September 7, 2016
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Now that your children have started the new school year, we wanted to provide you with information about the status of the contract negotiations with the Ridgewood Education Association (REA).
Last night, September 6, the Board of Education members and the REA negotiating team met with the state-appointed super conciliator for ten hours. Although progress was made, settlement was not reached.
While we strive to settle the contract, our teachers and support staff continue to be paid under the terms and conditions of the expired contract. Teachers and support staff will receive their full salaries and benefits without any interruption or reduction. Stipends paid to staff members hired as advisors to our clubs, sports and performing arts extra-curricular programs will also continue to be fully funded in accordance with the expired contract.
However, please understand that at this time, teachers may refuse to take on club advisory responsibilities. They also may refuse to volunteer in some activities that fall outside the contract. For example, they may refuse to chaperone overnight/after-school field trips. If such actions occur, your child’s principal or other administrator will communicate this information directly to you.
In conversations with parents, some have offered to volunteer and take over club and field trip responsibilities. Some activities can be sponsored or supervised by parents, while other can’t for various insurance and personal liability reasons. Your child’s principal is the best source of guidance on this topic.
Teachers and support staff may also choose to strictly adhere to their contractual 7.5-hour work day, as listed below in parentheses. To minimize any disruptions to our children or our programs, and to keep our school buildings running smoothly during this time, we are asking you to follow the designated drop-off and pick-up times:
• Elementary schools (8 a.m.-3:35 p.m.) o Drop-off time: not before 8:35 a.m. o Pick-up time: 3 p.m.
• Middle schools (7:45 a.m.-3:20 p.m.) o Drop-off time: not before 7:45 a.m. o Pick-up time: 2:55 p.m.
• High School (7:40 a.m.-3:15 p.m.) o Drop-off time: 7:40 a.m. o Pick-up time: 3:15 p.m.
Lastly, it is important to clear up any misconception that our teachers and secretaries can go on strike. In New Jersey it is illegal for public employees to strike. A 1967 NJ Supreme Court decision, In Re Block, confirmed this. Since then, teachers in districts such as Manville and Middletown have tried to strike and have had the county courts grant injunctions stopping them. Some teachers were arrested for civil contempt in violating the court injunctions.
The NJ Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) has also re-affirmed that strikes are illegal and are not a protected union activity. The courts and PERC have consistently upheld the withholding of pay/benefits on days when teachers refuse to work.
While changes to activities may be an unfortunate reality during this period, it is important to stress that the Board of Education is committed to finalizing a contract that fairly compensates our teachers without jeopardizing the financial integrity of the district.
We are scheduled to meet again with the super conciliator on September 12 at 6:30 PM. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding as the Board works through this process to finalize a labor contract.
Ridgewood Board of Education Sheila Brogan, President Vince Loncto, Vice President Christina Krauss Jim Morgan Jennie Smith Wilson
BOE hold the line do not give in.
Thank you for looking out for the taxpayers, BOE. The majority of teachers already adhere very strictly to their contractual obligations 7.5 hour work day (long gone are the days when a teacher would stay another 15 mins. to help a kid struggling with a concept grasp it!). The fact that the teachers are so obstinate and actually take this out on the students is pathetic. I really wish these malcontents would strike so they could be fired! Lots of fresh young teachers out there who would quite happily accept your compensation package and benefits! Shame on all of you!
$102,000,000 is enough.
2% cap means 2% cap.
Teacher contributions to Cadillac medical must remain at levels called for in Chapter 78, P.L. 2011
Passed under the leadership of Senator Sweeney.
What are the terms of the existing contract, what are the changes proposed by the BOE, and what do the teachers want? Why isn’t this information readily available?
Do any of you people have kids in the school system anymore, or is this a case of “Fuck you, I got mine” that’s ever so prevalent in you self proclaimed “fiscal conservative” types? You took what Ridgewood had to offer when it benefited you, now that you’re paying taxes without kids in the program you want cuts, cuts cuts! Typical.
the teachers cant pay $10 copay’s?
Take your strawman down, James, only the foolish are going to bite. T$10 copay? Sure they can pay it, but it’s a matter of principle. There is one place this town can’t afford to nickle and dime, and it’s with the school system. I’ll be the first in line to sign a petition to stop silly spending e.g. parking garage, extensive Van Neste renovations, the Franklin underpass etc etc. But the school system is Ridgewood’s primary value proposition to prospective home buyers. You know when you go to Zillow and the neighborhood schools are all 10’s? That just about doubles your homes value vs. the 5’s you see in lower Bergen county. Our quaint CBD (emphasis on “quaint”). I’m disappointed with both sides in this fiasco, but the unilateral villainizing of our teachers on your little blog here makes me wonder if you even have any skin in the game. Are you a parent?
8:49 do you kiss your mother with that mouth?
How do you know whether or not I have kids in the school system?
