First, thoughts about ideas expressed at the school board meeting, Tuesday, 3/16/10.
I applaud the unity and enthusiasm of the teachers. This reflects the attitude they portray in the classroom. However, a long speech in this meeting was generally emotional, with symbolic statements but seemed very short on facts, as most speeches of this nature have recently been. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with this but the process would be helped if facts were accurately used in arguments.The only fact that I remember mentioned was the figure of $400 that teachers contribute to insurance. Conveniently, it was not mentioned that this is not per paycheck or month but per year. The applause for this seemed to indicate that the teachers group felt this was quite a contribution.
On my last two-week pay stub, my contribution was $387.78 which comes to $10,082 per year. I am sorry more taxpayers were not here to compare their own insurance costs to the figure of $400 per year. It must be hard for taxpayers to stomach this inequity when they look at their own insurance costs.
Another fact not stated is that the NJEA, including Mullica's chapter, nixed the Race to the Top application, possibly costing public schools in New Jersey hundreds of millions of dollars. That timing was atrocious.
The last fact I would like to mention is that, unless we make some difficult changes, some of those same applauding teachers Tuesday night, likely will lose their jobs.
It is absolutely imperative, in my opinion, that there be, at least, a one year wage freeze for all Mullica School District employees.
If Mullica school loses its luster, the whole town will be hurt. Young upperly mobile professionals with children will stop moving here. Property values could decrease, the tax base could decrease. Avoiding a modest tax increase now could turn around and have the opposite effect in the future. The social center for all families in the town will diminish. Whole families will suffer for this, not just the students.
On the matter of administrative costs, Mullica ranks near the bottom in administrative costs per pupil. The shared services that our administrative staff does brings in much more than the salary of any one administrator. With this in mind, the board is still considering ways to lower administrative costs. This budget reflects additional duties by the administration, freeing up more teacher time. Several other options are being discussed and will be part of the discussion as we search for a new Superintendent.
I believe that everyone who comes to board meetings has a common goal of maximizing the welfare and achievement of our children.
It is not clear to me that Governor Christie has the same priority.
We all need to get serious and get our priorities straight.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Teachers long on emotions, short on facts
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11 comments:
This writer brings up a good point about grant money for "Race to the Top", a fact that Governor Christie cited in his speech this week.
It should be noted that one of Mullica's school board members, Frank Kelly, stood up at a school board meeting and stated that he would NOT be supportive of qualifying for this grant money. YES, A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER TURNING AWAY POTENTIAL GRANT MONEY. The voters should remember this the next time Mr. Kelly throws his hat in the ring. Mr. Kelly has done nothing for the children of Mullica---instead he has been a shill for the teacher's union, which is particularly self-serving considering that his spouse draws large paychecks and gold-plated benefits from Mullica's school.
The remaining school board members should be appalled by Frank Kelly's stance on this issue and his open campaigning for the good of the NJEA over the interests of the students of Mullica. Mr. Kelly is supposed to serve the needs of children, not his own selfish needs.
Christie's priority was to give a tax break to the richest people while hurting the poorer ones,children,seniors and the disabled.
What was the "comprehensive list" of cost cutting measures that the teachers' union was to present to the board?
Regarding Frank Kelly, whose wife is a Mullica teacher, and who benefits and will continue to benefit from her high salary increases every year, her pension and health care for life.
It is also true that Kelly has time and time again shown himself to be a bigot while serving on the board.
He gets the biggest number of votes compared with his fellow board members who run those years, from the seniors and other staunch Republicans, like Kelly himself, every time he runs. Funny thing though. You can just about find the same number who voted against the school budget in the various voting districts who voted for him. Devonshire particularly heavily votes for Kelly and against the school budget at the same time. So, every time the bigot runs, you can expect the school budget to lose.
Not surprised about Kelly refusing to support the "Race to the Top" since he was the lap dog of the former committee members who didn't bring any stimulus money into the town and raided a good portion of the surplus money last year.
The point being made is that teachers, under influence by MTEA, go to school board meetings and raise hell. Teachers, rah, rah themselves and state that and what is good for the teachers is good for the kids. Hurt us and you hurt the kids.Besides teachers, parents of teachers, children of teachers, husbands of teachers and aunts, uncles, cousins of teachers all show up to talk about how great the teachers are. They do not identify themselves as related to the teachers in the room. The idea is to project a mass support for the teachers. The board has no one in the room and is psychologically battered and beaten for an hour or more while they listen to this, meeting after meeting. The goal of MTEA is to harass and brow beat the board down. WHAT IS NEEDED IS A LARGE GROUP(a small group will do to start)OF FED UP TAXPAYERS GOING TO THE BOARD MEETINGS AND SPEAKING UP FOR THE TAXPAYERS AND THANKING THE BOARD AS OFTEN TIMES AS MTEA MEMBERS SHOW. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT EACH OF US CAN DO STARTING WITH THE NEXT BOARD MEETING. Support the Board trying to support us, the taxpayers!
The Republican Club made a decision long ago to support and campaign for Frank Kelly to serve on the school board. This was their way to sideline and to discourage him from running for township committee. They knew that this jerk would not make a good representative on committee because of his immoderate views. On the board, he's pretty much a non-entity, with eight other members canceling him out. He can't participate in negotiations or vote on the budget due to his wife's employment so he's pretty much of a nobody sitting there.
The $400 contribution that Mullica teachers pay ANNUALLY toward their health insurance, which they seem so proud of today, only came about after many years of obstruction and resistance by the NJEA. (Support staff pays $200 a year.) It only came about through the dogged perseverance of the Mullica school board, which insisted that the employees begin contributing something to their health plan. The $400 and $200 was meant to be the first installments toward the union ultimately agreeing that their members would pay a meaningful portion of the premiums.
RE: 9:01 AM
The group would have to be one who doesn't have children in the school. If a teacher with a cow bell marches through interrupting a superintendent's dinner and acts up like that, imagine how she would treat your children. Why aren't these teachers who are rude interruptions allowed to get away with this behavior. Would they allow a child who was opposed to something to be disruptive in class by making noise because he/she wasn't happy with an assignment? I think NOT.
I for one think all board members should be thanked for doing a VOLUNTEER position and having to put up with the same crap every negotiation contract year. The School Board is very time consuming for those who put their heart into it and why any would chose to run again after a negotiation year says something about their dedication to the school AND THE EDUCATION OF OUR CHILDREN. For most of them, IT IS ABOUT THE CHILDREN.
One of the things that taxpayers can do easily is to personally thank the board members for their hard work if they see them around town or give them a call to tell them that they have their 100% support in negotiations.
Another group that typically shows up at board meetings to say what a good job the teachers are doing and deserve raises are teachers working in other districts. It's referred to as mutual support.
If the teachers do not start making real concessions and instead let some of their fellow teachers be laid off, they will have solved nothing. Next year, when money is still in short supply, the school district will be in the same boat and even more teachers will have to be laid off.
It was always brought up by every labor group that they need raises to keep up with inflation and the cost of living. We all know that inflation for the past couple years has been near zero and looks the same in the future. If so, then lets have their raises keep in line with inflation and leave it at zero =in other words a pay freeze. You cant have it both ways!
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