To the Editor:
Needless to say, the teachers will be whistling in the dark for another five years (like the last time) unless there is support. Where would this support come from to settle a contract? Here are some sources:
Parents: Whether the child is an over-achiever, under-achiever, special needs, Honors, or Advanced Placement student, one can find a very well qualified, caring, dedicated teacher in the classroom. The aspect of technology can only do so much.
Graduates: Whether an individual pursued employment, military service, career school or a two-or four-year college, education was the key to success. The inspiration/motivation to achieve had to have been effected by a teacher.
Citizens: Whether the person is young or old, rich or poor, no one wants to lose earned income by paying higher taxes. This should lead to two questions. How much money is being spent? Where is the money going to in the budget?
Here are some areas to review: How much money did the BOE save now that the ice rink and stadium are under the control of the city? What is the salary guide for a teacher becoming an administrator? How much is paid to certain people for overtime/special projects? How did the school system survive when neither the BOE nor the city could locate millions of dollars? Is there an excess of non-instructional employees?
Please remove partisanship, negativity, false promises, and doubts about the integral rule of a teacher in the life of a student, who will be a future graduate, citizen, and a contributor to the wellbeing of Bayonne
CHARLES NUZIALE
Guidance Counselor
Bayonne High School