After a year of protests and failed negotiations, the Lakewood Board of Education has finally reached an agreement with the Lakewood Education Association – the teachers union, District officials confirmed to TLS.
An official tells TLS they have reached agreement going forward for the next three years.
“After two years of hard work, the Human Resources committee consisting of the new board members, has finally reached a break through”, a board official says.
Frustrated teachers who have gone without a union contract for over a year, have held multiple protests outside the BOE offices in hopes of securing a new contract with raises for the teachers. Ousted BOE Attorney Inzelbuch said during one of those protests, that “the Board of Education wants to resolve this contract dispute with the teachers.” But that hasn’t happened until now.
The committee sat today for about eight hours with BOE attorney Andy Brown in mediation with the unions and with the state mediator Lorraine Tesauro. Board members present were Yoni Silver, Chesky Seitler and Carl Fink.
Details of the deal have not yet been released.
“We have reached a tentative agreement and are still ironing out the final details. This deal still needs to be ratified by the board and the full union membership.” TLS.
I just hope that there won’t be any raises for the teachers. You see, my taxes will have to go up to pay for the raises.
I didn’t get a raise in over five years. Why should I pay for soomeone else to get a raise.
But the teachers are too self-centered to comprehend what I just said. They are public-sector unions after all.
You know, those same unions that even liberal Wisconsin voters realized have to be stopped from destroying America.
I am a board member and I agree with you.Sometimes in life though you have to deal with the cards dealt.As they say “it is what it is”.Dealing with a large union is not simple to say the least.For now though they are part of life
Lakewood is one of the lowest paying districts so what kind of plan is it not to raise them . How can you expect to have decent teachers stay in lakewood .Unless we only care about unzere and dont care about trashing the public school . The facts are that good quality teachers will not stay at a job that they can earn 20k elsewhere. So as a frum person we are required not to be so self centered about issues that affect the umoys haolam .
Are there any details. Does the new contract begin next year or will the get a raise for this year as well?
Were we saving taxes?
#2 –
Didn’t you take an oath to represent the public school children?????
If you can not equally defend their best interests maybe you should of ran for your private school board.
I want the best possilble educators for my children.
(moderated) But again this post will never be seen.
To anonymous #1 & #2
As far as taxes going up because of teachers saleries….maybe taxes should stop going to the LKWD PD. A LKWD cop maxes out their pay after working 5 years making over $100,000 a year. Teachers will NEVER earn that! So let me get this straight; you would rather take away funding from education and have the students drop out of school, become gang members and drug dealers, so your tax money can go to the LKWD PD? And self-centered? Isn’t your remark “Self-Centered” and might I add “IGNORANT”! You obviously DO NOT have a child in a Lakewood Public School…..Us teachers are the most underpaid and over worked teachers in Ocean County.. We have over populated classrooms, dirty-corroded work environments and most of all 85% of our students are below grade level. Please do your research about the Lakewood Public Schools before saying teachers are self- centered individuals. I’m sorry you havent gotten a raise in 5 years, but that does not mean that teachers shouldn’t get raises. We pay for school supplies out of our own pockets (When you have 30 in a class that adds up), give our kids food , clothes and supply much more. We stay many extended hours doing paperwork, as well as on weekends.
So NO I can not comprehend what you are saying about being “SELF CENTERED” because that is FAR from the truth. So many teachers left in my school this year because they are exhausted from the everyday stress level that the BOE and the district brings. We have NO support from the community and this is the reason why there are so many protest at the BOE. We just want whats right for the students of LAKEWOOD and for ourselves as Professional Educators. Hope my comment will EDUCATE you about the reality of being a Lakewood Teacher. PS: Do the resarch about where your taxes are really going:)
about time, let see what they get
All I can say to the the people writing the negative posts,,come into any of the public schools in Lkwd and see what the teachers deal with!! There are students constantly fighting with other classmates and with teachers! The students curse at teachers, I have seen them hit teachers, refuse to do work, run out of the buildings, pull the fire alarms, the list goes on and on,,,I am so glad I retired. I do remember the good ones that I have taught, I hope they remember me for all the love and guidance I gave them while trying to avoid all the disturbances in the class. All I could say is good luck to all the teachers that are still hanging in.
to # 2 (who claims to be a board member)
This is not a card game we in.The taxpayers are entitled to be represented by a board that has the taxpayers interest. If a teacher feels they are under paid or not treated well they have a choice to leave,No one is pointing a gun at their heads.
