Statement from the Haddonfield Board of Education on Contract Negotiations

The following was emailed today to the greater Haddonfield school community:

To the members of the Haddonfield community,

As you may be aware, the Haddonfield School District’s contract with the Haddonfield Educational Association expired on June 30, 2014. The HEA represents the district’s teachers, support staff and maintenance workers. HEA members are still continuing to work under the terms of the previous contract while the new contract is being negotiated.

As the negotiations continue, the public may see members of the HEA performing job actions. Job actions are actions by the union, typically temporary activities that are intended to bring public awareness to contract negotiations. These job actions will not disrupt the school day. While it is unfortunate that we have been unable to reach a new agreement as of the start of the school year, it is not unusual. Indeed, the majority of school districts in New Jersey with contracts that expired in June 2014 likewise have been unable to conclude their new contract negotiations.

The Board of Education is committed to settling the HEA contract in a fair and equitable manner. In doing so, we strive to balance three considerations – meeting the educational needs of our students, providing our employees with fair compensation for their extraordinary efforts, and recognizing the financial strains placed on our taxpayers in a difficult economic environment. Balancing these competing interests is, as you can imagine, not an easy task. But we wholeheartedly agree with the HEA that all district employees deserve a fair settlement, and we will continue to work cooperatively with the HEA’s negotiating team to reach that shared goal as quickly as possible.

The Haddonfield School District, which now has the second best public high school in the State according to New Jersey Magazine, continues to be enriched every day by the hard work of our students, the love and support of their parents, and the dedication and professionalism of our district employees. Our district goal this year, adopted at our summer Board of Education retreat, is to focus on supporting educators to continue teaching in a tradition of innovation, rigor, engagement, and creativity for student success. As you attend Back-To-School Night and other district activities, please continue to support the district employees in the extraordinary work they do every day in nurturing and educating the children in our community.

Glenn Moramarco

President, Haddonfield Board of Education