Members of the LEA (Lakewood Education Association) Teachers Union this evening again protested in front of the Board Of Education headquarters, hoping to get answers. Approximately 50 members took protest demanding that the Board renegotiate a contract with the unionized teachers, who have gone without a contract for several months.
This protest follows a protest earlier last month, when hundreds of teachers protested outside the BOE.
During that protest, the Board Attorney came out and responded to the chanting of the crowds.
“The board is reviewing this matter as we speak”, Board Attorney Michale Inzelbuch said. “The Board of Educations wants to resolve this contract dispute with the teachers”.
There’s no word yet on where the negotiations are up to. TLS.
If the BOE wants to resolve the contract issues maybe theyshould stop spending so much on private schools. Look at the amount of money being spent in todays board minutes. Remember this is a public school, for students that come from all walks of life, not sheiled children that can’t mingle with the other kids.
There were more like 100+ of us, not 50!
to lakewood school kid
I’ll second that !
Better schools dose not require more money but more responsibly,thank you board members for demanding that
To #1: AMEN!! I’m really surprised that they posted your comment. You probably won’t see mine. That’ the way it is here. I want the best for ALL children. It’s all about their best interest. I feel sorry for so many of them.
Does and responsibility…correctly spelled. Private schools should be required to take the njask tests…
The best that could happen in Lakewood is that the BOE is done away with, and the state takes over the schools>
The Lakewood BOE is a disaster for the public school children , Lakewood does not understand what seperation of church & state means
Numbers in black and white can not be misrepresented. 19,000,000.00
How about stop spending big bucks on consultants and administration and focus on the students and their teachers!!!!
It’s very easy to say you care about ALL the kids, when you know good n’ well that the orthodox kids are not going to a public school. I know, I know, it’s open to them, it’s their choice, but that’s disingenuous. Bottom line is they’re going to private schools while paying taxes for the public schools. Yes, the BOE is going to spend some time on the private schools that have an enrollment of over 10,000 students.
If these teachers are so great why are these students all failing???
I’ve seen how well different groups of youth mingle with each other in
Lakewood High School.
well said # 8
Quote ” Bottom line is they’re going to private schools while paying taxes for the public schools.”
that s right but so does everyone even those whose children are no longer in school , those who never had children, single homeowners who do not have children.
your rational is skewed making the choice to send your children to private school does not negate your responsibility in paying taxes nor does it give you anymore rights to public funds for private use.
To #15 Every child has a right to be bussed to school, whether they be in private or public school. That is a right of the child as given over by the NJ constitution. It has nothing to do with church and state as another person put it either.
I am more than happy to pay my property taxes towards public education. A democratic society cannot exist without free schools that are open to all. My point is, that for the orthodox community, public school is not an option. You may say that it is, you may insult the people who reject public school, but you know good and well that the orthodox,despite the enormous costs, will only send their children to religious schools. I don’t recall ever hearing (in the past 25 years) of an orthodox family who sent their children to a Lakewood public school. Theoretically it’s a choice, but in reality, if one of the outcomes is not an option, it’s not fair to call it a choice. As far as public funds for private use, there is a big distinction between direct funding of a religious education(separation of church and state), and paying for bussing to a religious school.
Ok no problem we will segregate and split this town again and open pubic schools with separate classes for girls and boys like all public schools used to be like. We will vote in Jewish subjects such as Talmud, Hebrew language instead of Spanish. Is that what you want, we can also flood every school tomorrow morning with 40,000 jeiwsh students. The system will be bankrupt in 2 seconds and the state will beg us to go back to our private schools.
Stop threatening us. We pay taxes and we are entitled by law for our private schools to have therapy and programs for our children with our tax money. Ask the illegal immigrants if they pay taxes. Why should I pay for their schooling and health for their families through my tax dollars.
The problem is that today most employees have to pay their entire health benefits . The unions need to stop being spoiled and understand that they are not different than all of us.
I work full time and don’t get any of the benefits these unions are getting. Cut your benefits and pensions. Why should we be the only ones who have taken cuts and have no pensions and benefits. The economical world has changed. Wake up teachers of Lakewood. If you cared about the students you would take the cuts.
to: number 17
in an earlier post the writer says there are 10k students where did you get the extra 30k of students, I know just make up the facts as you need them.
to: number 16
Bussing is NOT a right. the state has rules of distance from the school to get bussing. Anything else is called courtesy bussing and is controlled by the BOE.
Yeah but you can be their slumlord and employ them on construction sites and cleaning your homes.
To #17: Fine, send all of the Communiy’s children to the public schools! The public schools would improve greatly. But understand that BY LAW classes may NOT by segregated. You can not even ask the boys and girls to line up on different lines or go to different gym classes. Also understand that separation of church and state is the law of the land. That means that any religious subjects such as Talmud studies are banned by law in the public schools. You can not even read a psalm in the public schools. Spoken Hebrew is a wonderful subject that can be taught if it is not used for a religious purpose in school.
