Barf in the bathroom? Cracks in the trophy case? Learn to deal with it, Save Jerseyans. The Record reports Bergen County’s Fair Lawn School district plans to dismiss seven of its sixty-two custodians. The move is expected to shave a measly $246,000 from a bloated $80 million budget enabled, of course, by a 1.75% tax hike over the prior year.
Not everyone is sweating it. New teaching positions will be created. A private company may be brought in to pick up the slack after the unlucky seven custodians are let go. The district’s superintendent, Bruce Watson (pictured right), is looking to earn around $229,035 before taxes. We could keep the endangered janitors by reclaiming his salary… and pawning those sweet shades? After all, no private sector CEO would get the 1.9% raise his union recently negotiated without at least encountering serious shareholder discontent. Watson naturally sees things differently:
“If people want to get paid the same amount of money other people get paid who hold different positions, they should apply for those positions,” he said. “That’s the way the world works. If you want to be equivalent, then you should get the equivalent license and take on equivalent responsibility.”
It’s no wonder we’re paying over $16,500 per pupil up there. But the real shame in my opinion belongs to the local NJEA for not accepting the obvious: layoffs, privatization, and all the other boogeymen threatening Fair Lawn custodians and their families could’ve been averted if the unions consented to Governor Christie’s proposed salary and benefits reforms.
Im from Fair Lawn originally, in fact I worked in the school system from 2001 to 2006 part time. These janitors/administrators are a waste!