WEINER PLEDGES TO SETTLE A FAIR TEACHER CONTRACT

PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS PAST AND PRESENT

TELL THEIR STORIES

UNDER WEINER PLAN:

ALSO GET POOR PERFORMING TEACHERS OUT MORE QUICKLY

New York City – Public school teachers past and present joined with Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Queens & Brooklyn) to talk about their experiences in our public schools and to call for a fair contract. Weiner also called for reforms to allow the removal of poor performing teachers more quickly.

    New York City has some of the best, most creative public school teachers in the world.  But more and more of them are being driven out of our schools.

Last year, 3,567 teachers left our schools, 936 more than the year before, and 1,100 more than the average over the previous three years.    

In fact, by the fourth year in our public schools, 44% of our teachers leave. By comparison, 82% of Scarsdale teachers stay for five years or more.  

    The reason? A big one is teacher pay.  

    The salary range in New York City runs from $39,000 to $81,000. In a county like Westchester, the median range is $44,000 to $98,000.  In fact, the majority of New York City teachers get paid $12,500 less than their downstate suburban counterparts.

    When good teachers leave our schools, it’s our children who pay the consequences.


Today, Rep. Weiner, joined by past and present public school teachers, including his mother Fran, talked about the need to give teachers a fair wage.

    “New York City public schools have some of the best, most creative teachers in the world, but they aren’t paid that way,” said Rep. Weiner.  “When our best teachers leave for suburban schools, our children pay the price.  We’ll never be able to give our teachers the pay they deserve, but we can give them a real raise and a fair wage.”

    As Mayor Weiner will give teachers a raise, making their pay competitive with surrounding suburbs.  But he’ll also push for reforms that will allow poor performing teachers to be removed more quickly.

    And to get good teachers into the schools that need them most, Weiner will provide a 15% pay bump to teachers who work in hard to staff schools.