Not wanting an increase over mandated 2% cap is not a cut, cut, cut.
I, unfortunately, have seen these same teacher actions many, many times. At the same time both our national and local rankings have been dropping. (If you want verification of that, just check the decline in National Merit awards over the years. And I am including the
Certificate of Merit winners as well.) The worst part of these teachers’ “strikes” (strike against field trips, strike against extra hours for anything, strike against writing recommendation letters, and strike against teaching anything worthwhile to the students.) is that the parents soon cave and start telling the BOE that “They MUST settle.” Parents, I know you say “we have no skin in the game so quit complaining.” Did you ever think there are more of us than there are of you and we DO “have skin” in the fate of Ridgewood? You are allowing the teachers to rule while you bow low before their demands. (And this does not include all parents or even all teachers.)
I don’t know, “Ridgewood Taxpayer” (by the way, I pay taxes here too!). That’s why I asked. Do you have kids in the school system or not? Let’s assume you do. Would you want the best teachers for them? Teachers don’t make that much money. Their chosen career path doesn’t lend itself to the accumulation of wealth, but for some there is plenty of incentive in the benefits and job security. Those are the two things they see as being under attack in this negotiation. I guess we could turn the screws to them, but in ten year’s time I would have saved a lot of money by buying in Ridgefield Park instead of Ridgewood. I have been amazed at the schools so far. Money well spent. And a 2% cap in the face of exploding healthcare costs (which were already exploding before our bastardized / sabotaged ACH, so settle down) is indeed a cut in real wage terms.
This blog is sad – its a partisan launchpad for a select few people to move their anger fueled agendas forward. If the true goal is to better the village of Ridgewood for its residents, in this case as it pertains to the current feud between the BOE and the REA a fair representation of the facts from both sides would be readily available. They are not. Do something of value here, something helpful and present the arguments or at least facts and actions of both sides, in an unbiased fashion. Perhaps that will result in a civil discussion netting an actual outcome. Presently its populated with hate, fear and ignorance.
10:16 you don’t seem to understand that healthcare costs have exploded for everyone, but most don’t get to demand higher wages that insulate them against those increases. The best part of the current law is that teachers now pay a percentage of their healthcare costs. But remember, if the teachers are paying 30% of the cost, taxpayers are paying the other 70%. If you want to reduce your cost then change your medical plan to a lower cost plan. Welcome to the real life decisions much of us make all the time. If you want a Cadillac Plan then stop complaining about paying for part of the Cadillac Plan.
Anything that undercuts the cost sharing arrangement or exceeds the 2% cap should be rejected out of hand. Whether or not I have children in the school system does not negate anything I have said.
1040, yes – this blog is sad. Particularly if your definition of “sad” is truth. TRB is a fair reflection of the majority of villagers here in Ridgewood. My fellow neighbors have been hurt by this economy in malaise. We continue to make sacrifices for our children even though our personal financial situations are under attack. Please tell me one year that teacher’s salaries have gone down in the last 20. Look at the rest of the county’s school districts – the offer on the table is decent in comparison with them. Settle now, REA. Take your back wages, pay the extra 5 bucks for a doctor’s visit and be thankful that the support you’ve received so far from the voters and BoE.
If teachers are so under paid then let them go to private industry/business and see how well they do where there are no guarantees.
“T$10 copay? Sure they can pay it, but it’s a matter of principle.”
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And there it is in a nutshell…. an arrogant power play by the teachers…
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If the teachers don’t like it, they can leave.
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Believe me, there are THOUSANDS of teachers who would jump at the chance to fill an open slot in RW.
Talk to the school and ask them how many teachers applied for the open positions they filled this year… LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF APPLICANTS.
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So teachers, if you do not like it, then leave. We can EASILY fill your spot with a teacher as qualified (if not more qualified) than you AND you will not easily find a teaching position as good as the one in RW (and you will likely have to pay higher health care costs in your new job).
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Teachers should be thankful for what they have, but instead they are arrogant and childish.
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I respect your financial situation 11:43 but refuse to believe “TRB is a fair reflection of the majority of villagers here in Ridgewood.” Most of Ridgewood would be offended by the language, sophomoric name calling and repetitive one sided dribble that gets prominent placement.
Again – facts from both sides would be helpful. Intelligent arguments made civilly. It’s feasible – just not as easy or sadly (and in this meaning, yes, truthfully) fulfilling to some as making disparaging remarks and blindly villainizing groups of people.
Lets at least be respectful – these are mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, grandparents peers etc.
I do have children in the school system and I agree with Ridgewood taxpayer. Ridgewood teachers have a very generous pay scale compared to many districts in Bergen County. BOE please do not cave. This is a matter of principal and the teachers’ behavior and attitudes are disgraceful. 11:43 makes a very good point and if the teachers are so unhappy with what the BOE has offered please move on. Many eager and enthusiastic teachers would love to take your place.
