Secaucus School Cuts Top $828K
Feb 24th, 2010 | By Greg Hazley | Category: On tap, Schools, SecaucusState aid cuts to Secaucus schools will total nearly $829K over the next year, sparking fiscal maneuvering and likely spending cuts by the district.
Administrator Ed Walkiewicz, right, with Superintendent Cynthia Randina
Business administrator Ed Walkiewicz told this website that the previously reported cut of $575,974 this year is coupled with a reduction next year of $252,921. The cuts have been ordered by the new administration of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, which is withholding $475M from schools this year to rein in the state’s rocky finances.
Walkiewicz said those cuts will have a “direct impact” on the 2010-2011 Seacucus schools budget and noted that the board of education will be forced to utilize a portion of its available surplus funds to offset the reductions.
The cuts to Secaucus’ aid are essentially the same as the amount of its current budget surplus.
“The result of this reallocation of funds will result in a reduction of spending in the new budget by the equivalent amount of $828,895,” he said, adding: “The Board of Education and administration are committed to the maintenance of our programs to the extent that we can fund them.”
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Wow, is Christie kidding us? Right off the bat he is going after schools and teachers. Next, he’s going to whack infrastructure so our roads crumble along with our schools.
Good for him. That teacher’s union is corrupt. The teachers make too much. And the kids dont have a good education system to begin with.
We need massive reform in our education system and it will never happen.
Too much waste.
Cut the spending Christie, keep cutting! Reign in the wasteful spending.
Keep asking for cuts and keep watching your property taxes go up and teachers getting cut. Neither one will help the level of education or “corruption”
By the beard of Zeus…
Throwing more money at a broken education system won’t help the level of education or corruption either…so I’d rather save the money…..
You sound like a bitter teacher, Chazzy-boy….it’s about time teachers were welcomed to the real world….and treated like real professionals, and not coddled.
I have family members who are teachers. Phys ed teachers to boot. Zero stress, gets to go to work in shorts everyday, easiest.job.ever. OVERPAID. Only works like 180 out of 365 days a year.
Time for a change. Especially now that teachers jobs are made 90% easier with internet and technology.
Stay classy, eSecaucus…
Hey, What about looking at ways to trim expenses from the school budget? Do teachers and principals really need to make 100-200K per year and still expect to get pensions and pay $1 t go to a doctor? Every new teacher should get a 401K like every other industry. The pension used to offset the low salary. What low salary? Benefits are out of control. Something has to give. Janitors making 80K, are we kidding? Meanwhile the play grounds are falling apart, the schools are filthy and our test scores a little above average.
Old teachers retire before the Governer changes the whole deal and new teachers get used to a whole new ball game. Something everyone else has dealt with for a long time. Does anyone in industry get tenure?
For those that list falsities as facts, please provide support for the following statements:
“Do teachers and principals really need to make 100-200K per year…” – Please show me teachers who are making a 100K – 200K in Secaucus. If there is a teacher even close to making 100K, they have been teaching for 30+ years and for many years made 30K.
“Especially now that teachers jobs are made 90% easier with internet and technology. ” – Really? Please explain this. Because everything on the Internet is true. Teachers have to struggle with kids and their various gaming consoles, text messaging, twitter, facebook, etc. Technology costs money too. Smartboards, software, school IT…
“That teacher’s union is corrupt. The teachers make too much. And the kids dont have a good education system to begin with. ” – Sure, get rid of the union and watch how teachers become political appointees. That’s all we need, a new crop of teachers with each mayor. Or the cousin of the cousin of the cousin of the mayor’s best friend become the principal.
Finally, lets not blame all teachers for our bad experiences with one or two teachers. Most teachers are good people in a broken system influenced by local, state, and federal politics. Most teachers are underpaid, however are compensated in benefits. The posters on this forum seem to want to pay them hourly rages no different then working at Wendy’s and sit the children in from of a computer all day.
By the way, I am not a teacher.
Their are plenty of teachers making in excess of 100K and principles making much more than that. My point was because the pension system and great benefits were put in place to make up for the lack of salary. Now that salary has been dramatically increased do away with defined benefit plan and offer a 401K. Average salary is Secaucus is 70K. Heck a Janitor was just hired at 72K. Is it hard for them to pay a few bucks into the insurance or hell be offered a less costly benefit package.
Do you really think the BOE doesn’t hire teachers at politicains request. Do you think all of these teachers who have been here 30 plus years didn’t get the blessed by some Mayor at some point. Do you really think they earn that with a great interview? Prieto’s daughter was hired before she even got her degree.
