Sunday, December 16, 2007

Israel Teacher Strike 65 Days

Israel Teachers Strike 65 Days
The New Jew: Blogging Jewish Philanthropy

Israeli high school students will return to school today for the first time since October, as the teachers strike concluded this Thursday.
After months of politicking and arguing over some very valid issues, here are the results of the strike:
It was the longest strike in Israeli educational history, lasting 65 days, 48 of which were school days
Teachers received a 17% wage increase overall: 8.5% of which will be given immediately, along with an additional 5% given to all public workers for “wage erosion” (additional raises are promised over the next 13 months)
Teachers will now be teaching 2 additional classroom hours per week
The number of students per classroom will be lowered
The school year will be extended 10– 20 days
Teachers will be fully reimbursed for the strike– now that’s interesting
Note that in a recent study on Israeli priorities, education was the number one concern, followed by security, corruption, and poverty.
Why Israeli Education Matters: Claim Your Stake
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mnorton@thenewjew.org

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