It's a shame, but I don't blame them.

The BOE should have closed it for one more day.

I bet every class just watched a movie.

What can you teach when you have half the time of a normal day, have been out the last 2 days, and will be out the next 3 days?

Still, McCann is right. Don't abuse the system. They all are in a union. They could have called the union and asked for an official day off.

Quote:

Wait. Are you implying that if they're "tired" from doing their jobs, they can abuse the school's sick leave policy?

Damn. I'm tired from doing my job, but---silly me---I keep going back for more.

I would like to find out what percentage of those 500 staffers were teachers before I form an opinion on this. Half of them might have been custodians who were tired from shoveling the day before.

If these guys would not benefit from the pleasure and protection offered by tenure, they would have shown up. This is why public service trade unions - such as the teachers' union - are one of the biggest problems.

There are a lot of teachers out there, and many are very dedicated to education and students, but tenure provides perverse incentives, and these incentives are perpetuated through the unions. I am not attacking them, nor questioning their professionalism. I am simply making a point that the protection public service unions have gained compared to the lack of employment protection in the private sector, leads to odd incentives.

For full disclosure, in my previous life, I had the pleasure of spending several years in academia, in a tenurable position, where the perverse and costly effects of tenure were evident.

500 school staffers call out sick for half-day session; Epps not critical, but McCann fumes

Saturday, February 13, 2010
By MELISSA HAYES
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

After two snow days, more than 500 Jersey City school district staff members called out sick yesterday.

Superintendent Charles Epps downplayed the absences, but a Board of Education member took issue with it.

"I think the weather was a factor. I think that people are still digging out from wherever they are," Epps said. "When you look at the total number of people that came in opposed to the people who were out, I think it's a small amount."

Epps said the district has more than 5,000 employees and had 91 percent in attendance yesterday. Most days the attendance rate is 98 percent.

He said the absences included all types of employees - teachers, classroom aides, custodians and administrators.

But Board of Education Member Gerry McCann was critical of those who took an extra day off.

Schools and board offices were closed both Wednesday and Thursday due to the snow storm.

The school district had a half-day yesterday and is closed Monday for Presidents Day.

While Paula Christen, a district spokeswoman, said she thought about half of the absences were teachers, McCann said he was told the number was much higher.

"It tells you how much they care about the kids in the school system and their job," he said.

The school board and the teachers union are in contract negotiations. The teachers have been without a contract since June.

McCann said he didn't believe everyone that called out was sick.

The teachers union could not immediately be reached for a comment.