Members of the Freehold Regional Education Association (FREA) stood before the Freehold Regional High School District Board of Education onApril 23 to rally for a fair contract.
FREA represents the interests of about 1,000 school district employees, including teachers, guidance counselors and nurses.
The union’s current contract will expire on June 30, district spokeswoman Nakell Williams said. She said a mediation session took place onApril 30. If an agreement was not reached, another mediation session will be scheduled this month, she said.
Amid several hundred FREA members dressed in blue T-shirts, the organization’s president, Debbie Gates-Kane, presented her case for a just contract.
“Members of the board, there is only one simple way to demonstrate your respect and appreciation for the work that the members of the education association do — offer us a fair contract,” Gates-Kane said. The crowd broke out in applause. Gates-Kane detailed what she said is the hard work of FREA members.
“We are the people who, day in and day out, before, during and after school, do the most important job in the world,” she said.
Board President Heshy Moses, a retired teacher and coach who spent decades at Freehold High School, responded to Gates- Kane’s comments on behalf of the board.
“Of course we have great respect for the work of our teachers. They are the backbone of our system, and we know that. And we will continue to bargain in good faith,” Moses said.
If contract negotiations extend beyond June 30, the terms of the FREA’s current contract with the board will remain in place until a new deal is agreed upon by both sides, Williams said.
— Jack Murtha