Facts revealed by wife of imprisoned teacher
(Editor’s note: This column was written during the Middletown teachers’ strike)
My husband is in jail. He is a good man who lives by the law, has helped to raise three wonderful sons and fought for this country’s freedom in Vietnam. He works full time and [holds] two part-time jobs to support his family. His only crime is teaching.
We are both teachers in the Middletown school district. If you think he and all the others went on strike over a couple hundred dollars in health benefits, you must live on another planet.
We are not hurting our students this time. The law requires they receive 180 days of instruction, and they will. When we send them home over Christmas break, does that hurt them? The people we are "hurting" are the parents because we have interrupted their child care. They hold up their children as shields to hide the real reason for their rage. Well, here’s a news flash: I am not your baby sitter. I am your child’s educator. This is all I am responsible for and what a responsibility it is.
I will not allow myself to be labeled "baby sitter" no matter how hard you try. You made the decision to have children and/or to work outside the home. If it is convenient for you to work around the hours of the school day, well, that’s fine. But nowhere is it your right to become enraged if schools close for snow days, vacations or even a strike. I did not give birth to your children, although I do care deeply for them.
The average salary in Middletown is misleading. At the present time, we have a large group of older, experienced teachers. When these wonderful people retire, that will bring your "average" way down. Just for the record, we have a 23-step salary guide. That means it takes 23 years to reach the top of the guide. New teachers look at these guides when they decide to apply for a position.
My jailed husband would be making $15,000-$20,000 more a year if he worked in a neighboring school district because its guide has only 16 steps. The steps were increased due to givebacks during past negotiations and it allows the Board of Education to delay salary increases. In other words, you get paid less for a longer period of time. This does not attract the best and the brightest to work in Middletown.
There are not many perks in the teaching profession to interest young people in choosing this career. Sure, we have two months off in the summer, but we are not paid during this time. Even though we contribute to unemployment, we cannot collect it during the summer (other seasonal occupations can). Most of us need to work at other jobs to get us through until September. We teach all day and bring our work home … and what a pile of work it is! Extending our day without overtime is not a perk.
Contract language that allows administrators to schedule three, four or five classes in a row, or entire mornings/afternoons with no bathroom break is not a perk. These working conditions in the contract are also part of negotiations. Not being treated respectfully or professionally is also not a perk. Many teachers go the "extra mile" and add more time and work to their already hectic day. Although not a requirement of the job, we do it for our students. When ugly comments are made in the media, it takes the joy out of going above and beyond. Is this a perk?
Tenure is considered a perk. Districts have three years to evaluate a teacher before they are granted tenure. Tenure is not a guarantee; administrators can fire tenured teachers if they follow procedure and do the work. The three main perks that would attract talented and educated people to apply in certain districts are salary, health benefits and working conditions. How does Middletown measure up?
Historically, teaching and nursing were considered female professions. Our male teachers are wonderful, but females still outnumber them. Has anyone ever wondered why more men are not attracted to teaching? Are we talking about a "glass ceiling" here? Is this why we are now considered child care? We all knew salaries were not equitable to our education when we chose this field. Teachers’ salaries continue to be the brunt of jokes universally. We are underpaid for our education and the work we do, in school and at home.
There is no reason why we (like every other career) can’t hope for the situation to improve, even if slightly. I wonder if the judge considered gender bias when he sent us to jail — it’s an interesting thought.
There are two major problems in school systems today. One is the laws need to be changed to allow teachers and secretaries to have binding arbitration. This means when both sides cannot resolve issues during negotiations, they ask for a mediator. This trained individual decides for them, and both sides agree to support his decision. In New Jersey, teachers can negotiate until the end of time, and the board can reject all of it and impose a contract. Imposition is totally one-sided, demoralizing, and not productive for the employees. Will this attract new teachers?
The other problem is funding for the educational system. We need to find a better way other than property taxes to pay for public schools. I pay property taxes also. With new technology and aging buildings, the cost of maintaining a free education is skyrocketing. State aid is not equally divided to districts at this time. Inner city schools receive large amounts of state funding due to laws that have recently been passed. This money is well spent, but that means other districts receive less money.
Middletown schools are way behind other districts in building maintenance, programs and supplies. As of last June, we were still using a science textbook that talked about possibly launching the Hubble space telescope within the next two years. It’s been in space for about 10 years now.
I have never had a computer in my classroom, nor can I bring my class to a lab to use them. I have a budget of $150 to buy supplies for my classroom this year. How far does that go with 142 students? Teachers spend a small fortune on supplies to supplement their teaching (and I have the IRS audit and receipts to prove it). I could go on and on with this list. Do you think your teachers are frustrated? You bet they are.
So, for those of you that live on another planet (and didn’t stop reading this when you had the chance), the Middletown teachers did not go on strike and to jail for a few hundred dollars in health benefits. You can’t always trust rumors and the media to report accurately. We are fighting for our professionalism, which will filter down to our students. We are fighting for reasons to stay in this profession without having to look for more lucrative employment elsewhere or outside of education. We do this for our students and ourselves. We could use a little help here, people — just jump right in.
Barbara A. Pflug is a resident of the West Keansburg section of Hazlet and a teacher at Thorne Middle School in Middletown