Average
Raise Is 4.16%
TRENTON, August 21, 2001—As the first day of school approaches, 115 school districts throughout New Jersey remain in contract negotiations—a lower number than previous years, the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) reported today. Among school boards that have reached agreements with their teachers, the average raise is 4.16%.
This year, 200 of the state’s
593 operating school districts returned to the table to negotiate new teacher
contracts. Of those, 57.5% are
still in negotiations. Last year,
62.9% of school districts were still negotiating contracts as school began; in
1999, 63.4% were in negotiations; and in 1998, 71.4% were still at the
bargaining table.
“It’s not unusual for a large
number of districts to still be in negotiations at the start of the school year,
and it certainly is nothing that should affect the first day of school,” said
Edwina M. Lee, NJSBA executive director. “Many contracts are finalized in
October and November.”
Public school teachers never work
without a contract, she stressed.
“Even if a new contract is not
reached, all of the pay, benefits and protections of the old contract remain in
effect until a new one is agreed upon,” Lee explained.
Salary increases. Average salary increases have inched up slightly over the past year, according to NJSBA data. However, they remain significantly below the increases seen a decade ago.
The average salary increase for
2001-02 contracts settled to date is 4.16%.
Last year, the average increase—or settlement rate—was 4%.
In 1991, school boards were negotiating average settlements of 8.41%.
Other trends. Current bargaining trends involve cost-management, increased instructional time and flexibility in starting salaries, according to NJSBA.
· Longer school days and years: Half of the contracts for 2001-02 contain provisions to lengthen the school day or school year. This represents an increase from last year, when 45% of contracts yielded longer school days and years. Longer school days or years are prompted by the need to increase instructional time to meet the state’s curriculum standards, as well as by staff development.
“Local school boards are effectively using the negotiations process to meet educational goals,” explained Lee.
· Starting salaries: With some school districts anticipating staffing difficulties in certain fields, boards of education are increasingly seeking flexibility in determining first-year salaries, according to NJSBA. Such provisions enable a school board to place a new staff member on the district’s salary guide at a step that not only reflects experience and training, but also demand.
· Benefits: As in previous years, a large number of settlements include mechanisms to control escalating benefit costs. For example, 43% of 2001-02 settlements contain provisions such as requiring co-payments on prescriptions, employee contributions to medical coverage, or increased deductibles.
“The challenges facing local boards of education—meeting state standards, providing staff training and directing a larger share of available funds toward programming—are reflected at the bargaining table,” said Lee. “School boards want fair compensation for their employees, but must also ensure the interests of their students and meet their responsibilities to local taxpayers.”