Added Info: Teachers Plan to 'Work to Contract' on Tuesday, Wednesday
Bernards Township Education Association will dress for 'Red Fridays' until contract is settled.
The Bernards Township Education Association announced that faculty and staff will conduct two "Work to Contract" days this Tuesday and Wednesday, in which they will work only the hours and perform the duties required in a previous contract that expired last July.
The BTEA's announcement came after negotiators for the teachers' union and school district met last Tuesday with a state-appointed fact finder to try to work out the terms of a new contract to replace the three-year pact that expired at the end of the last school year. Another meeting with the state-fact finder now is scheduled for this Wednesday, Denise Graff, co-president of the BTEA, said on Monday morning.
Schools Superintendent Valerie Goger said late last Friday she would not comment on ongoing negotiations. School Board President Susan Carlsson was not available for comment on Sunday evening.
However, Carlsson said prior to last Tuesday's meeting with the fact-finder that "money" is the main issue of disagreement in contract talks.
While only two "Work to Contract" days now are scheduled, further "action" days "may be necessary to continue sending the message," Graff said in the announcement. The BTEA includes all teachers and other staff at the district's six schools.
Graff said last Tuesday's session with the state-appointed fact-finder, an attorney who may issue a recommended settlement for the contract, started at 8:30 a.m. and lasted until 4:30 p.m.
"During this session, proposals did go back and forth," Graff said in an email on Monday. "While there was movement, a settlement was not reached," resulting in the scheduling of one more meeting for this Wednesday, she said.
Graff said the BTEA was disappointed the meeting ended abruptly, as decided by the state labor fact-finder.
“Work to Contract” days entail that teachers and staff will work according to the hours, duties, and requirements specifically required in the previous contract with the Board of Education, according to the BTEA.
[Further information added] The action means that no extra-help sessions would be held before or after school, except at the William Annin Middle school, where the contract requires the staff designates an additional 15 minutes at the end of the school day, from 2:20 to 2:35 p.m., for supplemental instruction, Graff said in an additional email on Monday.
Students requiring extra help at Ridge High School should schedule time during the teacher's tutorial period, Graff said. Students at the four elementary buildings should seek additional support during the teacher's contracted hours for the school day, she said.
During the two “work to contract” days, faculty and staff are being requested by the BTEA to arrive and leave according to the contractually-mandated times. Coaches, directors, and before and after-care supervisors, at the elementary schools and William Annin, will still continue working according to their contractual requirements, the announcement said.
On this Tuesday and Wednesday, Nick Beykirch, a teacher at the William Annin Middle School said students are encouraged to meet with teachers during scheduled tutorial periods and regularly scheduled teacher-student contact hours. "Classes and the actual school day will be 'business as usual' as far as our students are concerned,” he said.
“Our teachers and staff frequently go above and beyond what the contract requires of them," Graff said in the announcement. "Many of them arrive well before their paid start time to set up their classes and labs, and you will find them conducting study sessions well into the evening hours to accommodate our students’ busy schedules. They plan lessons, grade essays, and update websites on holidays and weekends."
"We are professionals who are proud of our students and this community," Graff said in the announcement. "We wish the Board of Education would recognize that,” Graff said last week.
At the previous Board of Education meeting, held May 9, dozens of teachers filled the back of the auditorium at the William Annin Middle School, wearing red as a show of solidarity in a negotiations process that continued since before the end of the last school year.
Another Board of Education is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday night, tonight. That meeting is scheduled to be held at the Board of Education office at 101 Peachtree Road.
Continued Red Fridays are planned throughout the rest of the school year or until a settlement is reached.
According to the association, approximately 150 members of the BTEA assembled outside the board office during last week's negotiating session. The 700-member union contends that the action is intended to send a message to the board regarding how teachers frequently work above and beyond their contractual requirements.
