Teachers, BOE Agree to New Pact; Contracts OK'd For Administrators

It’s been two years, but in the past two weeks, a lot of progress has been made between the Washington Township Schools Board of Education and its teacher’s union.

After a fact-finding report came back in May, the two sides tentatively agreed to a contract after nearly two years of negotiations. The contract is expected to be approved and ratified over the summer.

“Our members are happy about the contract,” said union president Patti Ressland at a Board of Education meeting Tuesday night. “On behalf of the teachers I also want to thank the community and the board for all their support during this time.”

Terms of the new contract have not yet been disclosed.

At the same meeting, three central office administrator contracts were also approved for Superintendent Jeff Mohre, Assistant Superintendent Rick Papera, and Business Administrator Liz George.

Mohre’s contract, which runs through 2018, was approved for the 2015-16 school year at a salary of $155,000, not counting quantitative and qualitative merit goals proposed by the board during the summer.

Papera’s salary was approved at $146,740 plus $1,000 for longevity, and George’s contract was approved for $156,715.

Papera’s and George’s contract each run for a single year. Mohre is currently under a five-year contract.