NJ Education Report

The battle is heating up in Paterson, New Jersey’s fourth largest district, between Paterson Education Association and the school board. The two sides have been negotiating on a new contract for a year; in July they declared an impasse, primarily about what the union regards as unreasonably low wages and poor working conditions. Under the old contract, starting salaries are $57,500, well below, say, Newark’s $62,000.  In  August Paterson Education Association President John McEntee Jr. said in the last three years 1,300 teachers have quit. 

Two weeks ago, the Board decided to give each new hire a $7,500 bonus in order to fill 123 vacancies. This move did nothing to assuage the union: the following year, those teachers gifted with a bonus check will find their second-year salaries back to $58,605 unless the contract dispute is resolved. (Once it is, teachers will be paid the salary adjustments retroactively.)

At this week’s \school board meeting, the Board voted to “right-size” top administrator salaries. What’s a little bit of oil on the fire?

• Business Administrator Richard Matthews will go from $185,764 to $200,764, an overall increase of 8%.
• Deputy Superintendent David Cozart will go from $175,236 to $195,019, an increase of 11.3%.
• Deputy Superintendent Cicely Warren will drop from $175,214 to $184,999, an increase of 11.3%.
• Deputy Superintendent Cheryl Coy will increase from $170,904 to $186,195, an increase of 8.9%.
• Deputy Superintendent Joanna Tsimpedes will go from $169,437 to $184,714, a 9% increase.

(The rumor is the Board had to raise salaries among top administrators because the new Chief Technology Officer, Mohammed Saleh, negotiated a contract for $170,000 his first year.)

PEA seems to be winning the public relations battle. It’s unclear who will win the war.