Teacher Website of Sri Lanka
N.J. Teachers are getting big raises and bonuses to boost their paychecks.
Teachers in New Jersey will receive a 2.5 percent pay raise for the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2017, the state education department announced Monday.
That’s up from the 3 percent pay hike in the first year of the state’s Teacher Salary Commission’s plan.
That was part of a package of new and extended raises for teachers.
It was announced after the commission met for the first time since being established last year.
In the last three years, teachers in the state received an average pay increase of 3.6 percent.
It’s the third-highest increase since the state began tracking the salary figures.
The salaries of teachers were boosted in 2016 by the state Legislature and Gov.
Chris Christie, who had championed the pay raises.
The Legislature passed a $9.2 million package in 2018, but the governor signed the bill into law last year to increase teachers’ salaries to a total of $11.5 million in 2019.
Christie has been critical of the Teacher Salary Co-Chairship, saying it’s a way to pay for new teachers without increasing teacher salaries.
Christie said it will put more money in the pockets of teachers.
He said it’s not fair to teachers who don’t get raises.