J'lem high school teachers to be absorbed as city employees

“This is an egalitarian and just decision that gives rights and fair treatment to those who have chosen to dedicate their lives to education in Israel,” Education Minister Piron says.

By DANIEL K. EISENBUD
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat 311 (photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat 311
(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
The Jerusalem Municipality, in conjunction with the Education Ministry, approved making 50 teachers from the city’s Ziv High School direct employees of the municipality on Monday, transferring the school from the ministry’s auspices to city hall’s.
The capital’s Denmark High School is expected to follow suit.
The Ziv teachers, all affiliated with the Rene Cassin Foundation, will switch to full-time employment for the municipality beginning next school year.
Mayor Nir Barkat promoted the move in collaboration with the schools.
Officials added that the Denmark High School was now in the final stages of the process of becoming a municipal school, with more high schools expected to emulate it.
Education Minister Shai Piron congratulated Barkat on the move Monday.
“This is an egalitarian and just decision that gives rights and fair treatment to those who have chosen to dedicate their lives to education in Israel,” Piron said.
“The whole system made an effort to resolve this matter in order to increase the teachers’ commitment to [the city’s] education system and to show that there is a long-term investment that will lead to more quality young people teaching at high schools.”
Barkat echoed those sentiments.
“We will continue to cooperate with schools for the benefit of the teachers in Jerusalem,” he said.
“This is a praiseworthy process,” he added, “that turns the schools into municipality schools, and gives the teachers the respect they deserve. This is how we’re going to bring the Jerusalem education system to the highest level for the students.”
Although the teachers currently receive social benefits and a pension, in the past there have been moneyflow problems that have delayed their payments.
Through the municipality they will now receive all their payments in a timely manner.
Moses (Kinley) Tor-Paz, director of the municipality’s Education Administration, also welcomed the move.
“After many meetings with Ziv High School’s teachers, I am pleased the move has been completed and they are now municipality employees,” he said.
“I believe that integrating Ziv High School into the municipality will improve the teachers, the quality of the school and quality of education in the city.”
Piron added, “This is the first of what I hope will be part of a broader revolution.”