LONG ISLAND BULLETIN BOARD

Thought this was interesting so did some quick research. Numbers are not exact enrollments but close to it. Basically they are all similar in enrollment, if not the other schools actually have more kids and less principals. Not commenting on what this means, just pointing out that if you meant LONGWOOD when you said "schools similar in size", then OK, you are right- but you can't really compare Sachem to Longwood. So here is a more realistic look.

4 Assistants + 1 Principal:
Sachem East (approx. 2200)
Sachem North (approx. 2000)

3 Assistants + 1 principal:
Commack HS (approx. 2400 students)
Pat-Med (approx. 2800 students)
Ward melville (approx. 2000 students)

Every school has pretty much the same problems. Pat-Med is fullof gang & drug problems. If any school needs more AP's it's Pat-Med.

Ward Melville & Commack have their fair share of drug problems but they tend to be dealt with privately.

Longwood's problems in the high school are far less than you would tend to believe.

Sachem's drug & gang problems are just as bad as any other school but the parental support is lacking.

Cudos to all the parents involved in your children's life and their education. It the rest who are bringing this school district down.

The teachers have suggested taking a freeze and most would be happy to give back...but our wonderful UNION PRESIDENT JOHN HESLIN is retiring next year and that would hurt is FAS so he is not offering anything!

So can you teachers who want to give back get a large group together and speak up? (You say most, so you should be able to get great support) Force JH and the BOE to listen to the majority.

The community wants it, you say teachers want it, I am sure the BOE would welcome it. Don't be bullied!

Seriously, call me in confidence @588-6161. Let me show you every dollar and every lie
Freed

I'd be more then happy to take a pay cut to stay and teach. But I'm being excessed I guess I don't count. Heslin won't give us the the option. Call for a vote

I don't know how to start that. Where would I begin? I'm a newer teacher.

Let me get this straight...almost no cuts to sports, no cuts to administration, and the money (appr. 2 million) returned to the district will be used to lower the budget, but the teachers should take a freeze? So next year when the same problem happens, another freeze for the teachers? Every other district on LI passes a 4% budget once in a while...
so student population goes down over the past 10 years but the amount of sports teams goes up?? Amazing.

Not in these rough times, we should all stick together as educators! We aren't after money, well at least I'm not, Heslin might be. I do it for the love of my career and a steady job. Have you been reading Newsday? All the teachers are taking freezes and cuts to save their own kind. Why aren't we? We could always negotiate that when things get better we will go back to where we were supposed to be or some other type of negotiation. Heslin won't be around for it so he doesn't want to bother.

The teachers have suggested taking a freeze and most would be happy to give back...but our wonderful UNION PRESIDENT JOHN HESLIN is retiring next year and that would hurt is FAS so he is not offering anything![/quote]

#1 If you think JH is holding out for a mere 2% then you don't know him very well.
#2 The district has declining enrollment, regardless of any deal you would still go.
#3 The real question might be why were you hired in the 1st place based upon our enrollment numbers? You point the finger at your union, how about admins culpability here???
#4 Everyone wants to point out other districts who took a freeze. A few questions to think about:
- How many of these districts took a zero in their previous contract?
- How many of these districts who opened their contracts in the last 2 yrs still excessed the year after?
Finally based upon the date of your post, were you excessed or denied tenure???

More lies from union leadership. Sachem teachers have never taken a zero in their contract. A cash payment with a step increase is not a zero. Get into the frigging real world. Heslon is a coward. A true leader protects his people. He is a fake phony fraud.

Totally agree...They never had a real freeze!!!
They don't have a clue, and if H e s l i n has one year left, I would make him walk the plank or make him an offer he can't refuse today so they can get him out...The teachers should take a vote lead by the union leaders in each building..

Show up at the Budget Presentation at East Tonight
Insist on two years Job Security for all If teachers take a two year freeze

This community needs to wise up. Sachem teachers have taken a freeze 2x in their last two contracts and have increased their contributions to health care so Sachem could expand the district to create more opportunities in the last decade. This puts their salaries in the middle of Suffolk and the top 10% of medical contributions. The Sachem community gets a great deal for what they are willing to contribute in taxes.

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Insist on two years Job Security for all If teachers take a two year freeze. It makes sense for the District and you. Tell your building leaders to demand a vote. The district will be receptive. especialy if the budget goes down

I don't work in the district but I have a good friend who does. He is willing to take a pay freeze to get some of his teachers back that were pink slipped, but if there are less kids and less money, and now less teachers, WHY AREN'T THERE LESS ADMINISTRATORS?? Yet to hear of any APs or Principals or Superintendents getting let go or taking pay freezes. He also said some good teachers were let go with lame excuses as another way for the district to CUT teachers without reporting them as excessed. To me it seems like the class room education IS NOT what is important anymore. He said NOT 1 PHYS.ED TEACHER CUT or ART or MUSIC. I am not sure if this is accurate but we were able to keep all of the gym teachers that were just hired but are cutting tachers who have been in district for years? I am not saying Phys. ed isn't important but when you hear rumors that the last person hired in phys.ed was connected to someone high up, then it makes you wonder if the whole system is just completely corrupt and good teachers are being let go to save money for others who know the right people. I am not accusing anyone of anything, it just makes me wonder.

They are cutting teachers because of a declining enrollment. The phy. ed classes are at their maximum now. The classes being cut are the ones with low enrollment. If you cut teachers that have class size of 35, what will it look like after the cut. 45 per class? Last one in first one out in that particular subject matter.