Your comments are offensive. If indeed you are truly a board member I request that you resign.Someone who is a businessman should take your place.
lakewood teachers work very hard and should be given a raise for all that they do, most of them go way beyond what is expected.
Good news for Lakewood. Thank you BOE. I hope they get more and more raises. It’s only fare to our hired teachers. Also as someone commited, Lakewood is one of the lowest paying districts in the State of NJ.
I sat at a Asian doctors office and heard the Doctor say that the problem with education in this country is not the teachers but a government and public that has no respect or support for our system of education. Its easy to blame a teacher for our failure in education. However, the real problem is that an education should not start with teachers but with parents. I do not expect teachers to teach my children, I teach my children. They have graduated from Lakewood schools and excelled in their careers and college education. You talk about your taxes being squandered, then look at the political system running our government and you will comprehend why our system is the way it is. Stop complaining about teachers and how they get paid and look at the real problem which is non-parent involvement in their children’s education. Teachers can teach if they have the proper respect and environment to enable them to teach. I am sure you are writing this information because you learned from your parents and teachers. Otherwise, you would not be making comments that teachers are self centered. Furthermore, the boards responsibility is to the children of Lakewood and not the taxpayers.
It would behoove everyone to stop making foolish comments. The LBOE and the teachers made a clear statement how individuals must work together. This is a great day for the teachers, the residents and most of all the children.
GO LAKEWOOD-THE PRIDE IS BACK
i wonder who won…..
if there not sayin any details then….
Let’s get the truth hear, is there any difference in deal that they offered for the last year and now or do some individuals want to look good all of a sudden?
Let’s get the truth out!!!
This teacher understood exactly what you just said!!! Lakewood teachers stay in Lakewood because we think of these kids as if they were our own!!!! We’re their teacher, counselor, parent, nurse, friend… the list goes on! What’s self-centered about that!!!
Not everyone in LPD Makes that kind of money…FYI you have low paid employees there that make a bout a 5th of what the pd officers make..and what does it matter anyway, what the Police make.they are out there risking their lives for the residents of this community.
The teaching in the Lakewood schools has been substandard for years..hopefully this will encourage the teachers not to give up on the students and work with them not against them. Then you can say you are a proud part of the Lakewood school system..Like I am to say I am a proud employee of Lakewood Twp Police dept..its not all about money all the time
Do some of you hear yourselves?
The staff that is working in The Lakewood public schools are here because they care about the kids! They give 200% everyday to every student!
If the Lakewood public school teachers are doing such a ‘horrible job” please explain why so many are hired to tutor the private school students to help supplement the deficits in their education?
No teacher goes into the career for the money (that’s because there isn’t much there) they go into teaching for the satisfaction and joy of helping a young mind grow and discover.
Why u guys always block the truth???
The issue of fairness and merit in salaries is really not relevant.
We need teachers and we need cops . The question in a market economy is, how much will it take to entice them to come work for us .
I assume that we can get a clue by checking neighboring townships.
Other than that there is no reason for taxpayers to pay a penny more than necessary.
Nobody is trying to hide anything!The fact of the matter is that the state mediator forbade disclosing the details until the deal is ratified at the next board meeting
#8 you can not compair the job of a teacher to that of a Lakewood Police Officer . teachers work 9.5 months a year. They have every holiday off plus work bankers hours . A police officer risk their lives for the town. When was the last time a teacher had to chase down an armed robber, raid a drug den at 3:00 am or pull a child from a burning building. Teachers run from danger and police officers run into danger. Stop comparing your job worth to that of a police officer.
Lakewood teachers are not paid anywhere near what Jackson, Howell, Brick, or Toms River! There are 30 steps! Other districts have 15-20 and you top out. No wonder why no one wants to stay in or come to Lakewood!
# 18- I hope you kidding. No one wants to look good here, your question should be why was everything so bad for the last 12 years except……… …………. ……….
Lakewood for the fist time is moving forward without special interest groups leading the way. Is this so bad!!!!!!
