Health insurance increases take effect January 2011

Dear Staff:

During the month of December I will be meeting with each of you individually to go over the increase in health insurance premiums that will take effect on January 1, 2011. As you remember, my September memo had a chart showing the increases by plan and provider. Several of you made changes in your coverage based on this information during the open enrollment period in October.



I also want to go over the general financial condition of the school with you. The budget continues to be frozen for the third year in a row as per the School Funding Reform Act of 2008. This means our salaries must remain frozen next year. When you were given the raise last year, it was clearly explained that this was the final salary increase, and that health insurance costs would go up for you.



The Board has voted to freeze all salaries at Elysian Charter School indefinitely. As you may have heard, President Obama has recently frozen all salaries of Federal employees, so we are not alone.



As the list below shows, Elysian Charter School has the highest median salary of any charter school in the State of New Jersey. Only one other school comes close but since they are in Newark they receive more than twice as much per pupil as we do.  86% of charter schools in New Jersey have a median teacher salary below $50,000.  So we are frozen at a much higher level than other charters.


Elysian Charter School Of Hoboken $65,421

Team Academy Charter School $65,045

North Star Academy Charter School Of Newark $60,000

Jersey City Comm. Charter School $56,946

Princeton Charter School $56,688

Greater Newark Charter School $56,175

Robert Treat Academy Charter School $55,400

Freedom Academy Charter School $55,165

Englewood On The Palisades Charter School $53,519

Gray Charter School $53,000

Teaneck Community Charter School $52,000

Emily Fisher Charter School Of Advanced Studies $51,242

Foundation Academy Charter School $50,400

Marion P. Thomas Charter School $50,283

Capital Prepartory Charter High School $50,000

Unity Charter School $49,960

Sussex County Charter School For Technology $49,878

Oceanside Charter School $49,519

Soaring Heights Charter School $49,480

New Horizons Community Charter School $49,053

Discovery Charter School $49,000

East Orange Community Charter School $48,101

Learning Community Charter School $48,076

Jersey City Golden Door C. S. $47,867

University Heights Charter School $47,750

Village Charter School $47,750

Create Charter School $47,685

Academy Charter H.S. $46,750

University Academy Charter School $46,586

Hope Academy Charter School $46,500

Lady Liberty Academy Charter School $46,312

Camden Academy Charter High School $46,000

Community Charter School Of Paterson $46,000

Pride Academy Charter School $46,000

Greater Brunswick Charter School $45,600

Red Bank Charter School $45,457

Charter-Tech High School $45,318

Liberty Academy Charter School $45,179

Camden's Promise Charter School $45,000

Paterson Charter School For Science & Technology $45,000

Trenton Community Charter School $44,243

Leap Academy University Charter School $43,622

Schomburg Charter School $43,491

Central Jersey College Prep Cs $43,300

D.U.E. Season Charter School $43,163

Pace Charter School Of Hamilton $43,020

Galloway Community Charter School $42,901

Bergen Arts And Science Charter School $42,578

Union Co Teams Charter School $41,333

Pleasantech Academy Charter School $40,806

Central Jersey Arts Charter School $40,625

Hoboken Charter School $40,333

Queen City Academy Charter School $40,314

Adelaide L. Sanford Charter School $40,000

Burch Charter School Of Excellence $40,000

Camden's Pride Charter School $40,000

Maria L. Varisco-Rogers Charter School $39,374

Paul Robeson Cs For Humanities $39,300

International Charter School Of Trenton $38,996

Environment Community Opportunity Charter School $38,480

Ridge And Valley Charter School $36,745

Classical Academy Charter School Of Clifton $35,510


 

I hope it is clear that our finances will not permit further salary increases. As our rent and other expenses increase we will be forced to make further cuts since our funding will remain level.



However, as long as employees continue to absorb the increases in health insurance, the rent increases should be sustainable and the school is expected to remain in good fiscal condition. We can and will operate within our budgetary constraints. We can operate on $4 million, even if that amount does not increase.



Some staff mentioned concern about lack of supplies. There is no financial reason for a lack of supplies. Any teacher who needs supplies should submit a requisition, even if you have already expended your supply budget. We will make every effort to supply the classrooms as needed. These costs are miniscule in a $4 million dollar budget.

We are hopeful that at some point, funding will be increased.  Here's a great letter to the editor in the Jersey Journal.  Please note that due to the complexities of the formula, some charter schools in some cities in New Jersey are not adversely affected.  Those which expanded to buy a building, like Learning Community Charter School, did not receive any more money even though they took in more students.

Imagine earning only 52 percent of your salary while doing as good or better than the rest of your co-workers. How would you feel? Would you talk to your boss to correct the injustice? Would you look for a new job? Would you go to a newspaper with this story? This feeling of thorough and objective injustice is what parents and students at Learning Community Charter School (LCCS) and other Jersey City charter schools have felt for the past three years. Since 2007, Jersey City charter schools have only received 52 percent of the funding of the local public schools. In dollar terms, each child in charter school has received $10,300 from the state per year, while his or her peer in a public school "has earned" $17,200 per year.









New Jersey's original law mandates that charter schools are to get 90 percent of the educational aid of public schools. However, charter schools receive 90 percent of only two portions of the educational funding pie. What the charters sorely miss out on is 90 percent of the over $100 million in adjustment aid. This aid, thanks to old-fashioned New Jersey state pork barrel politics, is now kept in the district. All apparently due to legislation quietly passed in Trenton over the 2007 Christmas holiday.










Despite the extreme financial odds placed on all the charter schools, the beautiful silver lining is the great academic success that LCCS and other charter schools have witnessed over the years. For example, in spring 2010, 50 percent of the LCCS eighth grade class was accepted into McNair Academic High School. LCCS outperforms the district on all the state standardized tests each year and offers a rich and progressive education. A number of other Jersey City charter schools can speak to similar academic results. So can anything be done? The state school funding formula determines the amounts/ratios/percentages of money allotted within the adjustment aid and is up for renewal in February 2011. Many charter schools across the state are lobbying their representatives in the state and county legislature -- fundraising, blogging, texting and tweeting, writing to newspapers and generally speaking about the issue.










Please support Jersey City charter school parents and concerned local citizens as we rally to correct the funding formula and help create a more equal educational experience for all Jersey City public school children.










ANNE MARUSIC


JERSEY CITY