Woodbridge asked to consider ending kindergarten to save money
Unlike most school districts, Woodbridge’s kindergarten classes have continued to operate on a half-day schedule. Now, even that seems like a luxury.
Facing a possible 33 percent cut in state aid, district officials are being asked to consider eliminating the grade level altogether.
The shocking announcement was made Friday by an emotional district superintendent John Crowe, who said the suggestion was made in an e-mail by county superintendent of schools Patrick Piegari.
The school board Friday evening voted to send the county school official a preliminary budget for next year reflecting a loss of over $8 million in state aid. The aid amount was revealed by the state Department of Education on Thursday. State law says district must submit their spending proposals to county officials by Monday.
The public will get their first look at the budget at a 7 p.m. meeting Tuesday at Colonia Middle School. The board will discuss the budget further 6 p.m., Thursday at Woodbridge Middle School.
Crowe and school board president Brian Molnar slammed Gov. Chris Christie and education commissioner Bret Schundler for the severe cut in aid.
“We had no idea that anything like a 33.2 percent cut in state aid would hit our district,” Crowe said, choking with emotion. “Why, in the days leading up to the funding announcement we were even hearing that it might even be close to flat funding. The commissioner himself said that at several meetings and I tell you that charlatan is on record and is on TV as saying that.”
“We’ll get the job done but the governor is doing much more damage than the storm last week or the snow storms that have hit us, or any other natural disaster that has been seen in New Jersey. That is what the governor is doing to our school district,” Crowe said.
Molnar called Christie a “buffoon” and said March 17, the day state aid figures were released, “was our Pearl Harbor Day. We were torpedoed.”
Both officials said they would ask the Woodbridge Township Education Association, the district’s largest employee union, to open their contract for renegotiation. The union has previously said it wouldn't.
Board member Judy Leidner read a letter from the head of the district’s supervisors and custodians union that they would agree to a salary freeze if the units representing the teachers and administrators agreed to do the same.
FULL COVERAGE:
• Woodbridge students take to Facebook, board meeting to oppose budget cuts
• Budget shock: State aid to Woodbridge cut by 33 percent
• Gov. Christie has spoken, but Woodbridge schools waiting on budget details
• Woodbridge teachers won’t renegotiate contract, union president says
• List of possible Woodbridge school budget cuts approaches $10 million
• EDITORIAL: Change aid plan to treat school districts more equally
• Woodbridge Mayor John E. McCormac, schools superintendent oppose cutting state aid
• Woodbridge school officials won't rule out closings if state slashes aid
NJthoughts, 
CorporateAmerica, 
waggish75 and 5 others are discussing. 
halttaxes 12:29 am on March 22, 2010 Permalink
The real blame is the pandering done by the democrat party to the NJEA!!!
mrdirt 5:53 am on March 22, 2010 Permalink
The laidoff teachers now or soon will be free to go into the private sector to look for a job. Oh yes, the Unemployment in the Private sector in NJ is approx 10%. And if you are fortunate to get a job, you will have to work during the summer, no fall or spring break, no carryover of sick time, avg 10 holidays a yr and 2 wks vacation for 1st 5 yrs and now the fun part. You will have a deduction from your pay at least $250 every two weeks for health insurance and you may get a 2% Merit Increase if the company decides you deserve it or has the money, and you will have a 401k pension plan. Welcome to the real world.
EDITORIAL: Woodbridge teachers’ hard line on contract a big mistake | Woodbridge 10:17 am on March 22, 2010 Permalink
[...] Keith on Woodbridge teachers won’t renegotiate contract, union president saysmrdirt on Woodbridge asked to consider ending kindergarten to save moneyhalttaxes on Woodbridge asked to consider ending kindergarten to save moneyOSoDemonick on Woodbridge [...]
mike91163 11:24 am on March 22, 2010 Permalink
Well, is ANYONE surprised at the “outrage” expressed by the whining from the Democrats who run Woodbridge?