Over the last numerous years many valuable teachers and personal left the district, have you ever asked yourself why ? two words
why is it when things get done properly people still complain ?
Lakewood lost alot of fine educators for one reason or another. It was time to settle with the union and move on.
Unless you work in the Lakewood Public Schools, you have no idea about what struggles the teachers have to deal with on a daily basis. Ignorance is bliss, so please get your facts straight. Teachers deserve respect, and they deserve a raise. Not only do they work in school, but do hours of homework, planning and correcting papers. They are there because they care about Lakewood children and the future of Lakewood.
Where’s my post? I guess you didn’t like it! What happened to Freedom of the Press! Oh that’s right wrong Press!
#8, K.T., If your teach the way you write, then I can understand why the children don’t do well….”Us teachers”? It should be “We teachers”.
I know how hard they work. I wouldn’t want that job. And, to #2 – if you are on the BOE (with your comment), they will need ALL the help they can get.
To #10 – Very well said. My daughter is a teacher in another district, thank goodness. I know how many hours she puts in. She just had a baby and has a 3 year old at home. She worked till the very end, stayed late, and took work home. She’ll never get her school loans paid off, and manages the best she can like the rest of us. Her husband works two job. If she was in the Lakewood district, I would be worried about her safety. There’s no enough money to endure that.
Stabilize, Stabilize, Stabilize. That means a negotiated settlement with the LEA. Teachers are not the enemy. They are a necessary part of the stabilization plan.
This new BOE should be respected and honored for their progress, fairness, and diligence. The public school system is on the cusp of returning to the ability to educate students.
Go BOE! I appreciate your hard work.
Giving raises will only help things, As it is Lakewood is one of the lowest paying Schools in the stste. Good teachers leave when they’re not being paid well, and that only causes turmoil -and a failing district. No diffrent than any other job where the employer gives raises for that reason.
I agree with #14, the education of our children should not be left to the teachers, but it is a joint effort of both teacher & parent. My children are both doing excelent in the Lakewood School. I communicate with all their teachers via e-mail. Yes, I think the teachers deserve a raise. My sons teacher made sure all of her students had a copy of the 2nd book in the triology, The Hunger Games, Her and her mom purchased 30 copies so all the kids could be able to read it. Not to mention purchasing a bus out of her own pocket to take all the kids to go see the movie, The Hunger Games. I give all my respect to the Lakewood Hich School English teacher, Mrs. Lettis. Thank you for being there for my son
Seems a lot of the comments are about how hard it is for the teachers to teach. One of the reasons given is that the parents are not doing their job in raising the kids. Well, what do you expect from a town full of “undocumented immigrants” whose many kids are flooding the public school system? How can a teacher teach if a kid don’t understand English? If the town had a backbone it would get rid of those illegal people. Then the school population would go down and so would taxes.
Couldn’t agree more with #37.Most of the students in the public schools are from families of NON- TAXPAYERs!!! They could not care less if our taxes go up to try to educate their kids. Some of them don’t even care if their kids are educated and even many that do care don’t make the effort at home for the education to take effect. So I say for the most part it is all a big waste of money. We see the gangs are here anyway because of the family issues even with the “education”. I feel very sorry for those that really do want their kids educated properly and really do try. It is every child’s right to be educated but if there is no will there is no way.
How is watching hunger games education? Back in the day they taught reading, spelling, history and math……
Whatever. There’s no point in arguing with a public-sector union member.
If you don’t like the job, leave. My kid’s teacher gets paid $18,000 a year, with no benefits and no pension, and is the best teacher in the world. She would be more than glad to take a job in the BOE at your current rate of salary and benefits.
And the public school kids would do much better with my kid’s teacher. So if you really cared about the children in public school, instead of having struggling hard working tax payers take more money out of their meager paychecks for higher property taxes, and taking bread out of the mouths of the children of the taxpayers, all so that the public school teachers could get higher raises and more benefits………
Instead, have the current teachers leave, and hire more loving anc caring teachers, who love children so much that they would be willing to work for less money. Like they do now.
Simple solution.
Oh, but they public-sector union mafia won’t allow this simple solution. Because they don’t really care about the children. They care about their own fat wallets.
The public sector union bosses are the from the 1% squeezing the rest of us of more taxes. Remember that.
