JACKSON — A sea of Jackson Education Association (JEA) members filled the Jackson Memorial High School Arts Center onApril 24, immediately following a public demonstration in which they brought attention to the fact that a new contract with the Jackson School District Board of Education has not been hammered out after lengthy negotiations.
The JEA represents teachers, paraprofessionals, secretaries, guidance counselors and nurses. Members said a year of negotiations has not produced a new deal.
“A lot of my teachers and support staff are working second jobs to make ends meet,” JEA President Carol Mould said. “It’s difficult.”
Mould said the JEA represents about 1,000 employees. The JEA’s previous contract expired in June 2011. Negotiations on a new deal began in January 2011. The union members are working under the terms of the expired contract.
“We have been in this situation before … we always earned the same amount, but going forward, these people are taking home less money and it is making an impact with the community,” Mould said.
Reforms at the state level are cutting into the union members’ bottom line, she said.
“Your salary is frozen and because of pension and health benefits laws that were passed … these people [JEA members] are actually taking home less money,” Mould said. “We do not want to end up going two years without a [new] contract. We want this board to work with us.”
The parent of a special-needs child expressed her displeasure with the current situation, citing her daughter’s school experiences as reasons why she believes the teachers deserve new terms in their deal.
“My daughter has multiple special needs … you name an issue, she suffers from something, and the teachers she has have gone above and beyond what I could ever expect a teacher to do,” the parent said. “You want to move to a town with a good school system, and a school system is only as good as the people in the classroom.”
Her remarks were met with applause from the audience.
After the meeting, the teachers said they will continue to do their job as educators for Jackson’s students.
“The entire staff that works here and represents Jackson’s schools is outstanding. We continue to work hard every day to the benefit of our students and we will continue to do so,” Goetz Middle School teacher Marge Eisenschmied said. “I am very proud to be in such a fine district.”
Mould said the JEAwants to resolve the situation in an amicable way for both sides, noting previous concessions that were made to ensure a new contract.
“Our salaries have always been that we receive [health] benefits in lieu of compensation. So every time we went to the table, we usually gave something up to maintain those [benefits] penalty-free,” Mould said.
Board of Education President Sharon Dey said she is aware of the union’s position and said the board wants to reach a satisfactory ending to the situation.
“I am very well aware of what the membership of the JEA is. They are helping our students move on into the future — we have a dynamic district, and the majority of that is because of our teachers,” Dey said. “We are confident that we will be able to move forward in a positive direction, and we look forward to that happening.”