Of course teachers are good people but like every other governement/town worker they are way too protected and have taken the largest piece of the perverbial pie without one bit of accountability, What the hell is tenure? If you are good you stay if you suck you go.
By the way I’m not a teacher either, but kind of wish I was these days.
How hard is it to look up public information and get correct information Ron Jeremy…the average teaching salary is 57,597 in Secaucus. You are only 13,000 off and I’m not sure of what janitor you are talking about but it was probably the Head Custodian position. The head custodian at the high school makes 62,000. Is that really outrageous that we pay maybe 2 or 3 custodians this salary. The rest of the custodians make much less than that I assure you. You can look up everybody’s salary here http://www.sboe.org/budget/Employees%20Salary%2075000.pdf It is all public information, notice the teachers that are making the most money are administrators, supervisors and teachers that have been in district for 30 plus years. People in this town are crying about the salaries of the people teaching your children. Most of the time better salaries attract better applicants just like in the “real world”, where you work. Of course there are a couple of political appointments but that happens in every school district and at every job in the “real world”. Are you going to tell me there has never been someone that got a job where you work based on who they know? I am a teacher and not in Secaucus and I will tell you that when you work in a district that has a lower pay scale, it is very transient and young. Neither of which benefit student learning.
Wow, after looking over that list of salaries, I cant believe how low some of those salaries are for teachers who have been there for quite some time. Makes me quite glad I chose not to become a teacher actually, and this is one of the higher paying districts?
I retract my previous statement LOL
Did I just read the same report as you? 30 Teachers and or admins making over 100K a bunch making well over 100K. Another 38 making high 90′s, and 2010 salaries they are probably pretty close to 100K. Janitors from high 60′s to mid 70′s. Gym teachers making 100+. I’m not saying we should lower salaries but at those wages no one can say teachers are underpaid. Do away with pensions for new hires and limit sick time and pay a few bucks into health insurance and all will be happy. It looks like my facts were pretty darnn close.
Again I am not a teacher and don’t really care how much they make but on top of salaries comes 30K in benefits and a very large yearly contribution to the pension system. The system will break very shortly if it is not fixed. Sort of like GM and then everyone will lose.
Yeah we are reading the same report, your claims were only correct for roughly 25% of the Staff. There is another 213 faculty members listed there that does not make anywhere near the numbers you are claiming.
When you’re a college graduate and working somewhere for ten years or more and only making 60k, you’re NOT being paid well.
Now, as far as all the days they have off, I would agree with extending the school year. Those are good salaries for full time jobs, but when you consider teachers get half the year off, those salaries are amazing. So lets keep them working through most of the summer. Most people get 3-5 weeks off, that’s all teachers should get off. Why should they only work 180 out of 365 of the year and make all that?
Check out how long it took those teachers and admin to reach those amounts 30 years plus compare that to business!
My only argument is that THEY ONLY WORK 180 DAYS A YEAR while people in the private sector work 232 days a year on average . So maybe their salaries should reflect the fact that they work 1/4 less days a year than normal people….either that, or actually put them to work doing stuff in the summer.
Voice of Reason has a lot of NERVE saying that teachers work “ONLY” 180 days out of the year. Yes, it may seem like that. I am a teacher and a coach I can say that on my days “off,” I am home planning lessons online, grading papers, or coaching kids during practice. During the summer, I attend workshop and conferences to develop my self profeesionally and keep ahead of the newest educational trends in technology and in my subject . Most educators are put to work during the summer, evaluting or revamping curriculums or tutoring for SATs or other standardized tests. Voice of Reason should talk to a teacher sometime to see what he/she does on their “TIME OFF”
Hey Ron Burgundy…90% of jobs made easier with internet and technology? Do you really believe that? Get a grip on reality, bud! I invite you to come to my classroom and teach for 15 minutes. I invite to capture the attention of a classroom of 25 teenagers whose attention span lasts 2 minutes. I invite you to have them utilize their critical thinking and problem solving skills when they are thinking about the next episode of ” The Jersey Shore” or listening to their iPods. I invite you to teach them the area of the circle or the battle of Trenton while they pour out their family problems to you after class. I invite you to teach them about the good points of Holden Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye while they try to detract form the lesson to find out where you live. Broken school system? What’s broken in Secaucus RB? HSPA scores in Language Arts –98% passing …. HSPA scores in Math 87%…What’s wrong and corrupt if the kids are learning..Get off your high horse and get your facts straight before making slanderous comments. Your ignorance is immense.
You’re a joke “Educator. All that you’ve outlined still doesn’t even measure to 1/4th of the FIFTY DAYS difference between what normal people work to what teachers work. FIFTY DAYS difference.
