SOUTH BRUNSWICK: Letters

Letter to the Board of Education

By Iman Elazabawi
    I am writing this letter to show my support to the dedication and hard effort that South Brunswick teachers give every day.
   As you may or may not know, teachers spend their own money to add to their lessons to make them engaging and exciting, which leads to more successful children in the future.
   Teacher, specifically elementary school teachers, spend days that are not paid to decorate and set up their classrooms for the children in the beginning of the year.
   Teachers in South Brunswick Schools, by law, have begun to contribute 1.5 percent of their salary to the costs of health benefits and that amount is increasing more and more each year; decreasing the amount of take home pay.
   Teachers also give $10,000 of their own money each year in scholarships to graduating South Brunswick seniors. And due to the cuts, South Brunswick teachers are teaching more class for no additional compensation. Teachers feel that these extra duties and class are impacting their instructional time.
   South Brunswick High School was designated as a National School of Character for 2011-2013.
   It is also the home to five Blue Ribbons and five NJ Star Schools. South Brunswick High School was included in the list of America’s best High Schools in the Newsweek Magazine.
   Our South Brunswick High School students not only score a higher average in standardized testing but 27 percent of juniors and seniors enroll in Advanced Placement classes.
   Our South Brunswick High School graduation rate is more than 98 percent and yet the median salary for South Brunswick teachers is lower than the county and state average.
   Despite the cuts to staff, programs and salary the students of South Brunswick continue to excel and succeed because of the hard working and enthusiastic teachers that belong to the South Brunswick District.
   Teachers want fair pay for the great work and effort they put in their jobs day in and out.