Central Regional, Teachers' Union Reach Contract Agreement

The contract impasse between the Central Regional Teachers' Association and the administration is over.

But it didn't come easy.

The April 28 Board of Education meeting was much quieter than last month's, which resembled a faculty pep rally at times. Both sides were headed to a fact-finding meeting with the state Public Employment Relations Commission up until a few weeks ago.

But board members Thursday night voted 6 to 0 to approve the contract. Board members George Dohn and Michael Graichen abstained because of conflicts. Joseph Mielewski was absent, schools Administrator Kevin O'Shea said.

The four-year contract runs from July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2019.

"The contract actually got settled over spring break, the day after Easter," O'Shea said. "The two sides worked until 2 a.m. that Tuesday morning and got it done."

Teacher salaries will rise 2.5 percent for the 2015-2016 school , followed by 2.6 percent each year for 2016-17, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019, he said.

Support staff salaries will raise 0.75 percent each year in addition to the teachers' raises. Coaching stipends will to up one percent a year for each of the four years, O'Shea said.

Longevity was added for existing paraprofessionals and the custodial/maintenance staff, but eliminated for all new hires in all units after July 1, 2015.

"Some new stipends were created based on successful volunteer clubs, and certain other clubs were either moved up in value or decreased in value based on factors such as student participation and time," O'Shea said.

Employee will continue to pay towards their health benefits pursuant to state law.

"There is no provision for "rolling back" the contributions," he said. "This was important because the trend in some districts has been to roll the law back after it had been implemented."

Savings on prescription plans will come to $75,000 annually.

"The board negotiated that new hires will only be offered single coverage for their first four years of employment," O'Shea said. "Previously it was three years. This aligns with the new tenure laws."

The board also had to consider that contract settlements in neighboring districts were "quite high," he said.

Multiple districts in Ocean Countyhad raises of over three percent.

"Another factor that was considered was parts of our communities - particularly those on the waterfront and barrier island - that are still recovering from Sandy," O'Shea said. "When you consider all these factors, we believe this is a fair deal to both the staff and the taxpayers."