Why should senior citizens pay any school taxes. They live in areas that are restricted by age and can have no school children. This is taxation that hurts those on fixed incomes.
Why should senior citizens pay any school taxes. They live in areas that are restricted by age and can have no school children. This is taxation that hurts those on fixed incomes.
to # 17
by law you cannot discriminate by seperating the genders unless as in a case of private schools that would not apply ,however it cannot be done in public education sysytem ITS ILLEGAL That is a fact
you can threaten all you want to flood the sysytem and you know as well as I that will never happen as you cannot discriminate if you do that so stop with the “threats ” already ” No one disputes your right to run your private schools the way you wish ,in fact that is what this country is all about it gives you the freedom to do that . You are only partially right about busing, yes all children that live beyond a a given mileage are required to be bussed, however this town goes beyond that and buses many that do not meet that requirement
My stance on these issues has nothing to do with being anti semetic it has to do with discretionaryspending this town seems to use at the tax payers expense in a time when it can no longer afford to do
to #15 : if all the frum would move into 2 bedroom houses or senior communities they would be paying taxes on a house assessed 100k-150k as opposed to 350k -450k so they are paying a disproportionate ammount of taxes
The teachers should be awarded contracts with raises, it’s like any other job. How would you like not to get a contract with a rais this year? If you like it or not they ar our employees, we must treat them FAIR!!!
Te reason it’s a failing district is because, the kids come from failing homes, they can’t expect in the few hours that they are in school to change the kids. IT ALL STARTS AND ENDS IN THE HOME.
#23 – What does that mean how would I not like to get a raise this year? I wouldn’t like it, and I don’t like it. I have not gotten a raise in 4 years as the economy is pathetic. I am happy that I wasn’t one of the 30% of the people who have gotten fired from my company. Not getting a raise yet keeping my job is fair.
#22 You need to get real, If frum members moved into 2 bedroom homes, they would need 3 more homes for the kids to live in. Every child is an expense to the school district.
You also have no understanding of the tax assessment base. The older communities are assessed lower, because the market value is lower. A larger house has a higher market value, and consequently a higher assessed value.
to #27 I didnt think I needed to explain myself better. the only rational to levy a higher tax for a larger house is because its assumed that they have more money, so you can say “if you cant afford it move into a smaller house” however in the frum community there is no such logic because like you said the family size forces them to live in larger houses which means that the tax distribution is disproportionate
to #28
I do not understand your logic, no one forces you to buy a home you cannot afford the greater the value the more taxes you pay ,taxes are based upon per hundred evaluation ,it works that way for everyone why would you think otherwise . My taxes have risen dramatically over the years and I no longer have children in the school system (for Many many years now) should I then too pay less taxes ???
President Lincoln once said: school is essential for one’s mind even if you have to walk 5 miles a day. The kids in Lakewood walk 20 feet and thats too much. The people who call the shots only care if they get credit for making things happen.
The teachers in the state have had it there way forever. Taxpayers really see how the public school child is educated and honestly we are not very happy. We need a new direction, new leadership, not the unions
I have taught in Lakewood and I love the children dearly! It takes a special person to be able to teach in Lakewood. Besides the Boe nonsense but we have to deal with several behavior problems, a huge language barrier, and many disinterested parents. The schools are failing because of the academic programs that the teachers are being forced to teach. Administration has robbed teachers of Lakewood from being creative and made us robots. It’s not the BOE who is the problem it’s the people who make up the curriculum. So maybe everyone in the town can work on stop pointing fingers and really look at the students in Lakewood, regardless of public or private. Lets really show that we care for children and stop playing games.
To Lakewood Teach (31): I know how hard you work. My daughter is also a teacher. She starts purchasing her own supplies at the end of July/August with the little money she has left. She adores her “kids.” She will be paying off her students loans for 20+ years. The saddest thing you said was that the parents show no interest. So true, and so sad. And yes, it doesn’t matter if it’s private of public. It should only be about all of our children, and hopefully, a better future for all.
I wish both of you were on the BOE. You are wonderful.
The average student in Lakewood comes from a border jumer family, many do not speak english, many move from season to season, out of state where their parents seek jobs, the school system is transient, with the number of students that are attending,
Many students, have not been able to be tested to a degree that wpould allow an advanced placement class, or does Lakewood have any more of these classes.
WHY IS IT THE TEACHERS ARE BEING BLAMED FOR THE LEARNING OF STUDENTS WHO HAVE NOT LIVED IN THE uNITED sTATES CAME FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY AND HAVE A HARD TIME RECOGNIZING HOW IMPORTANT LEARNING IS TRULY, nEWER PROGRAMS AT THE EARLY AGE NOW WILL START A NEW AREA OF LEARNING, THERE ARE POSSIBILITIES IN THE FUTURE,