This was left on facebook after I put out this message:

 

NJ PROPERTY TAX INCREASE APRIL 20TH, MAKE SURE YOU VOTE IT DOWN.

 

her reply:

 

FYI: just because you vote no doesn't mean your taxes won't go up. Educate yourself.

 

my replay to her:

 

Glad to see your finally involved in politics, it's a shame though that it took something that directly effects your life for you to open your eyes to it. Dont close your eyes after this is all over, keep voting and paying attention. It's better for yourself and for your country. The thing I do not understand though is why you are blaming Christie when the Democrats got us into this pickle in the first place. If Christie didn't act, there would be no pention, our state is 11 billion in debt, people can't afford to keep paying increased property taxes when most of them are losing their jobs and are on unemployment, everyone is taking cut backs and giving a little to help.. The only reason the educational system is getting hit so hard is because Education is the largest tax burden on the taxpayers. When you have a Union that will not budge on anything, especially wage freezes so that teachers jobs can be salvaged. Man what a bunch of A-Holes in that Union... The school boards are A-Holes too for giving into to the unions demands and standing their ground when all that's gonna happen is teachers jobs are gonna get cut. If I was an educated teacher I would start a teachers association and tell that crappy union to F-Off. Sorry, I got carried away sorry for wasting your time.

RIGHT ON!

It's ok she's family!

Actually, your uninformed cousin may be more informed than you are.

 

Most school boards prepare their budgets with an eye towards a NO vote and have a contingency budget already hashed out - instead of the (let's say) 6% increase they were looking for, they come back with a 4% increase after the NO vote and that's that, there is no second vote, there is no other opportunity for oversight, the budget "failed" and they have gone back and "cut" and now the second budget is just accepted, it is NOT put to another vote.

That is what happens every year in my town.

 

What I don't understand is why they need freshman sports, JV and Varisty. I looked at what they spend and I see so much waste, yet the teachers actually fill the kids minds with crap. We had a teacher tell the kids that there was no soap in a art class because the budget didn't pass.

 

NJ educators are out of their minds.

Actually, your uninformed cousin may be more informed than you are.

 

Most school boards prepare their budgets with an eye towards a NO vote and have a contingency budget already hashed out - instead of the (let's say) 6% increase they were looking for, they come back with a 4% increase after the NO vote and that's that, there is no second vote, there is no other opportunity for oversight, the budget "failed" and they have gone back and "cut" and now the second budget is just accepted, it is NOT put to another vote.

 

Are you a teacher DJG?

 

They said that if voted down this year, with schundler on the Commission they will have a harder time doing that. It's not gonna be like it was in the past.

Actually, your uninformed cousin may be more informed than you are.

 

Most school boards prepare their budgets with an eye towards a NO vote and have a contingency budget already hashed out - instead of the (let's say) 6% increase they were looking for, they come back with a 4% increase after the NO vote and that's that, there is no second vote, there is no other opportunity for oversight, the budget "failed" and they have gone back and "cut" and now the second budget is just accepted, it is NOT put to another vote.

 

Better yet, lets let the whole system fail, screw these teachers, they wanna act like jerks about making some small concessions, lets push to let the system fall out from under them. Give them more than they want, keep piling the money on the Administrators until the system implodes. No Pention, State goes bankrupt, they all lose there jobs, pay the remainder with IOU's, raise taxes to the point taxpayers revolt, just keep the current system going... lol

 

I say we let the system fail, screw it... We are letting California beat us to an economic collapse, we can't have that.

We owe them more then we make, lets give it to them, they earned it.

Uninformed Cousin (Teacher)

 

Seems redundant.

I typically do my best to stay out of such politically charged threads as this but I have a question that I believe may be relevant.

 

I don't really understand why so many people are angry about teachers trying to defend themselves. If teachers were so easygoing as to permit salary and benefit concessions, soon they would be in the same place as us gun owners if we let the government slowly ban one thing after another--with nothing.

 

If anyone's employer were to ask "hey, would you mind taking a pay cut? I don't feel like paying your salary." I'm pretty sure he or she would be no less reluctant than the aforementioned educators.

I typically do my best to stay out of such politically charged threads as this but I have a question that I believe may be relevant.

 

I don't really understand why so many people are angry about teachers trying to defend themselves. If teachers were so easygoing as to permit salary and benefit concessions, soon they would be in the same place as us gun owners if we let the government slowly ban one thing after another--with nothing.

 

If anyone's employer were to ask "hey, would you mind taking a pay cut? I don't feel like paying your salary." I'm pretty sure he or she would be no less reluctant than the aforementioned educators.