Current listed starting salaries for teachers in Bernards Township is $44,232, based upon the 2009-2010 contract, according to the BTEA announcement. That is lower than at surrounding districts in Somerset and Morris counties in similar socio-economic communities, the BTEA said. list starting salaries significantly higher. The Somerset Hills School District lists a 2010-2011 starting salary at $51,790, the BTEA said.
Bernards Township teachers, particularly younger staff, can make significantly more in other communities, such as Montgomery and Millburn, according to the BTEA. The lack of a settlement now places Bernards Township teachers at the lowest starting salary of nearby districts, according to Graff.
"How will this attract the best new teachers for our students?" Graff asked. "It’s time for the Board of Education to recognize the ‘value’ of their teachers, both fiscally and justly, and reach an agreement that upholds the educational standards and expectations of the Bernards Township community. The teachers are ready to defend their professionalism and contribution to this community.”
Sandra Somers, teacher at Liberty Corner School, said teachers also work during the summers getting ready for the school year. "They continuously volunteer their time on committees that support our students’ learning and lives," she said in the announcment.
"We want this to end as soon as possible so we can all do the things we normally do for the students," Beykirch said. "After all, that is why we are all professionals and more than that, we are teachers.”
Co-president, Lori Thompson also accused the Board of Education of "political grandstanding" by refusing to acknowledge the teachers' contributions, cuts already accepted and participating in "collaborative dialogue" at the table.
Carlsson has noted that teachers are in effect making 1.5 percent less than last year, since the state has imposed a requirement this year that teachers contribute that percentage toward the cost of their health benefits.
Linda Saalfield, teacher at Liberty Corner, said in the announcement that teachers are not seeking a "Cadillac" benefits package, but are seeking a "fair living" salary comparable to other districts with a similar situation and similar costs.
BTEA members, including Saalfield, said they have reached agreements that have continued to keep the township's cost-per-pupil low.
TJ
9:13 am on Monday, May 23, 2011
what a mess. sounds like there are some valid points and some disappointing things to hear from both sides of the table. Teachers -- believe it or not, just about every professional works outside of a typical 8 hour day contract. We work at night, weekends, and on vacations. This is not isolated to teachers working outside of their school hours. Also, salaries and benefits are eating the highest % of our taxes. If you come up with a performance based system then the good teachers will do well and the poor performers are welcome to leave if the salary isn't to their liking. I do believe that great teachers should be paid better. The system is not set up to reward the best. It's set up so that all teachers perform pretty well -- not horribly and I haven't seen much that encourages greatness (not saying that it doesn't exist -- just that teachers do that on their own). Additionally, I will add that while we need to stay competitive in salary, I'd be curioius to know what "starting salary" means -- is that someone fresh out of school with less than 5 years experience? Then frankly, I'd say that $50K for summers off plus other vacation, plus a good benefits package, is pretty good for a starting salary for someone in their mid-20's starting out.
Dave
12:01 pm on Monday, May 23, 2011
Well I think just being at the table for negotiations and not walking out like you see on the news or read about is very commendable by our teachers. Working without a contract for almost a year with no prior issues to the children is also to be commended. Look at how many other districts you see on the news and read about who strike and do not take the best interest of the children into account. At least all of our wonderful teachers are taking the children's interests into consideration and being the best they can be.
Also the teachers are already paying into their benefits, they had to once their contract expired, that is what the governor put into place, so basically our fine teachers took a pay cut this past year when they went back to work.
How much money are we really talking about for a raise, I am sure most of us spend more on coffee or tea per day than it would cost to give them a raise.
Look at all the money that was raised for full time kindergarten, then the district received over $700,000 in aid. Did any of the contributors get a refund? What happened to the money?
Maybe other areas beside teachers should be looked at to save money if money is the issue. After all, the teachers who are the ones educating our children and preparing them for the future. Maybe its time to look at duplication of jobs in the school system and see where jobs and services could be combined to save money. Shouldn't we all want the best teachers for our children?
