-1984: Tom Kean, then Republican Governor, had a study completed to compare the starting salaries at that time for new teachers. Concerned that “NJ did not compare to other States in the Union, and that we needed to enhance the quality of teachers in the State to ensure NJ public schools did not fail, as failure of public schools would equate to something of the order of a foreign military invasion in terms of levels of disaster’. “That teachers, given their importance, should be paid more like lawyers or doctors.”

- Thereafter, he raised the starting salaries which continued to rise for years thereafter. This at the objection of the NJEA. Why? Because, it skewed the pay scale for existing teachers. Teachers there for 10 years were making the same salary as a new hire.

- Fast forward to today…..2010. Christie is now taking a sledgehammer to education, and teachers. What has changed? Why the all of a sudden disdain:

1) Back in the 80’s and 90’s, public education was the ‘Darling Prize” for politicians. They protected it. Now, as we can see from the falling status of our schools, education is falling apart. In general as a Country it is, which is why we are no longer the #1Economic Power in the World.

2)The belief today is that public education is not viable. That privatization is the answer. But look at attempts to do that, and where they stand today.

Anyway, just an interesting piece of NJ history, which may suprise a few. Note I had forgotten this too, although I was quite young when Kean was in office.
And for the record I am not a teacher. Could never do what they do.

Yeah, we’ll get some gov’t reduction, ok. But the ones feeling the brunt of the pain are the taxpayers. Instead of the reducing the true source of bloat, locals will get laid off and we’ll get reduced services. The corruption and waste are above local levels (at least the most disgusting, egregious kind).

So Christie wants to fight the bloated unions, great. What can he do? Lawyers tell him he’s got breach of contract issues going at them directly, so he threatens layoffs and privatization. But lobbyists pushed through a bill last year that states any government work, whether performed by a gov’t employee or a private contractor must be done by union labor. Maybe he can find a set of private contractors that aren’t burdened by the likes of the same unions we’re dealing with now, but I doubt it. We’re just rearranging chairs, as one other poster put it.

And yes, we do have issues locally. Our council patently sucks at the negotiating table. Yes, they should have been gone last November. I’m still angry, maybe a few more of us are too.