PRINCETON: Teachers ratify proposed contract

By Charley Falkenburg, Staff Writer
Princeton Regional Education Association (PREA) President Joanne Ryan said PREA members overwhelmingly voted to ratify the proposed contract on Thursday at the individual school buildings.
Since the PREA voted in favor of the contract, the Princeton Regional Board of Education will move forward and vote on the tentative contract at a special meeting on Feb. 7.
The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the John Witherspoon Middle School and is open to the public.
The details of the contract will only be disclosed after both the PREA and Board of Education officially ratifies the contract.
The PREA and Board of Education reached a proposed contract agreement on Jan. 19 after more than a year of negotiations. Princeton teachers have been working under an expired contract since June 30, 2011.
In addition to the contract, the board will discuss at the Feb. 7 meeting whether Princeton Regional Schools will move the school election to November.
Board members will also discuss whether to change the school district’s name to Princeton Public Schools or Princeton School District. State law requires the district to change its name because once Princeton Township and Princeton Borough consolidate, the district will no long be “regional.”