 

I think that you

yeah the teachers are not the ones to blame for anything, but the amount of teachers, administrators, and politically connected is a problem. There are too many to keep the state a float.

 

Blame can go to the school boards and the legislature for making the system so bloated, and also making teachers salaries spike the way they have.

yeah the teachers are not the ones to blame for anything, but the amount of teachers, administrators, and politically connected is a problem. There are too many to keep the state a float.

 

Blame can go to the school boards and the legislature for making the system so bloated, and also making teachers salaries spike the way they have.

 

You are aware that it takes sometimes upwards of 19 years for a teacher to go from Starting pay to top pay...right???

yeah the teachers are not the ones to blame for anything, but the amount of teachers, administrators, and politically connected is a problem. There are too many to keep the state a float.

 

Blame can go to the school boards and the legislature for making the system so bloated, and also making teachers salaries spike the way they have.

 

You are aware that it takes sometimes upwards of 19 years for a teacher to go from Starting pay to top pay...right???

 

Plus additional education. Most of those making 100k plus do not hold only a bachelor's degree.

 

In any event, IMO, the union has to wake up and accept the one year pay freeze...

Actually, your uninformed cousin may be more informed than you are.

 

Most school boards prepare their budgets with an eye towards a NO vote and have a contingency budget already hashed out - instead of the (let's say) 6% increase they were looking for, they come back with a 4% increase after the NO vote and that's that, there is no second vote, there is no other opportunity for oversight, the budget "failed" and they have gone back and "cut" and now the second budget is just accepted, it is NOT put to another vote.

 

Are you a teacher DJG?

 

They said that if voted down this year, with schundler on the Commission they will have a harder time doing that. It's not gonna be like it was in the past.

 

I re-read my post and realized it could be taken as a personal attack - not meant as such. Not a teacher myself, but I lived with one for 25 years.

In any event, I doubt how much impact Schundler and the virtually useless State Education Commission will have on anyone or any school board.

 

Is it wrong for me to be completely annoyed that of the 6 candidates vying for school board seats in my town that 4 of them are former or current educators themselves? Do they really think that their education experience translates to sound policy and fiscal management experience?

How many people in the private sector do you know of that makes 100K for 184 days of hard labor. A pay cut won't hurt their packet.

 

I think it was mentioned already, but to earn that much teachers must have multiple degrees and stay in a district for decades. Starting is more along the lines of 38k, or 45k if the candidate has a master's degree. That said, assuming a pay cut will have no ill-effects accros the board is baseless. Perhaps to a single, young, new teacher it would not cause hardship, but for a person who has mortgage and a family, those dollars need to be accounted for whether they come from the state or not.

 

Do they really think that their education experience translates to sound policy and fiscal management experience?

 

I would think that the educators running for school board are basing their candidacy on both teaching and fiscal management experience. Of course, no one can predict whether these people actually do have that financial wisdom, but I will say that in public schools there is an irrefutable disconnect between administration and teachers. A school board member who has knowledge of where and how money should be distributed would be a good asset to any district.

yeah the teachers are not the ones to blame for anything, but the amount of teachers, administrators, and politically connected is a problem. There are too many to keep the state a float.

 

Blame can go to the school boards and the legislature for making the system so bloated, and also making teachers salaries spike the way they have.

 

You are aware that it takes sometimes upwards of 19 years for a teacher to go from Starting pay to top pay...right???

 

Plus additional education. Most of those making 100k plus do not hold only a bachelor's degree.

 

In any event, IMO, the union has to wake up and accept the one year pay freeze...

 

It's probably changed now, but teh standard where I workled was a bump to $75K for a Masters +12 credits. that was a while ago i have no idea what their top pay is now, but i DO know at that tiem it was 17 steps, and since there've been a few contracts in between im SURE there are more steps added in. Like I said before I actually dont have an issue with the Bump for the Masters...but IMO it SHOULD be for an Academic Subject.

Uninformed Cousin (Teacher)

 

Seems redundant.

 

I didn't get that yesterday, but that is pretty funny.

It's not so much the salary jumps that bother me, it's the teachers with 25+ years that do abosultly nothing all day and make close to 100k. The new teachers are being posioned by the older ones.

It's not so much the salary jumps that bother me, it's the teachers with 25+ years that do abosultly nothing all day and make close to 100k. The new teachers are being posioned by the older ones.

 

Thats the same with a lot of different professions, such as public workers that work on the roads.. They know once they have seniority they can be the one that leans on the shovel and talks to their senior buddies while the rookie does all the work.