Monday, April 14, 2014

Communist NYC mayor will spend $10M to raise salaries for pre-K teachers at community-based organizations

04/14/2014

The city will use state funds to raise the starting salaries of certified teachers with bachelor's degrees from around $35,000 to $45,000. Teaches with master's degrees will start at $55,000. Teachers at community-based organizations will earn nearly the same amount as starting teachers at district-run programs.



The city will spend $10 million this year to boost the salaries of prekindergarten teachers working at community-based organizations to attract and retain qualified instructors.

In a move city officials are calling the de Blasio administration’s boldest step to ensure the quality of its ambitious universal pre-K project, the city will raise the starting salaries of certified teachers with bachelor’s degrees from around $35,000 to $44,000.
Teachers with master’s degrees will start at $50,000.

The higher pay rates begin around September and mean teachers at community-based organizations — which handle about 60% of the city’s pre-K programs — will earn nearly the same amount as starting teachers at district-run programs.

“This is going to go a long way toward increasing the quality of pre-K in New York City, and making sure every classroom — be it in a public school or in a community-based organization — has a great teacher come September,” said Mayor de Blasio.

The salary increases will affect about 1,000 teachers and will be paid for with part of the $300 million in annual funding the state has set aside for pre-K in New York City, city officials said.

Universal prekindergarten is the largest education initiative of the de Blasio administration so far. By September, the city aims to more than double the number of existing full-day pre-K seats from 20,000 to 53,000.
City officials plan to offer 73,000 pre-K seats in time for the following school year, giving a seat to every city 4-year-old who needs one.

Leaders of community-based organizations said the equal pay plan would help them attract higher quality teachers.

“We need teachers with expertise in early-childhood education,” said Melissa Fischetto, director of A to Z Center Too in Queens Village, who will need to hire three additional teachers under her plan to add about 60 new pre-K seats, which is currently awaiting city approval. “The higher salaries will help us attract a qualified staff.”

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