Teacher Pay Scale – Paterson, NJ
The strangest New York area pay scale I’ve seen in over a year of searching them out: Paterson, NJ has minimal raises for the first 10 years, followed by $35,000 in raises years 11 through 15.
Strange pay scale: Start with a BA: $47k. At 10 years with a masters: $55k. At 15 years MA+30: $93k.
Paterson’s a blue collar city of about 150,000, about 15 minutes west of the GW Bridge. The city is about a third Black, and half Hispanic (Puerto Rican, but also Dominican and from South America). There is a large middle eastern population. Median income is about $35k.
There are about 30,000 students in 50 schools in Paterson. The school district was taken over by the State of New Jersey in 1991.
Paterson’s salary schedule is below the fold ———–>
SALARY GUIDES – TEACHERS 2007 – 2008
| 06-07 STEP |
07-08 STEP |
BA |
BA+30 |
MA |
MA+30 |
PhD |
1 |
46665 |
49065 |
50565 |
52065 |
53565 |
|
1 |
2 |
47165 |
49565 |
51065 |
52565 |
54065 |
2 |
3 |
47665 |
50065 |
52065 |
53065 |
54565 |
3 |
4 |
48165 |
50565 |
52565 |
53565 |
55065 |
4 |
5 |
48665 |
51065 |
53065 |
54065 |
55565 |
5 |
6 |
49165 |
51565 |
53565 |
54565 |
56065 |
6 |
7 |
49665 |
52065 |
54065 |
55065 |
56565 |
7 |
8 |
50165 |
52565 |
54565 |
55565 |
57065 |
8 |
9 |
50665 |
53065 |
55065 |
56065 |
57565 |
9 |
10 |
51165 |
53565 |
55565 |
56565 |
58065 |
10 |
11 |
51665 |
54065 |
56065 |
57065 |
58565 |
11 |
12 |
53184 |
55584 |
57084 |
58584 |
60084 |
12 |
13 |
54779 |
57179 |
58679 |
60179 |
61679 |
13 |
14 |
61379 |
63779 |
65279 |
66779 |
68279 |
14 |
15 |
70879 |
73279 |
74779 |
76279 |
77779 |
15 |
16 |
87261 |
89661 |
91161 |
92661 |
94161 |
Longevity:
Plus $ 700 after 10 years in the District
Plus $ 400 after 15 years in the District
Plus $1,000 after 16 years in the District
Plus $1,000 after 17 years in the District
Plus $1,000 after 18 years in the District
Plus $ 400 after 20 years in the District
Plus $ 400 after 22 years in the District
Source: New Jersey public employee commission.
Share links, or e-mail me, and I will post more salary schedules. The ones on this site? Some I stumbled on; some readers sent in. Send more, I’ll post more (and more people will send more, and more people will read them, and more people ….)
As I find them, I will post teacher pay scales, concentrating on communities not so far from NYC.
For the New York City Department of Education salary schedule, click here.
For a guide to salaries on this blog, click here. (I am aware that they are mostly 2006 – 2007. I will be updating most of them).
JD2718 
Not bad for a poor, blu collar school district. I’m sure their teachers have m,ore rights than ours.
Makes you sick.
you work there>>>>. worth every penny
If you click the link and scroll until you reach Paterson, you can read their contract. You can also visit the Paterson Education Association website (http://www.patersonea.org/).
Then you can decide what you are “sure” of.
(I am fairly certain that you are wrong)
why doesn’t New jersey count the years of teaching experience from another state? I have eleven years teaching the same age group, a masters in education and I was started in a payscale of a new teacher. Who can explain this?
they do count prior experience, but some unions’ contracts do not allow someone with similar experience to make as much as a teacher with the same experience – i.e. if the salary guide steps were combined or some were eliminated, a teacher with say, 5 years experience, might only be on step 3 or 4.
How could anyone live on these pathetically small amounts?
We work other jobs, including in the summer! (it’s a joke that people think most teachers lounge by the pool and take vacation all summer, especially younger teachers who make less)
Yes, I agree with Anonymous. I am a teacher in Paterson and we are currently negotiating a new contract and here is what the district is offering teachers.
No salary increase.
Add more steps in the salary guide.
Add 6 more days to the school year.
Add 1/2 hour to each day.
Have employees contribute to benefits.
Sounds fair, right? When are teachers going to be treated as professionals.
What exactly is it that you think other professionals get that you don’t?
I’m a professional in computer science, and most professionals I know:
– work substantially more days per year than a teacher
– are expected to put in 8 billable hours per day (lunch is not paid time)
– are expected to work free overtime when “necessary” to meet deadlines (in some cases working 12-hour days quite regularly)
– are expected to contribute (a lot) to benefits
– get very little in the way of an annual salary increase unless promoted
So what am I missing?
This salary chart doesn’t seem out of line with other professions requiring similar educational preparation either. (The way the raises are all saved for the end is weird, for sure, though.)
I can understand complaining about the way administrators talk to teachers as not respecting their professionalism, but I don’t see anything about working conditions and contract expectations that seems out of line with other professions (especially considering that you’re working fewer weeks), other than the lack of schedule flexibility which is part and parcel of teaching (and which is offset by much more annual time off than any other profession).
