Teachers attend BOE meeting to seek contract settlement
Teachers gathered at the June 25 board of education meeting wearing red and questioning the board’s sense of eagerness to settle the contract, which was set to expire June 30.
“Districts all around us are settling, but not Moorestown,” MEA president Lisa Trapani said.
The last time the MEA and board brought in a mediator to discuss contracts, both parties settled on a three-year contract in 2011 after a 16-month stalemate.
Trapani said the economy is different now, and with the board approving an outsourced custodial contract that saves the district $120,000 per year, the teachers wanted an explanation for the delayed settlement.
According to elementary school teacher Bridget Potts, the teachers might see an increase in contribution to health benefits, ultimately reducing pay.
“We have come to the table with several options” and the MEA is ready to discuss an agreement, Trapani said.
Board member Kevin O’Sullivan said the MEA requested a mediator for negotiation in the beginning of May.
O’Sullivan said the school district wants to establish a “fair and financially sustainable contract for the district.”
Union members and the board have met several times over the past few months in an attempt to settle the contract.
However, the last two scheduled meetings have been cancelled.
According to Potts, teachers are ready to come to an agreement without a mediator.
“We will take off the red shirts and sit across the table from you and work this out,” she said.
The teachers are hoping an agreement will be reached before the start of the school year.
But high school students and parents are worried if an agreement is not reached, college-bound students will suffer.
Some have claimed teachers are refusing to write letters of recommendation for colleges because of the contract situation.
“It is time for a settlement,” Trapani said.
In other meeting news:
The board presented the 2011- 2012 school ranking results using a new rating system set by the state Department of Education. While a majority of the schools in the district fall between average and very high when compared to the state, some of the schools are lacking in performance when compared to peer schools.
According to director of curriculum and instruction Carol Butler, each school in Moorestown is ranked against the state average as well as 30 peer schools. She said peer school rankings have similar demographics calculated by percentage of free and reduced lunch, limited English proficient students and for students with disabilities.
The state’s rankings were changed to focus on college and career readiness, which looks at the percentage of students who participate in the PSAT and SAT, percentage of students who score above a 1550, percentage of students taking AP testing, and the percentage of students who score a three or greater.
There also are graduation and post-secondary categories, which are calculated as the graduation rate and the school dropout rate.
Rankings are also focused on NJASK and HESPA scores. Moorestown High School’s academic performance is ranked high, its college and career readiness is ranked very high and the school’s graduation and post-secondary preparedness is ranked high when compared to the state.
The high school ranked lagging in performance in academic achievement, high in college and career readiness, and average in graduation and post-secondary preparedness when compared to peer schools. Butler said the scores that come out for the 2012–2013 school year might reflect changes that were made before the new rankings were established.
“We need to look at the next several years for major changes,” she said.
To see how the rest of the schools in the district ranked, visit education.state.nj.us/pr/.
