PRINCETON: Board ratifies contract for teachers

By Charley Falkenburg, Staff Writer
   Teachers in Princeton have a new contract after the Board of Education unanimously voted to ratify it at a Feb. 7 meeting in the John Witherspoon Middle School cafeteria.
   The Princeton Regional Education Association voted to approve it on Feb. 2.
   Board president Rebecca Cox said the three-year agreement is the first in the district’s history that falls under a new health care contribution law, a new 2 percent property tax cap and other regulations.
   ”We believe this is a fair contract for teachers, taxpayers and the community at large,” said Ms. Cox. “The agreement comes within the tax cap restrictions over its three-year term and addresses the main concerns of the union and the board.”
   Upon ratification, the contract details were disclosed.
   During the first year, teachers will be frozen on the salary guide, except for longevity. Union members will receive a cash payment based on a degree level starting at $1,250.
   To satisfy the union’s desire to maintain the current salary guide structure and consider the higher health care contributions, teachers will see a salary increase of 2.78 percent in the second year of the contract.
   A third year increase of 2.5 percent will be offset by the district’s plan to phase out its two most expensive health care plans. Those plans will no longer be offered after June 2014.
   ”Reducing the overall cost of our health plans has been a goal of the district for many years because of the unpredictable nature of the increases from one year to the next,” said Ms. Cox. “As part of the negotiations process and estimation of the overall cost of the contract, we have projected annual increases of 10 percent.”
   The union and the board also agreed to freeze extra pay for additional services for the current year and increase them 2 percent each year during the contract’s final two years. The payments will be awarded for coaching sports, advising clubs and other non-instructional activities.
   ”The effective cost of the contract over three years will help bring the overall budget under the property tax cap,” said Ms. Cox. “We appreciate everyone’s patience during the negotiations and are pleased that the end result is a fair agreement for everyone.”
   The union and board reached a tentative agreement on the contract on Jan. 19 after more than a year of negotiations. Since June 30, 2011, Princeton teachers have been working under an expired contract.