By the way, you have to love the lack of class and disrespect that Brian Molnar, BOE president, displays by using the word “buffoon”…it’s one thing to use words like, for example, “irresponsible”; but to use personal insults should be off-limits. I guess Mr. Molnar forgot that Gov. Christie was elected by “THE PEOPLE” to reign in government spending-NOT increase it, as Mr. Molnar and Co. have been doing here in Woodbridge for years.
You want some examples of waste here in the township school system? Here we go…
—I put this one first because it illustrates the lunacy very vividly: The district spent $354 on a replacement POW/MIA flag for an elementary school. Yes folks, THREE HUNDRED FIFTY-FOUR DOLLARS FOR A FLAG!!! No joke…I found the largest (5′ x 8′) online for no more than $150. So, how did this ONE flag cost roughly THREE times what you or I would pay???
—The district has purchased well over 1,000 Dell Latitude 2100 laptops (small-10″ screen) in the past year, at an average cost of $840 each. Meanwhile, I can buy it today off the Dell website for $329…even if you add the RETAIL version of Office 2007 Student (Word, Excel, Powerpoint), that’s an additional $149…and I’m SURE they get a govt. discount/licensing. Even if it’s Office Standard, that’s $399 retail, less with volume.
—We pay the bilingual program administrator $116K/year, and he doesn’t teach a single child; AND, he picks up an extra 10 grand each year to be the program’s website designer…
First, NONE of the links on this ONE-page “website” work; two, the website was created using Microsoft Publisher 2003-a program intended for the most basic of websites, nevermind a quasi-official government site-three, there are many free and low-cost web design programs that could create a far more attractive and usable website. I know of small businesses that have complete product catalogs and order systems on their sites that were designed for HALF the amount.
—While we’re at it, this bilingual admin also has a DEDICATED clerical person at $40K/yr…
—The district uses the services of 2 psychiatrists for students who require evaluations; one gets (sit down, please) $500/HOUR!!! The other, $260 per evaluation. These amounts are FAR greater than those charged by the vast majority of competent psychiatrists.
—My wife has worked for 20 years as the secretary to the 3 owners of a $20 million/yr business, and makes $45K/year. Yet, a school’s ASSISTANT secretary with 10 years makes $48K.
—The district has numerous teachers who act as after-school “babysitters”; each receives $32/hour for this “service”…
—You know all those “clubs” and “activities” your kids participate in? You think the teacher is doing it out of the goodness of their heart? Oh no, my friends…the contract lists EVERY one of ‘em, and they get paid extra.
—Did you know that if your kid’s teacher isn’t familiar with common “Office” programs like Excel and Word, that not only does the district pick up the tab for “tuition” for these summer courses while they’re not teaching-the teacher ALSO gets paid $31.24/hour for every hour they spend in the “class”. Talk about a double-dip freebie!
—Here’s a couple of really ridiculous tidbits: (1) Did you know that Woodbridge High actually has an Anime Club? (That’s the Japanese/Korean animation art form-Pokemon is an example!) AND, the teacher actually picks up $956 for hosting this twice-a-month “club”?
(2) The district pays $200 for interpreters for parents of high school graduates at the graduation ceremony. Yessir folks, if a graduate speaks English, and his parents do not, the district will pay for a translator.
—One of the assistant superintendents (at $150K+/year) has two daughters working as teachers in the district; whether they’re qualified or not, can you say nepotism? How objective can ANYONE in Administration be when evaluating their performance?
There’s plenty more, but the above ought to give you some food for thought. Spend some time browsing through the BOE’s agendas here:
http://www.woodbridge.k12.nj.us/b_board.html
While much of them are self-congratulatory blather, there’s plenty of information to make you angry with just how completely out of touch with reality these folks truly are.
