new jersey education association

NJ Congressman Van Drew Declines NJEA Endorsement Process

It's not only a challenge to keep people in the profession; there's an obvious shortfall in the number of wannabe educators coming through the pipeline.

The images quickly cut from color footage of smiling students and teachers to black-and-white still photos of people standing up among assembled crowds and looking angry.

Sen. Ed Durr takes issue with the New Jersey Education Association's Center for Honesty in Education. The union says some people feel threatened by the truth.

"Most people are used to maybe grabbing a pen or something from the office and bringing it home. It's just the opposite for a teacher," said Sean Spiller, president of the New Jersey Education Association.

For the week ending April 30, COVID activity was considered moderate in every region of the Garden State.

The threat already exists at countless schools across the Garden State, but advocates say the current proposal is at least shining a spotlight on the issue, even though it may not go far enough.

Cases were rising sharply in New Jersey schools before the holidays, and with hospitalizations now at their highest level statewide since early May 2020, there is growing evidence that children are increasingly among those needing treatment outside the home.

The bigger problem, experts say, is a smaller pool of teacher candidates.

"It's often said that teachers are the only professionals who steal office supplies from home to take them to work."

An analysis finds that New Jersey posts the fourth-highest differential between teacher salaries and the salaries of all other occupations.

Because no one is really sure what the pandemic will look like in two months, the New Jersey Education Association is one of several groups backing a "National Call to Action."