Aren’t we getting ahead of ourselves?. Let’s wait and see what’s in the contract… Jumping to conclusions is never a wise idea…
To #40 Anonymous- Breathe and take your mediaction. Maybe things will seem clearer to you then
I don’t think any of this should be put on the scoop,it is a contract between the BOE and the LEA. After it has been agreed upon then it is public knowledge,not before. Those making most of the comments are not involved with the public education sysem.
$18,000 per year, minus taxes and other deductions. A QUESTION-
How much does this ‘teacher’ get in food stamps and welfare to be able to survive and pay their bills??
Who in their right mind would put in the hours that a GOOD teacher does, after spending a small fortune in college tuition, and be able to justify $18,000 per year??
I THINK ALL THIS PEOPLE THAT ARE SAYING DEGATIVE STUFF SHOULD STOP TALKING ABOUT OUT PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND GET A LIFE AND WORRY ABOUT THE PROBLEMS IN YOUR LIFE AND LEAVE LAKEWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS ALONE BECAUSE NOONE DOES THE HARD JOB THEY DO FOR LAKEWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLS STUDENTS.
Its almost 3 years with out a contract not 1. The teachers are very upset over the so called deal that is not a deal yet. They met today and no one was happy. No retro pay for almost three years of waiting.
They will not take this so called agreement. No one agreed at the meeting so get your facts straight. This site never puts the truth out there. No agreement has been made from the teachers……….Its a lousy deal, they pay for there insurance and have been and its going up in sept. The pension is going up again in sept. also we have lots of orthadox teachers working with the public school children and if its so bad why don’t they go teach in the private schools???? anyone ever mention that???? As of today there is no contract set from the teachers, our meeting today no one was happy.
Mr. Tell the Truth (#45)
Your bias against Orthodox clearly shows through your hateful words. Enough! Any Orthodox person can teach in the public school system, it is their choice.
As for the rest of us, we are sick of having our taxes raised and raised and raised and raised, so that your salaries can be raised and raised and raised and raised.
Enough!
And to the other smart comment who said we should just mind our own business: THIS IS OUR BUSINESS. You are demanding that the BOE raise MY taxes to pay for your bloated salaries and benefits and pensions, WHEN I CAN’T AFFORD IT.
You are just like the 1% squeezing the rest of us, the 99%.
Stop using the “children” as an excuse. You only care about your own bank account, and you are taking food out of MY CHILDREN’s mouth when you raise my taxes to pay for your raise.
Enough!
Right on K.T. (#8). However, I disagree with your comment regarding no support from the community. There are, in fact, several teachers in the LISD from the community. The issue that really needs to be addressed is one of appreciation for education in general and teachers in particular.
Regarding comment #24: I know of teachers in the LISD who have been attacked (stabbed, even punched); broken up fights, dealt with weapons in the classrooms (knives as well as guns [yes … those words are plural]) and not only reported issues of drugs but counseled kids at risk regarding making better choices. In many instances a teacher in the LISD may act as a parent, police officer, therapist, as well as a teacher. We should ALL care about the children in our community but, unfortunately, teachers sometimes stand alone. Most, if not all, teachers must work multiple jobs in order to keep a roof over the heads of thier families and food in their bellies. The beat-down on teachers and education must stop. Children are our future … shouldn’t we be investing in their education?
Kudos to all teachers in Lakewood (all religions, all sizes, all colors, all schools); I, for one, appreciate what you do and thank you for your effort. My tax contribution is just a small token of my appreciation.
To #31 the point is that we are talking about teachers….us/we is irrelevant in a LKWD scoop comment section. It’s apparent you are not on the teachers of Lakewoods side, so put your irrelevant comments someplace else. I’m also not bashing the LKWD PD, I’m just making a comparison to where taxes should go. I have family members and close friends who are LKWD cops and I truly understand the difference between the two jobs. I just feel that tax money needs to be distributed properly and the BOE needs to distribute education funds fairly so all of this madness can stop!
oh yes, lets just slander the wonderful teachers that take care of our children and deal with all the political nonsense that comes with it. If you have a problem with paying our teachers what they deserve and complaining about our taxes, you can do the same thing the teachers can it they don’t like their situation- YOU CAN LEAVE! Bye Bye Yid- have a nice life 🙂