Coaching? YOU GET MORE MONEY FOR THAT. And it’s OPTIONAL, not every teacher coaches.
Seminars? Grading Papers? What a joke. Hilarious. If the intelligence of what you’ve posted is an example of the average intelligence of our teachers in New Jersey, then no wonder our school district isn’t even NEAR the top 50 schools in the state.
I know PLENTY of teachers. Most of them were average to below average students who wanted a cushy job with summers off. Some of them were even CLASSIFIED with learning disabilities. Obviously, none of these people have jobs in decent school districts (by decent I mean top 20 or 30 districts in the state). But quite a few have jobs in Secaucus.
One thing most of the teachers I know have in common is that they all know how to cry a river when it comes to complaining about how hard they have it. I’ve seen what they have to do in detail, and let me tell you, these people would never cut it in the real world. But then again, I guess that’s why they’re teachers…..they knew they couldn’t cut it, so they wanted a job with some protection. They knew that all they had to do was get by for four years, then after that, smooth sailing till retirement…..
To Voice of Reason:
If you think teachers cry a river to see how hard they have it then I you invite to come to my classrooom and teach for 15 minutes. They’d chew you up and spit you out in 5 and a half minutes.. As for me, I worked in the real world. I had experience in the real world prior to becoming a teacher. I graduated in the top ten of my class in high school and graduated with honors in college. I hold two masters degrees. Wasn’t an average student by no means….Come see what a joke I am Voice of Reason…Your ignorance humors me..
It’s amazing to me that people who have never taught think it’s a “cushy” job. They think that 180 school days is all that is put in to the profession. Teaching is so much more than 180 days…It’s covering a curriculum, preparing students for class, district, and state exams, it’s getting children to be good citizens, and then trying to understand why students do not do well in school (which often has nothing to do with schools or teachers, but rather some undetermined issue outside of school).
Teachers do more than teach, they’re confidants, social workers, problem solvers, a shoulder to cry/lean on, mediators, liaisons between administrators, students, and parents, and so much more.
Ignorant people look at things on the simplest level because they don’t know; they see 180 working days, salaries for 30+ year employees at 100k, health benefits, and tenure as cushy and overpaid. Walk a few minutes in a teacher’s shoes and you’ll see that teaching, as an art and a profession is neither cushy nor over paid.
Ponder this…What other professional has to deal with 20-30 “clients/customers” all vying for their attention at the same time, all wanting their needs met (after they’ve determined their needs)? And those “clients/customers” aka students, do not come right out and tell you what they need. Teachers need to be deductive and investigate why a child does not do his/her homework or won’t play with the other kids at recess.
And as for tenure, yes it does protect some incompetent teachers, but it also protects far more successful and innovative teachers from politics and those who don’t know what they’re doing. Tenure allows a teacher academic freedom. It ensures that a successful and hardworking teacher does not get fired because of the lack of a political connection.
If people want to criticize an entire profession, which of course they can, they should first try it on and see what it’s about; they’ll see that there are many layers to it, and all is not what it seems.
As a Post Script, Voice of Reason alludes to the idea that teachers who may have had learning disabilities are inferior to those who do not. That is not only offensive but shows a lack of understanding of what a learning disability is. Many people who’ve been classified go on to become quite successful and productive professionals. To suggest that the terms classified or special needs means inferior denigrates anyone with a disability.
ON TENURE – WHY CANT TEACHERS HAVE TENURE BUT BE REQUIRED TO PAST A TEST TO CHECK ON THEIR ABILITY SAY EVERY FIVE YEARS?
Hey Voice of Treason:
Two years ago, Secaucus was voted the 11th top town to live in the state, by New Jersey Monthly magazine. One of the factors taken into consideration was the quality of our school district. In 2009, the 11th graders scored 98% passing in Language Arts literacy and 87% passing in Mathematics for the HSPA (High School Proficiency Test) . This test is a state mandated test required for all seniors to pass in order to receive a diploma.. How was that achieved? By our crybaby teachers that Voice of Reason alludes to, I guess …..And YES coaching is OPTIONAL as you like to highlight in your blog, but many many teachers participate and are involved in extracurricular activities and in coaching assignments. The time needed to complete or fullfill these positions often takes them outside of the school hours. Since when was running a class fundraiser car wash, attending graduation commencement exercises, chaperoning JSA field trips done within school hours? Sometimes such extracurricular activities are done on weekends and during TIME OFF. Most teachers understand the time they spend fullfilling these positions by far, outweighs the stipend they receive for compensation. They do it to enhance and enrich our students’ school experience…..Hey Voice of Reason You’re the Joke…Maybe you can go back to school and get your credentials to become a teacher if you’re so jealous of us….You know you could have been one if you wanted to.