Laura
12:56 pm on Monday, May 23, 2011
In my view, engaging in a work action and bringing their union bias into the classroom by wearing "RED" every Friday is hardly in the best interests of our children, most of whom will either work for private companies or themselves, where they will indeed work beyond their "hours", have no guaranteed retirement, be subject to ever increasing contributions for health insurance, have no control over their raises and have no job security. As a group, there is no other profession that whines about their level of respect and compensation as much as teachers. Recognize that in a great recession, your compensation may decrease just like everyone else's, and if you can get a better job, go for it. In the meantime, the budget has been set by the voters and the Board of Education should hold firm.
Lori
12:25 pm on Monday, May 23, 2011
Sure, we should want the best teachers, but do we have them? It's a profession that is a "calling" for some but "free awesome benefits" for many others. I am grateful for the few amazing and caring teachers that we have had. But I cannot endorse the benefits package. There is a real world.
"Many of them arrive well before their paid start time to set up their classes and labs, and you will find them conducting study sessions well into the evening hours to accommodate our students’ busy schedules. They plan lessons, grade essays, and update websites on holidays and weekends."
Only hourly wage earners have an actual paid start time and end time. Most people work well beyond their "contracted" time.
Julie
2:22 pm on Monday, May 23, 2011
I don't find fault with the teachers or the union. Every one of us could have gone into the public sector and become a teacher, police officer or town worker. We all made our career choices, some doctors, some lawyers and others in the financial world, all of us working and making upwards of 6 figures a year or more. While the economy was booming it was great we all loved it and I guarantee not one of us thought about public employees or teachers and their salaries and benefits. Now that we are in a recession, all of us so called white collar professionals have had to tighten our belts. Because of this, we look to those who have always lived like this to give up more. Why, cause we did? Why now should we look to change what they have always had. Just cause our packages have changed, we should change theirs? Even in this time of recession, and I use that term lightly if you watch the market, shouldn't we be happy for what others have and not look to decimate them? You mention the board holding strong, this is the same board that gave the teachers, supervisors and principals these things to begin with. They have these things for a reason. When a successful company hands out raises for a banner year in the past, bonuses have been superior for most of us to what these teachers and public workers make in 2 or 3 months.
We need to support our local public employees, they keep our towns safe, educate our children and provide wonderful opportunities within the town.
TJ
2:34 pm on Monday, May 23, 2011
julie, I agree with some of your points. I agree that we should support teachers and other public employees and that so much heat is being put on their profession right now. Where I disagree is regarding the 'why are we talking about this now?' point. Yes -- we are talking about it more because we cannot afford the increases that we've been giving in the past. To your point, in better times, many in the private sector received a nice bonus. Times are tight and those bonuses disappeared for most of us. Same goes for assumed raises. Sorry, they just don't exist like that any more. Healthcare and insurance costs are sky rocketing. Those inexpensive plans don't exist any longer and tax payers cannot afford to support what we used to. Don't blame the taxpayer -- blame the insurance companies. In any event, I think your point about how when times were better, we could continue those steady raises of 4% across the board to all teachers. We just cannot do that anymore. Same goes for health insurance. If the costs weren't out of control then we could afford those plans. We are not in the position to do that right now.
Laura
3:00 pm on Monday, May 23, 2011
Well said, TJ. While some town residents do make 6 figures, and are merely "tightening their belts", many many do not, including retirees and those who have lost their jobs. They do not have the extra money to buy coffee at Starbucks everyday, or to see any rise in taxes, no matter that it's small change to some. This isn't an issue about the value of teachers, rather a question about affordability in tough economic times. I'd like everyone to be paid more, but where's the money going to come from?
BR70
7:08 pm on Monday, May 23, 2011
The teachers are the problem....They are greedy... it is their fault our taxes are so high...