You are missing that we the teachers of Paterson:
1) As a teacher you are in danger of getting sue for any problem with a minor.If you as a programmer do not perform the way your boss expect you get fire. We the teachers could lose our teaching license or end up in jail for a kid lie.
2) Some times you are responsible for someone else actions.
3) Paterson teachers have one of the most heterogeneous student population. We have classes with students at 2 or 3 different academic levels. The education is not the same in all Latino countries. At the end of the day is all teachers fault if they do not perform in any state test.
4)Our main job is motivate students more than teaching. Many parents do not get involved in their children education. Maybe because they work many hours for little money or just because they do not believe in education.
As a teacher you need to correct your english and write properly. This reads as if a child composed it!
I understand how other professions view a teachers life as the “life of Riley” . It is true we have become spoiled by our work day which is really a byproduct of students attention spans ,whom the non experienced feel can be taught math, english and science for 8 hours straight, “just make it fun”. I remember a meeting with an Assistant principal and parent talking about her son who was failing miserably because he would just talk non stop in class because “he felt the work was boring”, so everyone was looking at me asking me to make the work more interesting than applying math to real world problems like calculating height, longitude and latitude using shadows or designing your dream house. I finally told them I have yet to see a game show or childrens comedy based entirely on calculus. I wanted to tell them I will bring in a rabbit and and wear a rubber nose next week.
So to other proffesions I will say that a bad day of teaching is like being lowered into a pit of vipers and praying they wont bite you in your sensitive parts all day.
what really is Patterson scale. How does one calculate it?
for example, if one earns $40 000 of Patterson scale per annum, what does that mean?
any help will be appreciated.
TO THE 6TH ANONYMOUS MESSAGE…. TRY TEACHING 25 KIDS AT ONCE (7X A DAY) WHO WERE BORN IN AN URBAN AREA, DEAL WITH THEIR PARENTS, ADMINISTRATORS, PRESSURE GIVEN SO THAT TEST SCORES ARE HIGH, GET PRACTICALLY NO RAISE… A TEACHER IS AN ENTERTAINER, A CARETAKER, AN EDUCATOR, A ROLE MODEL…. IT’S AN ABSTRACT JOB. THINK YOU ARE UP FOR IT?
That statement is pathetic. I am a parent of 4 under the age of 13 and I do all that and more. I do not have the priviledge of teaching 25 students, 7 period a day, but I am responsible every day/all day for the 4 that I have. Not all parents are disengaged from their children and the majority of us are teaching our children to aim high. Teachers have my children for 7 hours out of the day during the school year and are expected to teach them mathmatics, english, geometry, history, science, and other subjects that pertain to academics. Then they come home to me and I also teach them through any homework they have and do not understand. Don’t misunderstand me; I know plenty of wonderful teachers who have been a blessing to my children and myself, but I have also meet and had plenty who should have never entered this profession or who are just hanging around waiting to collect on their pentions.
As a parent, I do not ask teachers to teach my children manners, morals, religion, or point them in the political direction that benefits a teacher, but that is exactly what some teachers are doing. Teachers have tried to force parents to medicate their children and form their own kind of moral code at school. You are not babysitters, nor are you caretakers. Shame on you. If you picked this profession for glory and high pay, you should have researched better. I am all for teacher raises; based on the worked performed, not because a teacher has been in one distric forever. By the way, the most underpaid of us all are the stay-at-home mothers who are trying to raise productive, generous, and kind individuals. They do not recieve any monetary gain, nor do they have any benefits besides seeing the characters grow and mature in thier children. They also do not recieve immediate gratification. They will not even know if they succeeded with thier children until they are adults. Now tell me again what you have to complain about??
For the women with the with the 4 children who does not understand why a teacher would complain, you simply don’t understand. First off every job has its gripes and working in an urban school is both extremely rewarding and also very difficult. I personally like the challenge and approach my job open to learning from my students and the cultures, problems and uniqueness they bring into the classroom. However, in a school environment respect, safety and positive attitudes and behaviors that are expected don’t always match what many of the students bring. This is hard for teachers because we are in charge of the safety and well being of these kids whom a lot of the times exhibit negative disrespectful behaviors learned outside of the home. So not only do we have to be in charge of teaching and making sure that what we are teaching is being retained, but we have to in many ways teach how to behave towards one another. Young children are typically ego centric so it is up to the parents and teachers who spend the most time with the children to reinforce consideration for others. Many of the parents are caring and supportive but in some urban environments where poverty is so pervasive, and parents work 2 jobs to make ends meet, the children unfortunately receive less attention at times. Some of the Parent teacher conferences have a very low turn out of parents. Also, some parents are very young themselves and are struggling to raise their children on their own. This is just the tip of the iceberg, being a teacher is a great experience but very challenging nonetheless. As far as teacher apparently teaching religion, that is not even legal unless your in catholic school or some religious school. We strive to increase students self-esteem, abilities and respect for self and others. I’m sorry you have had a negative experience with some teachers, perhaps you might want to switch school if that is the case, but to get on here and talk about teacher’s whom many work hard so that your child can read and write and hopefully succeed in life, is a shame. Our jobs have many obstacles and sometimes, of course we naturally feel like complaining but that’s normal, I’m sure you’ve complained judging by the way you seem. So instead of comparing us to stay at home moms, which is your choice btw, why don’t you work to develop a relationship with your kids teachers so that you get the treatment your whining about.
