By Ruth Luse, Managing Editor
Contract negotiations between the Hopewell Valley Education Association (HVEA) and the Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education are at an impasse.
Anyone who passed by the Administration Building at 425 S. Main St., Pennington, early Monday night must have wondered what was going on.
HVEA members began arriving at the site long before the school board’s 7:30 p.m. meeting began. They came to the meeting in droves, packing the board meeting room and the hallway outside.
The HVEA is the local teachers’ union, now led by President Heidi Olson, a teacher at Hopewell Elementary School.
The official Notice of Impasse was filed with the Public Employment Relations Commission by James H. Loper, NJEA field representative, on behalf of the HVEA on May 31. Mr. Loper is a former Valley teacher and coach and one-time Pennington Borough official.
Prior to May 31, according to Lisa Wolff, school board president, the first school board-HVEA negotiations meeting was held on March 3, followed with several meetings after that to work out some details.
The school board’s negotiating team is composed of Leigh Peterson (chairwoman), Ms. Wolff, Daniel O’Connor and Gordon Lewis.
In mid-May, according to Ms. Wolff, the HVEA submitted an offer. The school board provided a counter offer on May 24.
The HVEA then told the board of its intention to declare an impasse on May 27 at 5 p.m., if the school board “did not return with something more,” Ms. Wolff said Tuesday.
In an e-mail message Tuesday, Ms. Olson said: “ May 24 was the last time we met with the BOE (school board). The HVEA reached a point where we felt that a collaborative compromise would not occur and we needed to bring in a mediator to help with the process. I informed the BOE that we would file for impasse . . . unless they contacted me to request continued efforts to reach a collaborative agreement. After several days, I had not heard from the BOE and, therefore, filed the papers for impasse at 5:30 p.m., May 27.”
Ms. Olson was the first to speak during the public comment session Monday.
Referring to the host of HVEA members present, she said, “I want you to see their faces,” noting that many of them have been recognized across the state for the things they have done.
She thanked the board for the “tone during negotiations,” but, “when the rubber hit the road,” the result was the opposite.
”I believe 1000 percent in every one of the people in this room,” Ms. Olson said, adding that they are trying to meet the needs of the community.
”They deserve reasonable contracts,” she said.
”I don’t think anyone (on the board) thinks of teachers as numbers,” said Ms. Wolff.
Ms. Peterson said: “We greatly appreciate the teachers . . . and would love to continue to negotiate,” but it was the HVEA that declared the impasse, whose leaders “decided that we did not go far enough in their direction.”
”So there probably will not be a solution until September,” now that an arbitrator will have to be brought in, Ms. Peterson said.
Mr. Colavita said Tuesday that getting an arbitrator often takes time. Not that many are available.
After more comments from various board members Monday, Ms. Wolff said: “We are at an impasse. Let’s leave it at that.”
Ms. Olson said: “You can come back to the table.”
Ms. Wolff countered: “We’d like to stay at the table.”
Ms. Wolff asked Richard Lang, assistant superintendent, “to reach out to Heidi (Olson),” because “negotiations may be reopened at any time,” according to Mr. Colavita.
Since contacts with various bargaining units (including HVEA) have not been settled, the board, on Monday, reappointed all existing staff members at their current salaries. “Salaries will be adjusted pending new collective bargaining agreements,” said Mr. Colavita.
MS. OLSON also addressed the board about funds she claimed the district should have gotten. She said the district “has yet to turn in paperwork for money” it should have received.
What she was referring to, according to Mr. Colavita, was the fact that in May 2009, the district was notified by the state that it would receive $878,194 in ARRA-BASIC (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 – designated for k-12 programs ) funds and $31,784 in ARRA-PRESCHOOL (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 – designated for preschool programs) funds. These monies have to be spent by August 2011.
”The process the state has implemented for ARRA is quite complicated. In the past, the state used to give districts monies like this in equal installments, usually monthly.” The state now wishes to hold the money to help its cash flow and requires districts to spend the money first and then seek reimbursement, said Mr. Colavita.
”As of May 20, $156,058 in ARRA-BASIC still needs to be claimed by the local district by August. In addition, $20,701 of ARRA-PRESCHOOL funds needs to be claimed. The district is using this money largely for tuition and we are waiting for June’s bills to expend the remainder of the money. In addition, we used a portion of this money to fund a teacher’s salary and benefits over two years.
”All of the ARRA monies will be expended and reimbursed by the August deadline.”
The district also was awarded $134,336 in education jobs money. In a letter, the state “specifically encouraged districts to reserve the money for use in the 2011-12 budget, which we have done. While we have until September 2012 to spend the money, we plan to spend the money in July and be reimbursed in August,” said Mr. Colavita.
”In addition, the district was granted $848,270 in IDEA (Individuals with disabilities education act) money for 2010-11 that must be spent by Aug. 31. As of May 5, $130,819 in IDEA-BASIC still needs to be claimed by August. Again, all of our IDEA money is used for special education tuition and we are waiting for final June bills to expend the remainder of the money,” Mr. Colavita explained.
