BOE has not made an offer.. on the contrary;
The Ridgewood Board of Education has refused to meet with the new state appointed Super Conciliator assigned to mediate the contract impasse.
The REA and BOE were recently assigned a state appointed Super Conciliator. This past Tuesday he offered three available dates of June 21, June 23, and June 27. The REA quickly informed the Super Conciliator and the BOE that they would make themselves available all three dates.
On Thursday, the BOE’s attorney sent an email to the Super Conciliator requesting dates after July 6 due an upcoming meeting of the SEHBP Commission where 2017 premium rate increases will be discussed. They also “heard” that the elimination of Direct 10 is an anticipated topic of discussion for the same meeting. They feel that both issues are key to resolving the current impasse.
#1. The commission doesn’t have the ability to eliminate a plan. That is done by the SEHBP design team which is not meeting until the Fall. Is it the Board’s intention to keep delaying negotiating until after the start of the new school year?
#2. Rates discussed will be recommendations and probably will not be adopted until another meeting later in the summer or closer to the Fall. Those are the rates which would be implemented on January 1, 2017.
REMINDER: The Fact Finder’s report had no change in healthcare plan and took into consideration the BOE’s projected premium increases which they budgeted at 10%. The Fact Finder’s report proved they could keep status quo health plan and settle this contract while balancing their budget under the 2% cap – without any additional increase in taxes. This upcoming meeting has no bearing on the Fact Finder’s recommendations which is the basis of the next round of mediation
#4. Delaying the process creates concern for finding availability of dates from the Super Conciliator that will work when trying to coordinate vacation and summer work schedules.
The BOE informed the public at their last meeting that they were willing to meet anytime with the REA to work towards settling this contract. Apparently that simply was not true. There is now an opportunity to meet with the new state appointed mediator as early as next week. Their refusal to meet is further indication of their lack of desire to settle a contract.
Get the teachers a box of Kleenex.
They just don’t seem to get basic math.
Why should they?Teachers and there union rep just want someone to take there side and the over burdened taxpayer, BOE are saying NO!
Ridgewood taxpayer is right ..refer to the Garage Fiasco. Same deal.. We are just saying No.We pay the bills around here.
Who needs a Super Conciliator… just Settle Now – teachers should accept the BOE’s offer – Settle Now!
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Do it fer da kidz.
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We love yer kidz
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“No Contract = No Future for Ridgewood”
I AGREE with the teacher holding that sign – She should SIGN THE CONTRACT OFFERED BY THE BOE.
“No Contract = No Future for Ridgewood”
Do it fer da kidz
Glad that BOE is taking a hard line. Fed up with this nonsense and the teachers’ and their union’s demands. If you don’t like working in our schools go work in another district.
How many ways can it be said???? The BOE has NOT OFFERED a contract. As of today, there is nothing for teachers to sign, there is no offer. BOE has rejected the nonpartisan state mediator recommendations.
Good
Let’s have a referendum on the contract that the BOE should offer: “bronze” level health care which is equivalent to what most private employer plans offer, $25 copays, “use it or lose it” sick leave, defined contribution pension plans, and wage growth linked to north Jersey CPI or 2% prooerty tax cap, whichever is less. How’s that for a basis for a BOE contract offer? Take it, or leave.
12:57’s proposal covers it all and I believe is a pretty accurate reflection of how the majority of people in town feel. Referendum is a good way to go so those of us who are paying the freight have some say in the matter.
12:57 when the basis of employment for all state/government employees in the ENTIRE state of NJ is changed, then perhaps you might see this as a viable offer. Until then, you won’t hire one competent, certified teacher to work in this district … goodbye quality of education and home values!
@12:57…seems like a common sense plan to me…why was the fact finder so generous then? What are we missing?
8:10 sounds like a teacher to me — more fear mongering. There are a lot of good teachers who would love to work in Ridgewood’s school system. The malcontents should leave if they don’t like it.
I’m sure we’ll do just fine 8:10. Your threats don’t scare us, so please leave if you don’t like the deal.
Seeing as 8:10 has framed the question as a quality of education vs. current property tax burden in Ridgewood trade-off, let’s think about it: Schools ranked 25th in the state vs. property taxes ranked top five in Bergen County, which is highest taxed County in the state and amongst top ten highest taxed places in the entire USA. Ridgewood high school used to be one of the best schools in the Country 15 or more years ago, but not anymore. Looks like you’ve confused working in a school district with a “tradition of excellence” with being excellent. That takes hard work.
8:16 you are missing that all NJ state/government workers have their contracts rooted in the very aspects you want to arbitrarily change. While you may not agree with them they are the cornerstone of state contracts. Fact finder based his suggestions on current practice of other boe’s in state. His recommendations are based in fact not contentious wishing.
8:10- “you won’t hire one competent, certified teacher to work in this district.” You have to be kidding !
Why would anyone, who would not be covered by a binding, enforced, equitable contract want to work for such disagreeable, angry, frustrated malcontents? At any time employment could be terminated or the terms found to no longer be acceptable and changed leaving the teacher at the mercy of the masses. It seems to be the consensus of the comments that what Ridgewood teachers are asking for is a foreign concept that exists only in their minds. Teachers all across the state receive similar benefits and are not belittled for earning a fair wage. So yes , Bill H., if contracts were abolished in Ridgewood and teachers were made to cow tow to the whims of disgruntled residents, you wouldn’t get a competent, certified educator to work in this town when they could go elsewhere and not be afraid for their job!
12:37: That is how the real world works! The taxpayers are irritated because our district is one of the highest paying in the entire state and the quality of education is lagging – what happened to the Tradition of Excellence? The entire system of education needs to be revisited. Tenure should be abolished although nepotism will still cause problems just as it does in the private sector. Angry masses, as you refer to the taxpayers, simply want value for their tax dollars and are tired of demands by public servants for better benefits and salary increases than what is acceptable in the real world. I am starting to believe educators live in a protective bubble. You chose the teaching profession, hopefully out of a love of learning and children knowing that you could earn a decent living but not get rich. If money was your main motivation you should have considered a different path. Nurses, para-professionals, retail managers with the same level of education do not earn as much as teachers and do not enjoy the generous benefits including time off and generous pensions. Don’t tell me those professions don’t work as hard as you. You are not as special as you think.
12:37- I think you have lost it. Who the hell said anything about abolishing contracts ? My point is Ridgewood would have no problem whatsoever hiring qualified teachers in your place. So I guess my suggestion is let’s try it, QUIT !
The teachers have it backwards – just because you teach in a school district with a “tradition of excellence” does not mean you are excellent. That takes hard work. If you’re not willing to put in the hard work, we will hire educators who are. You’re free to leave if you don’t like the deal in Ridgewood. It won’t be difficult to replace you.
8:22 the people who work in these fields undoubtedly work hard but to compare their level of required education to Ridgewood teachers is not quite accurate. Paraprofessional is a job title given to persons in various occupational fields, such as education, healthcare, engineering, and law, who are trained to assist professionals but do not themselves have professional licensure. NJ teachers are licensed professionals not assistants (most in Ridgewood hold a masters agree). Not to diminish the profession of nursing, it should be noted that an associates degree qualifies one to take the nursing exam.
A high school diploma or GED are the minimum education requirements. The career path for retail managers often begins as a sales associate, where exposure to store life provides a foundation for increased responsibility. In fact, some employers welcome such experience as a substitute for a college education. Others recruit degree-holders for their executive development programs.