TINTON FALLS —The contentious relationship between the Tinton Falls Board of Education and the teachers’ union may have reached a boiling point over stalled contract negotiations at the board’s meeting.
More than 50 members of the Tinton Falls Education Association [TFEA] crowded the cafeteria at the Mahala F. Atchison Elementary School during the Sept. 21 board meeting, expressing displeasure with the board over the lack of a new contract.
“What we want is a fair and equitable settlement that allows the district to remain competitive with surrounding districts as well as the ability to attract great new teachers and retain experienced ones,” TFEA President Cherie Ronan said
“Collectively the TFEA wishes for an equal balance to be restored to this district. This association is seriously considering all the options available to it to bring about a settlement.”
The impasse between the teachers’ union and the board has been ongoing since 2013 when the previous contract expired. At the heart of the argument between the two sides is how salary increases should be given to teachers based on their experience.
Board President Peter Karavites said under the current system, teachers in the middle of the salary guide receive the largest increases, while teachers with more and less experience receive smaller annual raises.
“Some people are getting a couple hundred dollar increases while some people are getting $4,000 increases and we didn’t think that was fair,” he said.
Board member Kenneth Hager, a member of the negotiation committee, said the board’s plan is to assess each teacher an equal raise.
“We got close, we got very close but we didn’t get it done,” Hager said. “We said let’s look at taking the money and dividing it equally.
“Everyone who gets the exact same amount, everyone would get thousands of dollars more.”
Ronan said the school district’s staff has always performed to high standards, which warrants a raise in salaries.
“Your employees continue to meet high levels of educational standards,” she said. “They have continued to enhance learning while motivating their students.
“They have continued to obtain highly effective marks on their observations evidenced by the fact that not one teacher has a corrective action plan on their record.”
Hager said one of the issues precluding the board from offering bigger raises is the two-percent cap on the tax levy.
“Weliveundera2percentcap,wecan’t go to the voters and say we want to give the teachersa5percentraise,”Hagersaid.“We used to be able to do that, the world has changed.”
Hager said problems first began in 2013 when the teachers’ association declared an impasse after brief negotiations with the board.
“At our second meeting, you guys declared an impasse, which means that we can’t talk to you anymore,” Hager said. “I was shocked, you had to then wait months for a mediator to be assigned.
“Six months later we get a mediator and then you need to get our schedule and your schedule and the mediator’s schedule lined up. That took another couple of months.”
According to Karavites, the board signed a memorandum of agreement for a new contract in September 2014, which the teachers’ association did not vote down until the following June.
“For nine months they sat on it,” he said. “We are thinking it is all done, nine months later they turn it down.”
Teachers are currently operating under the former contract, which expired in 2013. Ronan said the average district teacher makes about $10,000 less than teachers are paid in comparable school districts.
“We are beginning our third year without a contract, the message that you continue to send is that our staff is not worth the same as teachers and support staff in surrounding districts,” Ronan said.
However, Karavites said it is difficult to compare the district to nearby Eatontown because
25 teachers have retired in recent years in Tinton Falls, decreasing the average salaries.
Karavites said there is a misconception that the teachers are operating under no contract.
“They’re operating under an old contract,” he said. “They have a contract, they are getting paid, and they are getting health benefits.”
The board and association currently have a fact-finding meeting scheduled for Oct. 5, the next step in negotiating a new contract.
The TFEA currently represents more than 200 teachers, paraprofessionals and secretaries.