I do not object to teachers being re-certified every 5 years or so, although I know quite a few who would object.
You will find many many teachers who are obstinate and resistant to anything that’s new (like technology), for example smart/promethean boards. On a side note…I heard a teacher from Secaucus say that they will never use their new promethean board except as a place to lay their coat.
Teachers like that need to get out of the profession.
Educator,
I think the schools/teachers need to be open to suggestions. I don’t have any kids myself yet but in my age many of my friends and coworkers do. From talking to them, most of them have pretty negative opinion of the school system (not Secaucus in particular but public school in general) and the curriculum that is being taught to their kids. Several of them have the capability to send their kids to private schools and do so. From the sound of things, it seems the problem is nationwide because it is something that I experience first hand when I was in school. The general consensus among the people that I talked with is the curriculum is very very dumb down, the program that Bush pushed through really didn’t help much at all. When I say dumb down, I meant 8th graders being taught 4th grade materials and college level courses taught what should have been taught in high school or elementary school. Their kids (and me while I was in school) felt that they aren’t learning anything new in school, everything is self taught or are taught by parents. In my opinion, this is truly sad as I don’t think I’m outstanding at all when comparing to a lot people around me so I definitely think many kids feels the same way when they are in school. They are not being stimulated or taught to their potential. I would say most teachers are qualified to teach but one have to wonder if a lot of them teach at the level that they are comfortable with or if the system is set up that way where they have no choice but to teach that way. Good pay or not, our future need to be taught properly and having that kind of disadvantage going forward is not going to make our country competitive on the world stage.
Forgot one thing, I don’t believe tenure and did not take a job in the government because I believe it is a old dinosaur. It would drive me crazy if I have to deal with people that think all almighty of themselves because they been there longer, this is true whether it be private or public system and exists in both. As you can tell, I’m quite young and I’m a independent without a party but have a republican (the basic foundation as there is no true definition) leaning due to some of my beliefs. I believe teachers/police/firefighters need to be tested on every so often just like other professions in the private industry to keep their efforts honest.
I agree with some of what “Nothing” wrote. One thing in particular; the curriculums in our schools believe that everyone can learn the same things, and that all children should go to college. What happens is that the curriculums focus on sending kids to college and that is just not realistic for everyone.
As a result of this thinking schools have done away with vocational classes, or shop classes, except when they exist in a vocational school. What I mean is that kids in high school cannot take an auto mechanics class or a wood working class because they don’t exist anymore. Yes, a child can go to a vocational school but there was a time when those classes were in all high schools.
Today high schools want to send all kids to college whether it be a 4 yr. school or a community college, and quite honestly community colleges teach remedial classes to get kids where they should have been when they were in high school. It’s not the kids’ faults it’s the system that tells them they have to go to college.
As soon as “Secaucus was the 11th best town in NJ” was mentioned, it made your whole argument bogus and silly.
Any moron who believe that Secaucus was actually the 11th best place to live in this state barely deserves a response. It actually shows an amazing lack of intelligence to believe that sort of ridiculous hype….either a lack of intelligence, or the kind of ignorance of someone who doesn’t really get around to experience anything other than one town.
The fact that our school system isn’t ranked in the TOP 50 IN THE STATE says a lot. I’ve seen our school ranked in the mid 200s out of 521 districts. You wanna start bragging about that? AND we spend more per pupil than a lot of the top schools. Sure, we compare well to the urban districts in our county….but that’s not saying much.
I’ve gone through this district’s school system and know what kind of morons we have teaching our kids. I’ve witnessed some pretty horrific hiring decisions made based on political affiliations and family connections in this district and not based on quality of candidates, their education, or their experience. This is no doubt the kind of advantage people like educator and eltoro have cashed in. This not only hurts GOOD teachers, but it deprives our children.
No, I have not taught, nor would I want, BUT I have an intimate knowledge of the process of becoming a teacher, and the process of being a teacher from significant others, immediate family members, and friends. That song and dance that is going on here from eltoro and educator is the same song a dance every bad teacher performs. It’s basically the message they are brainwashed into spewing by their union. They think the deserve everything. They think they have it so bad. Well, go get a career in the real world one day, and you’ll see how bad you have it. You’ll long for those 50 extra vacation days a year and getting out of work at 4pm.
This has been pretty hilarious from me, but it’s sad. You’re the people who are educating our youth? Heaven help us….
Voice of reason is so jaded, its hilarious.