ConcernedEducator1 6:44 pm on March 22, 2010 Permalink
Yes of course, it is amazing how nothing gets done when we play the blame game. The only difference between the private sector and being a teacher is that those who are in the private sector earn more money than a teacher ever can. Yes, first year lawyer fresh out of law school make more than most principals and superintendent…by the way that position usually requires a doctorate. Oh yes most teachers have a masters degree and more. In any other field they would make more money. But instead they followed their heart to educate children. Yeah there are crappy teachers, there are people in every profession that should find a new line of work. In fact I hated school and can’t remember a one teacher that made me feel intelligent or important. Find out how much a first year teacher makes in your district probably between $30-$40K. This is with a college degree.
By the way to the republicans of the group. President Bush championed the No Child Left Behind Act. (You can find the exact mandates.) This created national mandates for education especially for ESL, Bi-Lingual, and Special Education. If these laws are not followed the students who have their rights violated under this act has the right to sue the district.
So you might pay more now because of a tax hike. But if one person decides to sue because their child is not getting the federally mandated education they deserve, they will sue and its not the teacher’s union that pays to defend the school district, its the town. Oh and what if we stop classifying these kids just to cut costs? Class action and you will be paying more than just damages. Judges love to make the punitive damages high just to make sure this won’t happen again.
NJthoughts 7:14 pm on March 22, 2010 Permalink
Mike,
I just want to comment on two of your comments- these I know are not true.
1. The computers that were purchased were bought with grant money. That didn’t come from the district and had to be used towards technology.
2. The summer computer classes are done on teacher’s own time (yes, during the summer). But, they are not paid for it. They take the classes and get hours towards their 100 hours of professional development (done every 5 yrs).
mike91163 10:30 am on March 23, 2010 Permalink
ConcernedEducator1:
To reply to a few of your points…
—Using a lawyer is an exceptionally poor example; an attorney MUST earn not just a master’s, but a juris doctorate degree just to be able to take the bar exam…and, not only are they fingerprinted, their credit history and motor vehicle records must be clean…only if all these (and a few other qualifications) are passed, can a lawyer be sworn and begin practicing law.
On the other hand, a bachelor’s degree is all that is needed to teach; granted, a background check is also done, but c’mon, someone can come out of college at 21-22 years old and begin.
Believe me, I have very little love for lawyers, but your analogy is patently invalid.
—”$30-40K” for a first-year teacher? Not sure where you live, but right here in Woodbridge for the current school year, such a teacher would get $47,588…not to shabby for a 22 year old with 4 years of college. If they have a master’s, bump that to $50,916.
Let’s continue with our math lesson…and we’ll use our “rookie with a B.A. degree” as our example.
—The average American worker gets 5 sick days, period; our teacher gets 12. 7 extra days at that pay rate equals $1810.43…and they can accumlate ‘em, unlike the private sector.
—Our teacher also gets 3 personal days, which can also be accumulated, unlike average folks…so there’s another $775.89.
—By contract, their workday is not to exceed 6 hrs, 50 min…BUT, included in this figure is their lunch period and a “prep” period (40-50 min each). Even if we took the “low” side, their work day actually spent teaching is 5 1/2 hours.
Now, let’s take that 5.5 hours, multiplied by the max. 184 work days; we get 1012 hours actually teaching. That’s an hourly rate of $47.02! Even if we include the prep period as “work”, we get $41.92…and, if we throw in an hour at home doing school work, the rate drops to $36.18.
Let’s compare this to the real world of 35-40 hour workweeks:
35 hours @ $36.18 x 52 weeks = $65847.60
40 hours @ $36.18 x 52 weeks = $75254.40
Add in our sick/personal perks: $68433.92
Anyway you want to slice it, that isn’t chump change when you factor the teacher’s salary over a normal workweek/year.
—Health insurance: whether a teacher is tenured or not, they only have to pay $200/yr towards single coverage, $400/yr for family. I’m paying close to $1300/yr towards my single coverage; family would be around $5000/yr. AND, once tenured, there’s a miniscule deductible (200/400), and after that, NO copays of any kind for doctors/hospitals, and $8/15 on prescriptions. Oh, I’m sorry, non-tenured have to pay $15 medical copays.
—If a teacher has to appear in court for a personal matter unrelated to their job, they still get paid, and do not have to take sick/personal time.
