It's an election year. But we don't think it's the solution to our current situation. Teaching is still an intrinsic calling, but it shouldn't have to be a philanthropic act. That realization is coming as schools face up to teacher shortages. In the next 10 years, one-third of New Jersey's 97,000 teachers are expected to retire, and the problem is compounded by growing enrollments and efforts to reduce class size.
Shortages are already a fact of life in certain subject areas.
In January the state Board of Education loosened requirements for foreign language teachers, as well. Those demands could set off a spiral of accelerating pay hikes, he added. They all found a way to deal with it, and they will this time. I think the state needs to continue negotiating.