TEACHER NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE IN 114 DISTRICTS

· Negotiations do not affect school opening

· Boards focus on instruction time, controlling costs, attracting new teachers

TRENTON, August 29, 2002—With the start of school approaching, 114 New Jersey school districts remain in contract negotiations, the New Jersey School Boards Association reported today. Of those school boards that have reached an agreement with the teachers’ union, the reported average raise is 4.48%.

This year, 203 of the state’s 593 operating school districts returned to the bargaining table to negotiate new teacher contracts. Of those, 114 (56%) are still negotiating, a slightly smaller percentage than in previous years. Last year, 57.5% of school districts were still negotiating contracts before school started, and in 1999 and 2000 and there were 63% of districts still bargaining.

“We stress that it’s not unusual for districts to remain at the bargaining table as the school year begins, and it should have no effect on the opening of school,” said Edwina M. Lee, NJSBA’s executive director. “Teachers never work ‘without a contract’ when the contract expires, because all of the pay, benefits and protections of the old contract remain in effect until a new settlement is reached.”

Many contracts are settled in October and November, Lee added.

Settlement rates. The average salary increase for contracts covering the 2002-03 school year is 4.48%, a slight increase from the previous year’s average raise of 4.25%, according to NJSBA data.

Other Trends in Negotiations. NJSBA has seen other important and recurring trends in bargaining, including a greater focus on managing costs, negotiating more instruction time, and increasing starting salaries for teachers.

· Starting salaries: NJSBA reports more school boards addressing staffing difficulties by taking an active role in the distribution of raises on the salary guide. Because of recent concerns of teacher shortages—particularly in certain subject areas such as math, science and special education—many boards have focused on achieving competitive starting salaries to attract and retain new teachers.

· Longer school days and years: 44% of contracts for 2002-03 reported increases in the school day or school year. This additional time is being used for student instruction as well as staff development.

· Fringe benefits: As in previous years, a substantial number of contracts—38% this year—contain some kind of mechanism to control fringe benefits, especially to rein in the escalating cost of health benefits. Some examples include requiring a co-payment on prescriptions, employee contributions to the basic medical plan, increased deductibles, or increasing the number of hours that part-time staff works before being eligible to receive benefits.

“Residents should be pleased with the trends in negotiations,” said Lee. “We continue to see more instruction time for students, better trained teachers, and controlled expenses.”

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