—My point about the bilingual administrator was simply (a) the amount of $$$ he’s making to sit behind a desk and “administer” the Title I program; and (b) getting $10K to create a half-baked, single-page website…which anyone with minimal web skills could do in less than 10 minutes.
Concerned, the bottom line is this: There are good and bad teachers, just as there are good and bad employees in the private sector. BUT, unlike the private sector, where bad workers can be terminated legally with ease, it’s all but impossible to separate the “wheat from the chaff” with teachers, once they’ve gotten tenure. Further, a private business answers to their customers, who have the option to purchase products and services elsewhere…unfortunately, teachers and BOE employees steadfastly refuse to listen to, or answer to their customers, a/k/a the taxpayers…which is clearly demonstrated EVERY time the voters reject the school budget, and the BOE and Town Council OVERRULE the will “of the people”.
mike91163 10:44 am on March 23, 2010 Permalink
NJthoughts:
Grant money or not-why would a VOLUME purchaser pay considerably more per unit than a retail buyer? And, you’re right, the “grant” did come from the ARRA-which is OUR tax dollars! Therefore, yeah, I’m going to complain about the pricing…AND, just because we got “X” amount of dollars doesn’t mean (a) we HAVE to spend every penny of it, and (b) spend it wastefully.
I’ll concede that you are correct about them not getting paid their hourly rate for taking classes; BUT, they are given a certain tuition reimbursement…and, this is 2010-MS Office and other common personal computing programs have been in the mainstream now for 10-15 years-more than sufficient time to learn it.
NJthoughts 10:41 pm on March 23, 2010 Permalink
Mike, I see you’ve done your homework.
I understand your frustration because I do think that the governor is going to be good for our state- in the long run. I think that we are all going to feel it at first but then we will see some positive changes.
I do feel for our teachers because they do work hard and the general public does not give them the respect that they deserve. Of course there are those who take advantage and don’t do the job they are paid for. But, there are those that work very hard. My teacher friend never leaves after the bell and always puts in extra time- not counting the grading, lesson plans, etc.
I think by the time you factor that in- they put in almost 8 hrs. a day. Some go in early, some stay later. They set up their classes before school even starts- unpaid. At the end of school, they stay to pack everything up and sometime move to either another building or another class (again not all but some).
I know the benefits are good but my point is that it’s not a walk in the park either. I can’t believe some of the stories my friend tells me. These kids come to school with alot of family problems and sometimes emotional problems and are dealing with alot more than you are I when we were younger.
waggish75 1:07 pm on March 24, 2010 Permalink
If the kids don’t go to KG, who’s going to teach them, our new Governor who is on a cost cutting high. He wants to deprive the future generation from getting a education. Does he think about the parents and where they will keep their kids while at work.
How about the Governor and his posse not take a salary while in office. Skip all the teachers raises for a year and help them atleast keep their jobs.
Although the best way seems to be to get a new Governor which unfortunately won’t happen for some time.
CorporateAmerica 2:19 pm on March 24, 2010 Permalink
Waggish – you’re missing the point. Christie is not suggesting to get rid of KG or lay off teachers. He is asking the school districts to come up with cuts or take pay freezes. The Woodbridge school administrators are picking and choosing what to cut. THEY suggested KG, THEY suggested laying off classroom teachers. And they did this because they dont want to lose their raise/bonus. It is the most disgusting display of greed. Dont bother writing to the Governer. This isnt his fault – NJ cant afford anything!!! Write to the WTEA President – Brian Geoffrey. briangeoffroy@WTEA.org
NJthoughts 9:47 pm on March 24, 2010 Permalink
The shocking announcement was made Friday by an emotional district superintendent John Crowe, who said the suggestion was made in an e-mail by county superintendent of schools Patrick Piegari.
———————————————-
The Woodbridge School district didn’t come up with this idea of getting rid of KG. The COUNTY Superintendent of Schools did. Please read the news story.
Woodbridge has cut 12M.