Categories: News

Quote of the Day

Here’s the New York Times earlier this week with two of its four suggestions for New York State’s public education system:

Personnel costs are skyrocketing. Outside New York City, the cost of pensions, health insurance and others benefits for workers has been increasing about 10 percent a year since 1998, according to the State Department of Education. The Legislature over the years has sweetened benefit packages as a way of rewarding teachers or other workers. Mr. Cuomo should push for regional collective bargaining instead of district by district. The goal should be pensions and health care systems for government workers that are more like those in the private sector…

There are too many separate school districts — about 700 ranging from New York City, with 1,700 schools, to others that have fewer than 200 students. Consolidation could save money and even enhance curriculum.

Wow. When the New York Times advocates emulating private industry for pension and health care costs, you know times are a changin’. And that school consolidation suggestion? NY State has 2.74 million kids in about 700 school districts. NJ has 1.38 million kids in about 600 school districts. No need for the Garden State and the Empire State to play “biggest loser,” but New York is smoking us in the efficiency department. Time for some educational New Year’s resolutions…

Meanwhile, have a great one and I’ll be back next week.

Laura Waters

Recent Posts

BREAKING: Statement from JerseyCAN on State’s Long-Delayed Release of Student Test Results

This is a statement by Paula White, Executive Director of JerseyCAN, on the New Jersey…

2 years ago

NJEA: Murphy’s Elimination of Teacher Performance Test Is a Major Win for Students and Educators

This is a press release. Earlier today, Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill to eliminate…

2 years ago

Murphy Signs Bill Eliminating EdTPA Test for Teacher Certification

Today Gov. Phil Murphy signed Senate Bill 896, which prohibits the New Jersey Department of…

2 years ago

LILLEY: Blue States Had More School Closures and More Learning Loss — Just Like NJ under Gov. Murphy

The 74 conducted a study of the relative learning loss in Democratic (Blue) and Republican (Red) states and…

2 years ago

One of Newark Superintendent’s New High Schools Tolerates Racism Against Black Students

In October 2020 Newark Superintendent Roger Leon announced with great fanfare the opening of district’s…

2 years ago