The CEO of Johnson and Johnson: Weldon’s salary was $1.92 million effective Jan 1, up 3 percent from $1.86 million the previous year.Weldon’s annual bonus was cut 45 percent to $1.97 million from $3.6 million in 2009. For 2009, Weldon received total compensation of $25.6 million, which included stock options, bonuses and other perks. J&J is expected to release his total compensation for 2010 next month.
Blue Cross CEO's pay rose 26%
Salary, bonus totaled $3.5m as insurer's net income slid 49%
TJ
8:00 pm on Monday, May 23, 2011
huh? comparing apples and oranges. and yes, those oranges are problems too. but that's not what this article is about.
Lori
6:45 am on Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Why do people compare teachers salaries to those very few people who are making 6 figure salaries? You know what.....doctors, physicists, engineers and most of those who make 6 figure salaries took a long and arduous educational path; entered institutions of higher learning and obtained degrees that not many have the capability for. PLEASE. The barriers are very low to becoming a teacher, and I would venture to say many teachers could never succeed in other careers.
n
12:01 pm on Tuesday, May 24, 2011
To be fair: 1)there are many barriers to become a teacher- besides going to college, they need to get a teaching certificate and pay for all associated applications to get a job plus paying for the background check w/no guarantee of getting any of the fees back. Then they have to find a job that is available in the discipline they are certified to teach. After finding that job, they work w/o any job protection and can be fired at will, w/o cause until they get the protection of tenure, which only gives them rights, but no guaranteed job for life. Once they get into the class room, there are a mountain of rules & regulations concerning everything they do and multiply that with the number of kids they teach, you get multiple chances of making one slip that sends them out the door on their butt.
2) I personally know teachers that are very talented and can not only teach in a public school, but could be IT specialist, corporate trainers, or just do multiple types of jobs. I know a retired teacher who not only rebuilds houses, but he rebuilds high end cars & motorcycles, and has time to do tax preparing work.I am not a teacher or do I work for the BOE and anyone who is familiar with what I comment about, will never confused me as a lover of the BOE or the BTEA, but the last line of your comment is out of line and if you think the teachers money is so great, they work so little, and they have it so easy they can be replaced with a monkey, then I suggest you try to do it.
Cathy Ingal
10:02 pm on Thursday, May 26, 2011
n,
To add to your list: teacher need a minimum BA, BS before they take any certification classes in order to become a teacher. Most of the teachers in our district have their masters plus additional credits on top of that just because they know learning is part of what they do. As in any industry, there are people who fit into the culture and those that don't. Our principals are good at picking those teachers who belong. And we need to remember that they are human as well. Nobody bats a thousand.
L
7:46 am on Tuesday, May 24, 2011
For perspective here .... in the last 40 years (yes, 40 - that is not a typo), the BTEA has never received a raise of less than 3.7 percent.
In Bernards, the median salary for a teacher during the 2009-10 school year was $60,393. For comparison, Montgomery is about $1000 less, Bernardsville about $8000 more, and Chatham is within a few hundred dollars.
BUT, that number equates to 59% of our total comparative expenditures being spent on teacher salary & benefits. The state average is 55%. The other three school systems I mentioned are all 54% - which means we already spend 5% more of our total dollars on salaries and benefits for teachers.
So where is a raise going to come from? Our kids programs, again.
LCB@home
11:32 am on Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Thanks for the perspective on this. There are a lot of emotional arguments here - not the least of which are relevant. Stick to the facts.......
The job market is tough, even for teachers. If they do not receive an increase, I doubt they will resign and try to go elsewhere. Think of the other benefits theywould give up!!
Negotiations are just a poker game, and in the past, our negotiators have thrown in the hand too soon.
Lori
9:41 am on Tuesday, May 24, 2011
"We all made our career choices, some doctors, some lawyers and others in the financial world, all of us working and making upwards of 6 figures a year or more. "
Huh?
All of us?
Where does this kind of mumbo jumbo statistics come from?