Many children spend more time with their teachers than with their own parents because most families need two or more incomes in order to survive. I personally think teachers need the extra time off. Did you ever spend a day with a classroom full of children of any age? It’s exhausting to spend it with one child. Being a good teacher is a gift not only to the children but to their parents/guardians. They deserve the time off, decent salaries and the respect of the community in which they teach. If you value your children, you value their teachers. Nothing is perfect. The WHOLE town should share cost saving methods and that would bring costs down. Lawsuits should not be initiated as a way to make extra money. That’s an area that should be watched closely.
Eltoro,
Exactly. I think one comment that stood out in my mind in those discussions is a Chinese kid that said you have to be smart to get into high school in China and a high school degree actually worth something over there. I don’t think we can say the same with our system as he mentioned he have two relatives that were failing in junior high and came here and graduated from community college. If this is the actual difference between our education system, we are in huge trouble 10 to 20 years from now. This wide difference in education and our out of control deficit spending made me wonder where we’ll be as a country.
Hey Voice of Reason :
You sound like a pompous idiot…. I have gone through the real world at one time in my life before I became a teacher and I know what it was like out there…I was able to translate my experiences into the classroom and found some of my experiences to be helpful and motivating to my students. I’ve have found that some of my students have gone on to the career that I have once chosen before I became a teacher. BUt then again I guess being in the military and serving one’s country is NOT a REAL career and is not an honorable profession. Getting out of work at 4pm in the military wasn’t an option…it was a stressful 24/7 job where education was not put on the line but rather people’s lives…As for bad teachers, you’re looking the wrong way….this school system has the most professional and dedicated teachers I know in this area. (Bergen, Hudson, Passaic and Essex counties included) Most have advanced degrees and have graduated from top notch universities in NJ and out of state. Some even have Ph D’s …I’ve gone through this district also , but a guess a good education is received by what one individual puts into it??? No??? I guess that having our seniors being accepted to schools like Cornell, United States Naval Academy, MIT, Princeton or such schools like FIT and LIM was the result of poor and bad teachers…..Hey , since you like badmouthing Secaucus and its school system on this forum so much , why don’t you pack up and move to Jersey City or Clifton. ???
I stand by what I wrote above. The district is barely ranked in the top half of the 521 in the state. I was disappointed when I thought Secaucus wasn’t in the top 50, then when I googled it the other day, the district not even being ranked in the top 200 was disgusting.
I’ve been through the system. I know a lot of the teachers, old and new, and know for certain the ugly politics that go on. I am aware of the hiring process and how many people have been hired for all the wrong reasons throughout the years. Imagine how things would be if the BEST CANDIDATE were hired instead of friends, relatives, people with political connections, etc. Our kids would be so much better off, wouldn’t they? I’m not saying every teacher in Secaucus is bad, I’m saying a LOT of them are. Sure, kids do well, get into good schools, but that is mostly down to the kids, their hard work, and their intelligence. What I saw growing up here and the stories I continue to hear from people I know from within the district are disheartening. From how and why certain people are hired or passed over for certain positions, to football players being granted special privileges because a certain coach is so well liked, to administrators bullying and harassing staff, and all sorts of other shocking stories that don’t really find their way out into the open.
Stop trying to paint a rosy picture, you’re clearly trying to deceive people.
You are helping me prove my point with the personal insults. Intelligent debate is one thing, but resorting to insulting me personally instead of intelligently countering my arguments shows that you are probably the type of person that SHOULD NOT be teaching our children. You’re probably one of the people I mention above….someone who had a friend or a connection or a relative somewhere that helped you get a job over more qualified individuals. That kind of thing only hurts our youth and the quality of education they receive.
Just remember this Voice…. the tools necessary to formuate opinions, utilize logical reasoning skills, spell, type,write and read on this website was made possible by the district and the teachers that you horrifically insult….
Voice of Reason:
Having an intimate knowlede of the process of becoming a teacher does not qualify you to criticize those who make significant contributions to this district and community…If I have an intimate knowledge of the internal combustion engine, does that make me a licensed mechanic??? Go get your teaching certificate and teach in our district if you believe you can make a difference or if you feel WE are not doing the job correctly..
And NO, I am not one of those teachers that was given a job over other highly qualified individuals, I earned and was hired in my position because of the knowledge of my subject and my ability to motivate kids to learn.
I stand by what I wrote above….Kids whom I have taught have come back to my class and personally me for helping them out and getting into the school of their choice..These kids have gone on to be doctors, coaches, teachers, leaders in our military, financial consultants, fashion designers and good parents…..
Shame on Gov. Christie and shame on the bunch of fools that voted for him!