachers on it now has grown to more than 5,000.That’s only a tiny fraction of the more than 90,000 people who teach in public and charter schools in this state. The highest earners come from all different schools and not just the so-called “wealthy” districts that routinely rank highly on national and state lists for best schools.
THERE ARE DOZENS OF RIDGEWOOD TEACHERS WELL ABOVE THE $100,000 threshold. https://php.app.com. Look at the RHS guidance counselors … a couple at $118K and another at $122K (I actually think they are worth it). Technology teacher at BFMS . . . $120K. Just a few examples. Are they worth it? I don’t know
And, for the sake of comparison and to be fair, look look at what some of the Administrators are making . . . Athletic Director Keith Cook = $127,700. Principals all around $170K. Assistant principals in the middle schools around $145K (and there’s one for each “house”).
Brothers?
#doitferdakidz
This is for 10 months work.
.
If you annualize their pay for 12 months work they are getting paid:
$118,000 ==> $236,000
$122,000 ==> $146,000
$120,000 ==> $144,000
.
THAT,
PLUS top tier benefits with virtually no copay,
PLUS cant get fired (tenure),
PLUS safe work environment
PLUS (for the most part) supportive parents and engaging kids who want to learn
.
yeah, it must be torture being a teacher in RW
Give in to their demands so they can be happy, while RW’s academic ranking can keep dropping year over year.
.
#Taxedtodeath
Its a gravy train
That’s a lot of money for lower academic ratings! Nice life for some.
How much would any other professional with post-graduate degree, extensive internship hours and professional training, state licensing that requires examinations and regular professional development to maintain certification expect to be paid after a decade of service? I’m thinking JDs and CPAs for example expect to make much more much earlier in their careers than these teachers.
If you want experts, well-trained and qualified you need to pay them. If you want to retain them you need to pay them. This is true of the guy you hire to sue someone or to help you balance your books as well as the men and women you trust to educate your and your neighbors children.
Here’s a link to see the whole bunch:
https://www.njspotlight.com/tables/sklsals14/#/c12/ridgewood
And there is a problem with this? Why? Shouldn’t well qualified, experienced, certified, professionals earn a wage that is commensurate with private sector peers?
4:06, median HOUSEHOLD incomes in Ridgewood are $138,000… teachers work for 10 months a year with tenure in many cases, so if you annualize teacher pay for 12 months work, they get paid paid the same as an entire household at the median in Ridgewood, i.e. $118,000 for 10 months = $136,000 for 12 months, with the added safety of tenured job security. Add in:
1) taxpayer subsidized $28,000 annual family “platinum” health benefit plan, which is much better than the average private sector employer plan (equivalent to “bronze”), and has much lower premiums, $5-10 co-pays, and covers up to 96% of all billable costs; as well as,
2) defined benefit pension plans for life which TPAF members contribute less than 7.5% of their annual wages towards (still!) and start drawing at an average age of 62 in NJ which can be worth over $2 million if the retiree lives to average US lifespan; and,
3) sick leave which gets carried over year after year instead of the “use it or lose it” sick leave offered by private sector employers
It becomes very clear that teachers have a MUCH better deal than the median Ridgewood household, which pays much higher health plan co-pays and deductibles for less health benefit coverage (on average, private sector plans only cover 84% of medical expenses), loses unused sick leave that cannot be carried over, runs the risk of job loss, and contributes up to 16% of their annual wages towards defined contribution pension plans, i.e. 401(k) plans. Combined teacher benefits are already too high even for well qualified, experienced, certified, professionals… which, by the way, is not what we got from the REA in the 2015/16 academic year. We got petulant, greedy, bad faith, so-called professionals who let our kids and schools down in a multitude of ways, from recommendation letters, to after school programs and activities, to community outreach. Notice the lack of signs supporting teachers in Ridgewood; we’ve had enough.
Thank you, 7:20. It is how so many of us feel. It is out of hand and as your last sentence states, the behavior of many Ridgewood teachers would result in termination in the real world!
4:06, do you have private sector (PS) peers? Time is your only determining factor in a raise. PS – no. Platinum coverage benefits. PS – no. 185 work days/yr vs. 240 in the PS. built-in prep time. PS – no. Employment virtually guaranteed after 3 years. PS – no. Automatic pay bumps based on education (regardless of applicability to the job). PS – no. Raises for the past 40+ straight years. PS – don’t make me laugh.
Just take the deal and be thankful for what you have.
10:04 yes, I do have private sector peers. I have seen my own children, nieces, nephews and their classmates graduate, enter the private sector and make more in 4 years then some teachers are making in 10. Health benefits are higher but are offset by bonuses, overtime and stock options. The opportunities for continued increases in compensation are generaly available. When someone tries to negotiate for a higher salary or better perks they are not viewed as greedy or unprofessional.
Teachers enter the field knowing that despite the requirement to continually maintain/increase educational and professional standards salaries will not match the private sector. Getting wealthy will never be an option but getting a well subsidized health plan, a secure pension and job security is the trade-off. This has been the reality but suddenly the premise is being denied. Teachers are being misaligned, devalued and subjected to derisive accusations for standing up for their rights.
It is a sad day for many in the education field.
Generally
The administrators at Cottage Pl are making a small fortune also…factor that into the budget