MK
2:57 pm on Tuesday, May 24, 2011
It's interesting that Laura doesn't seem to think her own children or any child from Basking Ridge should or will become a teacher. Her comment makes one wonder about her character and her opinon of teachers. Her comment suggests that teachers are below her. It's sad she feels that way, especially if she is choosing to allow her children to be educated by these same teachers.
Laura
3:19 pm on Tuesday, May 24, 2011
MK- I don't understand why you took that from what I've said, or what you question about my "character". Teaching is a fine profession- has it's pros and cons like everything else does- all factors one should consider in choosing a career. I don't think it's any secret that teachers don't top the pay scale, and presumably one knows this and has considered it when they enter the profession. Ideally, the economy would be booming and everyone would be earning bigger and bigger piles of money- but it's not, and I just don't see why teachers expect to be treated differently than most people are right now (which is something I would tell my children).
Lori
3:15 pm on Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Wow!! I did not see that implied in anything Laura said.
Since less than 3% of the U.S. workforce is represented by school teachers, it just indicates that the 3 out of any 100 children, anywhere in the U.S will become a teacher. That's all.
The rest of what she wrote is entirely true...."most of whom will either work for private companies or themselves, where they will indeed work beyond their "hours", have no guaranteed retirement, be subject to ever increasing contributions for health insurance, have no control over their raises and have no job security. "
Lori
9:26 am on Thursday, May 26, 2011
What is a teacher's starting salary? Around $44,000? Add to that $18,000 worth of health benefits, so about $62,000?
Ellie
11:45 am on Thursday, May 26, 2011
The median income for a family in Basking Ridge is $131,618. So there truely are many in Basking Ridge making well over six figures. I can't understand the anamosity towards the teachers in the Basking Ridge who have been recognized time and again for their outstanding performance in New Jersey. Drive past William Annin or Ridge at 6:00 am or at 4:30 pm and see the number of teachers' cars in the parking lot. Wait until your children apply to colleges and see the incredible schools they get into - then you will rethink your 1 or 2 % raises. Basking Ridge is an outstanding school system and OUR children who are lucky enough to go through it can thank most of their teachers for whom they are today.
n
10:50 pm on Saturday, May 28, 2011
You are just another typical affluent snob. What was your income for the Federal Income Tax for 2008, 2009, & 2010? Come on tell us! I can tell you, if I combined my income for those three years, I still don't make the "median income" you think property owners make, and if I did make the median, that doesn't mean I didn't get my pay & benefits cut back. Why shouldn't the BTEA get a cut back? What happened to shared scarifies. How do you know the teachers are working a 6am? Are you a BTEA member?
Lori
12:18 pm on Thursday, May 26, 2011
Are you comparing the median income for a FAMILY in BR with the starting salary for an INDIVIDUAL teacher? Flawed comparison.
(1) You are comparing median with starting
(2) then you are comparing family with individual.
Let me see, if both spouses are teachers, and in their 40's, their family income would be around $120,000 plus free health benefits.
Hmmmmm.......and we are not even talking # of hours of work per year.
L
12:25 pm on Thursday, May 26, 2011
Apparently the BTEA and the BOE came to an agreement yesterday - they have not released details yet. I am interested to see them.
In my opinion, if they were this close to an agreement, the BTEA made a grave error in choosing to wear these tee shirts and hold the work-to-contract days - they have lost the support and respect of many involved, supportive parents. I know I will not soon forget this nonsense.
LC
9:21 pm on Saturday, May 28, 2011
Nothing much to add that TJ, n, and Lori haven't already said. Nice - they're going to leave rather than staying for 15 minutes to help students after school. Because, you know, they care so much about the kids. I'm so sick of these teachers practically comparing themselves to Mother Theresa. Guess what teachers are doing right now? Getting ready to have a glorious summer off! If I don't "stay after" and get done what needs to get done - guess what happens to me? No job.