BTW, teaching is your choice too.
That is you, statement. We appreciate parents like you. But you must realize that this is not the norm in Paterson?????????
The funny thing is that even though the job is difficult…most teachers, like myself love to teach in Paterson. It is unique, urban, real, challenging, and rewarding. The downside is people like anonymous that act like it is just another job.
Dear Mother of 4,
First allow me to commend you for being a responsible parent and on doing your part to contribute to society. However, I detect a bit of resentment on you tone. Perhaps the thing you should do is to stop looking for excuses and go get a teaching degree. Take the challenge before you assume what being in a classroom with 25 kids is like. Which by the way is always more like 30. I don’t mean to be rude but you should not be so bitter with the people that are there to help bring out the best in your kids.
By the way, you were right we are very fortunate and privileged to hold that title. But don’t forget we had to work very hard for it and give up many things to achieve it. I wish you well.
First let me commend you on your effort to raise good upright children I understand your frustration and I have meet some ppeople who should do something else. I just wish I could work with parents like you in order to really get some learning going on in my school.
you choose to stay home!
It’s terrific that the woman with the four kids says she teaches her children at home the basics needed for schools. That is not the case in many homes. Even kids who come to the schools from pre-school programs are not always prepared for learning. Teachers are expected to teach everything to students, in an elementary school day that is too long for most students attention spans; in a high school day that begins too early for teenagers.
We “borrow” the children for seven hours. Parents have them for the other seventeen (yes, I know the kids have to sleep) but the influence on children by the example the parents sets is of tremendous importance in the learning process. Studies show that parents need to set a quiet place for their children to do their homework; they need to show interest in what their child is doing (not doing the homework but assisting when necessary); parents need to read with their children … the source is not as important as the actual reading … comic books, the sports page, local news, whatever their child expresses an interest in. Again, setting the example is the important part of the process.
Above all, parents need to make sure that their children understand that they must behave in the classroom and the school. Parents who attack teachers and defend their children when the children act in an unacceptable manner do a disservice to the their child and the rest of the children in the class. If a teacher spends the majority of the day correcting inappropriate behavior, the flow of the lesson is interrupted and learning time is decreased. And forget the new philosophy that the child misbehaves because he/she is not “engaged” in the lesson. We’re not Sesame Street. We are not hired to put on a show. We are there to teach. It is the parental role to make sure the child understands that they must act appropriately while within the walls of the school.
There isn’t a teacher in the world who doesn’t want to do their job. Working all weekend to get papers graded, lesson plans developed and written, etc., is our reality. Parents lay the groundwork for what needs to be done in the classrooms. Without that groundwork, the child begins his/her educational experience behind, and must struggle to catch up.
I KNOW OF A DISTRICT WHO IS HIRING IF YOU WANT OUT OF THIS COMPUTER SCIENCE BIZ….
I am looking for a position in paterson or newark. If anyone knows please let me know. I am recent college graduate.
Have you looked on http://www.njhire.com
http://www4.print2webcorp.com/news/adv-starledger/employment/0002997258_20091031/0002997258_20091031.asp
Paterson is always hiring……HOWEVER, they only like to hire people that they are already friends with or friends of their friends. I think that is really unfair and also discriminatory, not to mention illegal. GOOD LUCK!!!!!
I completely disagree! I was hired in Paterson at a job fair!!
Yes I agree with you. It is certanly true. I have suffered the same discrimination.
I would be extremely happy teaching anywhere. I would love to teach in Patterson or any urban environment. I love the diversity that urban school districts can provide. I am very sorry to hear that nepotism still exists in a lot of school districts. I am hopeful that my experience and qualifications can shine through; even through I do not have any relatives or friends in the districts.
I would also like to say something else in regards to what is going on politically with New Jersey teachers. I think a lot of teachers; especially the veteran teachers are making a mountain out of a mole hill; when it comes to having to pay 1.5% of their health benefits out of their monthly salaries. At the present time, I am a teacher who was laid off. I am paying almost five hundred dollars a month for my health benefits. I do not think 1.5% of a monthly salary is a lot. I know people who are not teachers, and they are paying almost half that or more. The economy is a real rough spot right now; especially for teachers. For the current teachers who are complaining about their work situations… number one, be happy you still have a job, because I know plenty of people; especially new graduates who would love to be in your shoes. Number two, if you do not like what you are doing and if your going around spreading negative energy amongst your staff and the students, leave and find something else. There is nothing worse than a teacher in the classroom that does not like their job. Believe me, children know when they are not liked and when they are being disrespected and ignored. All in all, give your job to another teacher who wants to genuinely teach and nurture the lives of children and youth.