EDISON — The school district’s teachers remain without a new contract, nearly six months after the last one expired.
The prior deal expired June 30, and the teachers’ union was hoping to have a new deal in place by the beginning of this school year, Emil Ferlicchi, president of the Edison Township Education Association, told the Sentinel.
“We didn’t think negotiations would take as long,” Ferlicchi said. “We’d like to conclude this process as quickly as possible.”
The union’s negotiating team and the school board have met numerous times in recent months.
Ferlicchi would not say what points were holding up an agreement on a new contract, and he did not know when a resolution might be reached. If negotiations lead to an impasse, the New Jersey Public Employee Relations Commission will intervene to assist in arriving at a resolution.
As of Jan. 3, the teachers were still working based on the terms of their previous contract .
Board of Education President Gene Maeroff declined to comment on the negotiations.
The last three-year deal was approved in July 2008. That contract included a shift in health benefits providers, from insurance being offered by the district to teachers now being on the State Health Benefits Direct 10 Plan. Another change was a shift in the salary guide determining the pay for teachers of various experience levels. According to the 2008 contract, new teachers made $44,439 a year, a figure that increased to $46,575 by 2011. Teachers then received annual raises before topping out after 10 years with an $85,130 annual salary, which increased to $90,753 by 2011. This represented a roughly 2.5 percent salary increase in the first year of that contract and 2 percent increases in the second and third. On top of the standard salary increases, teachers with a bachelor’s degree plus 15 graduate credits could receive a raise of $1,802; $3,605 with a master’s degree; $5,444 with a master’s plus 15 graduate credits; $7,282 for a master’s plus 30 credits; $9,158 with a master’s plus 45 credits; $11,033 for a master’s plus 60 credits; and $12,476 for a doctorate.
At the time, Maeroff, then new to the board, said he believed the salary increases were too high in too short a period of time. He noted that it would only take 10 years to go from $44,439 (new teacher pay in 2008) to $90,753 (the maximum pay in 2011).
In other news, after two years as principal at JohnAdams Middle School, Shawn Scully has been reassigned to serve as assistance principal at Woodrow Wilson Middle School, effective Jan. 1.
At the Board of Education’s Dec. 14 caucus meeting, a parent and a teacher pleaded with the board to reconsider its decision to transfer Scully. A mother, who said she had never attended a board meeting before, said she had a great deal of respect for Scully and had to attend in hopes of changing the minds of the board members. The board did not respond to the public comments or give a reason as to why Scully was transferred.
“I do knowthat Shawn Scully is very liked and respected,” Ferlicchi said. “The teachers in the building were extremely upset.”
Teachers have spoken to many parents of students at John Adams, but Scully’s departure remains a big issue, Ferlicchi said.
Scully will receive a salary of $127,319 in his new position at Woodrow Wilson, according to the board agenda.
The board has yet to appoint a new principal at JohnAdams. Anthony J. Shallop is currently serving as interim principal.