Bernards Teacher Contract Discussions Underway

It's been less than two years since the Bernards Township Education Association and the Bernards school board settled the last contract covering more than 600 educators and school staff — and negotiations again are underway.

Board of Education President Susan McGowan said at Monday's meeting that the next session between representatives for the school district and school educators' union is set for April 17.

After the meeting, she said negotiators for both parties already have met three or four times to discuss the next three-year contract to cover the BTEA.

The current contract expires at the end of this June, McGowan said.

She declined to say whether the school calendar was one of the subjects during negotiations.

However, when the board approved a revised school calendar for 2013-14 earlier this year, school officials talked about whether teachers might be willing in future contracts to report for school prior to Labor Day to move up the first day of school for district students.

During the last round of negotiations, Schools superintendent Nick Markarian said that teachers worked for a year under the terms of the expired contract.

McGowan said that the retroactive contract was settled in June 2011, following 18 months of negotiations, and covered the 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years.

Under last contract, the starting salary for teachers with a B.A. is $45,573, Denise Graff (now Denise Policastro), co-president of the Bernards Township Education Association, said in June 2011.

At that time, it was announced by both the BTEA and school district that the retroactive contract granted raises of 1.5 percent for 2010-11 and 2 percent annually for next two school years. However, teachers also were to begin contributing more to their health benefits during the contract.