Teachers Refuse To Write Students Collegiate Letters Of Recommendation, Parent Says

MAHWAH, N.J. — High school teachers are refusing to write students collegiate letters of recommendation due to the ongoing contract dispute between the Mahwah Education Association and the Board of Education.

"The situation between the Board of Education, local government, and teachers has put everyone in a difficult position and kids are the very unfairly paying the price," Lori Landau said in a letter to the Board of Education last month. "As a parent, I'm frankly outraged that the kids are being caught in the middle of this conflict, and that they are the ones who pay the price of the conflict."

Negotiations between the union and district have dragged on for months. The union claims that how much they contribute to their health benefits is increasing and that they haven't had a new contract in nearly a year. MEA employees contribute 25 percent towards their healthcare premiums.

Related: Mahwah Teachers Rally As Contract Negotiations Drag On

The board has offered financial incentives and educational assistance to help employees reduce their health insurance costs.

"We are shocked and disappointed to learn of any allegation suggesting any member of the Mahwah Education Association would engage in this type of behavior," said Chuck Saldarini, the board's first vice president and chair of the negotiating committee. "The denial of support for our students seeking entry into the nation’s most competitive and selective colleges is fully and wholly contrary to the spirit and intent our school district and fundamentally outside the professional expectations of our staff."

Landau said in her letter that the kids are caught in the middle of a conflict they didn't create and are powerless to effect.

"This causes great upset to parents who see them being used as pawns in a conflict that has dragged on to long, and is unfair to both the kids and those who are in a direct position to influence them-the teachers," Landau said. "Yet I find that I cannot blame teachers for the position they are taking. They too, are caught in the middle. They are being asked to take on ever-increasing standards of excellence and do more and more work without the security of a contract."

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