MIDDLETOWN, NJ Imagine being able to work a half-day job every day. For one Middletown teacher, it’s a dream job that he doesn’t have to imagine, but it would require being the president of a significant public union.
Michael Mason, a teacher in Middletown, leaves school daily at approximately 10:30 a.m. When several parents in the district approached Shore News Network to look into it, they were told it was part of his agreement with the NJEA and the school system.
We were unable to verify that. Indeed, the district refused to even answer our repeated questions about the subject.
Mason allegedly makes $89,805 a year teaching in schools, yet he only works a few hours a day. He spends the remainder of the day on union time, which is funded by taxpayers. Mason also works for the Middletown Education Association (MTEA), which is the local chapter of the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), according to his LinkedIn profile.
But that’s the end of it. Mason and school officials have asked the district to speak on the situation several times, but the administration has declined.
Superintendent Jessica Alfone, Middletown School Board President Frank Capone, and other administration officials have all declined our repeated requests for comment on why the MTEA president gets paid to spend the most of each school day at home.
One parent, who asked not to be identified, also said that during the annual League of Municipalities meeting, she was shown screenshots of NJEA President Sean Spiller on video display ads across Atlantic City. Spiller is a candidate for governor of New Jersey.
The NJEA could cover Mr. Miller’s daily time at home, not educating our kids, she added, if they could afford to pay their president millions of dollars to run for governor and stay in an upscale hotel room in Atlantic City.
When we called Mason today, he once more declined to comment on the situation. The district has yet to offer an explanation for the teacher’s frequent early morning dismissals. We also invite the district to reply to our numerous phone calls, texts, and emails on this issue.
Do you have a grievance that the district or school board in your area is not taking seriously? Send an email to [email protected] to let us know.
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