NJ Public School Employees' Shrinking Paychecks Hurt Everyone

On Wednesday night March 20th, hundreds of local public school employees and their families met and walked through the Freehold Raceway Mall together wearing RED to bring attention to their shrinking paychecks. Organized by rank and file members of the New Jersey Education Association, they held signs stating "Fix The Unfairness" and "We Are Worth It".

Sadly, it is true. Their paychecks are going backwards. The reality is that NJ public school employees now have to work second and third jobs (including summers) just to make ends meet. Some of those wearing red at the mall said they cannot afford simple things like going out to eat at a local restaurant or paying for dance and karate lessons for their children. These people chose education to prepare children for the future, knowing that their salary would be less than the private sector, but with the security of having health insurance and a secure pension. Thirty years ago, a teacher could be the bread winner for a family while maintaining a middle class lifestyle. Now it is an unattainable dream.

As we know, the state of NJ continuously ranks at the top of public education. However, this cannot continue if something isn't done at the state level soon. How is it possible that public school employees are making less every year? In 2011, NJ passed the Chapter 78 Bill that mandated increased healthcare contributions for public school employees. They have to pay up to 35% of their healthcare premiums. This means that many local teachers are losing more than $1,200 a month from their paychecks to pay towards benefits. The cost of health insurance in NJ is some of the highest in the country with premiums rising astronomically each year. Meager raises negotiated for these employees are being eaten up by the rising prices of healthcare premiums each year.

One local teacher explained that he is making $400 less this year even though he got an $800 raise, and that last year he made less than the year before that. Is this how we want to value education? When asking how the United States values its teachers, a Washington Post piece states "It pays them, on average, less than 60 percent of the salaries of similarly educated professionals" (WAPO). On paper, it might appear that NJ teacher salaries aren't so bad but that does not include the thousands they pay for health insurance each year with no end in sight. Instead of spending time creating new lessons, they are working extra part time jobs.

There are over 200,000 NJ public school employees. They are tax payers, home owners and home renters, and they are a very important part of our NJ economy. If someone's paycheck is going down each year it is less money that goes back into the economy. Local businesses, like those in the Freehold Raceway Mall, suffer when NJ public school employees struggle to pay their bills. NJ public school employees have been calling, writing, and meeting with legislators about the impact of the Chapter 78 bill. During these meetings, many legislators seem genuinely surprised by the numbers. That is no excuse. In Monmouth county alone, many of those at the mall spoke of how they contributed time and money to help elect the current Senator and Assembly members. Hopefully, legislators are paying attention to these organized actions taking place throughout the state.

To add insult to injury, another major issue facing local public school districts is a recent change by the state to its funding formula. The Freehold Regional High School District is set to lose over 20 million dollars over the next few years (FRHSD). Also, Howell Township, Manalapan-Englishtown, and Marlboro Twp are losing millions. Recent changes to the funding formula have caused these devastating reductions in state aid. These cuts stand to cripple many local school districts including loss of academic programs, staff, clubs, extra-curricular activities, and sports.

Something has to give if the state of NJ wants to maintain its status as the top in education. Valuing public schools means valuing public school employees. It is time to fix the unfairness. Our NJ public school students are worth it.