Progressive Parents v. Teachers' Unions in New Jersey

Some Montclair parents are angry with Spiller because their schools have remained closed for in-person instruction for a year.

"Why is the mayor standing with teachers?" a headline in the New Jersey Star-Ledger asked in February, describing a "Nasty tug of war with parents." The piece, written by Montclair resident Matthew Frankel, who is also a board member of the town's local newspaper, slammed Spiller for backing the union's position that "Vaccinations remain the only way to guarantee safety," despite the Centers for Disease Control's advisory that schools can resume in-person instruction well before everyone is vaccinated.

"And the risks for in-school learning are small in comparison." One big reason parents are upset: typical school budgets in suburban Jersey are huge.

One child said: "Sitting in front of a computer for-how many?-five hours a day is not real education.... It's like brainwashing. I'm not learning. I'm not picking up information. My main goal when I start school is to just be done." Parents told the press the whole affair had made them question their progressive votes.

Teachers in both towns have agreed to a slow reopening on some days, but parents note that schools have been on the verge of reopening before, only to be told mere hours before that they would remain closed.

Some parents say that the fault lies with more than just school boards and teachers' unions.

Suburban parents care heavily about schools, and they tend to vote that way.

https://www.city-journal.org/progressive-parents-v-teachers-unions-in-new-jersey