Teachers

Next time you see a teacher in the Bayshore, especially during these awful times when it’s the parent, not the board of education, who decides whether a child is to be in the classroom or at home any day of the week, be sure to thank him or her. And remember they are here because of their love for teaching, certainly not because of the lure of high salaries. Figures just came out showing that Freehold Regional High school is the highest paid school district for teachers in Monmouth County. And at $91,450 as the median salary, that after a 3.19 per cent raise, it is the only school in Monmouth County in the top 50 districts in the state to be pulling in that kind of salary. Next highest is 51st place Asbury Park, with a medial salary just over $83,000. Atlantic Highlands is a great place to teach in the Bayshore, as their teachers, with an 8 per cent raise, are paid a median salary of $80,560, making them the district with the 67th highest median in the state. While in Highlands, the teachers are way down in 357th place out of 657 schools. Those teachers get $65,595 as the median. And it took a 9.5 per cent raise to get them that high. Strangely, both schools send their students to Henry Hudson Regional, where the median salary ranks 278th across New Jersey. The teachers there who continue the education of kids from Highlands and Atlantic Highlands, had a3.9 per cent raise to bring them up to $68,866 as the median. Even stranger are the Monmouth County Vocational Technical Schools, including MAST over at Sandy Hook. There are five vo-tech schools under that board of education. And three of them, Hi Tech, Bio Tech and MAST place in the top 20 best high schools throughout the state! But their teachers rank 209th when it comes to median salary. They got $71,570 this year….and no raise at all. So it’s clear our teachers here go to their classrooms because they love their work, love their students, and feel they are making a difference. So thank them for it. By the way, the lowest median in New Jersey schools is in East Newark borough in Hudson County. Teachers there average $44,258.