Hopatcong Teachers Strike Tentative Contract

The and its teachers union struck a tentative contract with the help of a state-appointed mediator near midnight Monday.

Board of Education and Hopatcong Education Association leaders each declined to discuss specifics of the two-year deal, which is expected to be finalized within a few weeks. Hopatcong's teachers had been without a contract since June 30.

The sides had declared an impasse in October. Monday's all-night meeting was the second involving a mediator.

Teachers union head Jeff Ryder, a social studies teacher, and school board leader Cliff Lundin each called the agreement fair.

"Under the circumstances, considering today's environment, I think the [teachers union] membership will be pretty happy with it," Ryder said. "There's not a lot of money out there. So you try to tweak some other thing while you can and deal with the money as you can."

Said Lundin: "It's fair. Both sides gave a lot. I think we reached a fair agreement."

A 50-percent-plus-one vote is needed by Hopatcong's teachers to ratify the agreement, which Lundin said he hopes to pass at the February 27 school board meeting.

Ryder said he was confident most of Hopatcong's teachers would support the deal.

"I really am confident," he said. "There are going to be some people who are not happy with it because there's not a lot of money. But, overall, with today's environment, today's economy … I think the vast majority of people are going to see this as a fair deal."

Middle school language arts teacher Joanne Canizaro said she was relieved to read about the agreement in an email Ryder sent to Hopatcong teachers early Tuesday morning.

"This means we can get back to the business of teaching and not worrying about what was to come," the said. "So I was very relieved to hear it. It was unexpected, to be honest with you. I thought [the negotiations] might be a little more prolonged. It didn't seem like the two parties were near any kind of agreement. But when I got the email I was very happy. Now we can concentrate on what's important, and that's children the classrooms."

Hopatcong Superintendent Dr. Charles Maranzano said despite "long and complicated" negotiations, he was proud the district's teachers didn't affect their lack of a contract affect their performance.

"Our teachers handled themselves with dignity and respect for the process and the HEA as a whole carried on their duties this school year as if they were working with a contract," he said. "It proves their their heart and their intentions are with the children of Hopatcong."

Maranzano said the negotiations "moved forward very positively and amicability."

Ryder agreed.

"The relationships in the buildings were good," he said. "There was absolutely the utmost professionalism."

The superintendent probably hopes the same for the district's upcoming contract talks.

While the district settled contracts with its secretaries and bus drivers during the school year, it must negotiate with its support staff—custodians, cafeteria and maintenance workers and educational support employees—before agreeing to terms with administrators, whose contract runs out June 30 and who accepted a pay freeze last year.