EngineSpecialist259

EngineSpecialist259 t1_j8of1s1 wrote

Reply to This Urban Planner Wants to Build a Massive Circular Rail Track Connecting Jersey City, Newark, Paterson by 66nexus

This is exactly what we need! The population boom from people moving out from the big cities to smaller ones is just a glimpse of what climate change will do to places like North Jersey. You think the rent is high now, just give it a couple of decades when we’re dealing with climate refugees AND the need to upgrade our infrastructure to meet the challenges from local effects of climate change.

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EngineSpecialist259 t1_j3yemwg wrote

Reply to One of the city of Newarks problem by ReadProfessional5944

I’m an outsider, but thinking of moving to Newark. I love the “bones” of the city- the parks, the streets, the architecture, and the transit infrastructure that still exist despite the decades of decline. I love that it’s close to NYC but yet still it’s own creature. Newark has so much potential and I think I’d like to be able to help the city continue to come back.

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EngineSpecialist259 t1_iw3eifx wrote

Reply to jersey city public schools...what improvements do you want to see? by glasssa251

A host of problems exist with the per diem (PD) teacher's aide system.

  • They're paid $105/day, which for a 7-hour day equals $15/hr. Aides must also have at least 60 college credit hours. Someone can work at White Castle or 7-11 and make more than that with less education.
  • PD aides have no benefits at all.
  • They're not paid for school holidays. We just had an entire week off school and the district is closed two days for Thanksgiving-- how is someone suppose to support themselves when they miss 7 days of pay in a month through no fault of their own? Even a month with only one day closed with no pay is too much.
  • They're required to live in JC or Bayonne. I'm ok with this if the pay was actually enough to even rent a decent room here.
  • My biggest concern: there is no training at all for PD aides. They're thrown straight into the classroom, even in SPED classes. There's no professional development for them. It's not fair to the aide or the teacher, but especially not the student!
  • The district relies on PD aides to shoulder all the gaps and only post full-time aide positions piecemeal. If you expect someone to work as a full-time permanent aide, then you need to give them the pay, benefits, and training for a full-time permanent aide. To do anything less is an insult to the students, parents, and PD aides.
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