Here is documentation that puts the teacher position in perspective based on accurate, unbiased data:
The following is a report published by the Economic Policy Institute. EPI is an independent, nonprofit think tank that researches the impact of economic trends and policies on working people in the United States. EPI’s research helps policymakers, opinion leaders, advocates, journalists, and the public understand the bread-and-butter issues affecting ordinary Americans.
The teacher pay gap is wider than ever: Teachers’ pay continues to fall further behind pay of comparable workers
Report • By Sylvia Allegretto and Lawrence Mishel • August 9, 2016
What this report finds: The teacher pay penalty is bigger than ever. In 2015, public school teachers’ weekly wages were 17.0 percent lower than those of comparable workers—compared with just 1.8 percent lower in 1994. This erosion of relative teacher wages has fallen more heavily on experienced teachers than on entry-level teachers. Importantly, collective bargaining can help to abate this teacher wage penalty. Some of the increase in the teacher wage penalty may be attributed to a trade-off between wages and benefits. Even so, teachers’ compensation (wages plus benefits) was 11.1 percent lower than that of comparable workers in 2015.
Why this matters: An effective teacher is the most important school-based determinant of education outcomes. It is therefore crucial that school districts recruit and retain high-quality teachers. This is particularly difficult at a time when the supply of teachers is constrained by high turnover rates, annual retirements of longtime teachers, and a decline in students opting for a teaching career—and when demand for teachers is rising due to rigorous national student performance standards and many locales’ mandates to shrink class sizes. In light of these challenges, providing adequate wages and benefits is a crucial tool for attracting and keeping the teachers America’s children need.
Our analysis examines the relative wages of teachers but also examines how differences in benefits affect total compensation. We utilize the Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC) survey from the BLS to analyze the benefits of teachers compared with the benefits received by other professionals. This allows us to compare relative teacher benefits. Our estimates of relative teacher wages and benefits give us a measure of relative total compensation of teachers as compared with other professionals.
lol nice try , and by the way who are the “comparable workers” that work 10 month and have full time benefits a year ?
Just a Reminder: The Economic Policy Institute is Dominated by Labor Interests https://www.weeklystandard.com/just-a-reminder-the-economic-policy-institute-is-dominated-by-labor-interests/article/552391
James, This is where the data was garnered. Our analysis examines the relative wages of teachers but also examines how differences in benefits affect total compensation. We utilize the Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC) survey from the BLS to analyze the benefits of teachers compared with the benefits received by other professionals. The ECEC is a quarterly survey that reports employers’ average hourly cost for total compensation and its components. It provides cost data in dollar amounts and as percentages of compensation. The ECEC decomposes total compensation costs into wages and benefits. Data are reported separately for broad benefit categories such as paid leave, supplemental pay, insurance, retirement and savings, paid holidays, health insurance, defined benefit pension, and workers’ compensation. The ECEC reports compensation statistics for public- and private-sector workers and also provides data by occupation, including “primary, secondary and special education” teachers specifically. This allows us to compare relative teacher benefits. Our estimates of relative teacher wages and benefits give us a measure of relative total compensation of teachers as compared with other professionals. You can read the entire article at https://www.epi.org/publication/the-teacher-pay-gap-is-wider-than-ever-teachers-pay-continues-to-fall-further-behind-pay-of-comparable-workers/#epi-toc-3
Seems a stretch to refer to an article that is almost 5 1/2 years old to try and disparage the data!!
its a union site sorry it is what it is
union site is a union site
and data is data !!!
Yes and the data they use shows pay scales significantly below what Ridgeood pays
And again what are theses “comparible careers” they keep talking about?
US Department of labor Employer Costs for Employee Compensation statistics , college grads.
yikes so no real jobs just a median number
I would have liked for either myself or my husband to have earned what Ridgewood teachers earn and have their benefits now. And teachers do get a nice break in the summer which we never did. I admit that a lot of teachers have second jobs in the summer, but that means extra money as well. If any Ridgewood teacher would voluntarily trade a week or two with a teacher in an district where students do not have their parents aiding them with homework, finding tutors for them if necessary, making sure they are fed properly from the day they are conceived, etc.etc., they might just learn how lucky they are to be in Ridgewood where the parents help and thus enable a teacher to properly do his/her job. A teacher here can usually send a disruptive student to the “Office”. But what would you do if over 1/2 of your students were disruptive? Visit a poverty school and see how you think you could make exceptional students out of them with no outside reinforcement! If you couldn’t do that with them, then please quit trying to take sole credit for the students’ abilities here.
7:59 I haven’t seen any comments from teachers claiming sole credit for student success. It is a joint effort and when there is equitable support there is the most success. The teachers are asking to have a contract that is fair and commensurate with county averages. You or your husband can always change careers and enjoy the rewards of teaching. Just be careful of what you wish for as things aren’t always as they appear.