Read by Perth Amboy AFT District Rep. Donna Tartza at the 3/7/19 Board of Education Meeting

PERTH AMBOY – Last month in an attempt to save face, Central Administration used this forum to minimize and discredit the concerns of the very staff that come to work every day to serve the children of the community. 

Assistant Superintendent Chromey went as far as belittling our Union President Pat Paradiso, likening her to an alarming hysterical fictional character. All because she spoke publicly in regards to situations concerning the health, safety and welfare of our staff and students. That inference is both demeaning and sexist and for that Pat deserves a public apology.

The director of personnel and evaluation focused on staff attendance and retention. This administration would like the public to believe that our staff members are abusing the days and not coming to work without reason. Keep in mind these days are either allotted through our collective bargaining agreement or permissible by state statute.

In addition, the President of the Board of Education read a letter that was full of inaccuracies with the intent to paint us in as selfish and greedy. The Superintendent made sure that letter was emailed to all families and staff members through the district website as well as mailed to our student’s homes and select members of the community.

We are here to tell you we will not be intimidated by name calling, flawed data or inaccurate reports.

Our concerns are real, they are not fables or fairy tales. We will continue to make our voices heard, and our concerns addressed to insure our staff is treated fairly and our buildings are safe for both our students and ourselves.