Montclair Schools And Union Contracts; District Offers Update

MONTCLAIR, NJ — There have been five contracts settled with teachers and other unionized staff members in the Montclair Public School District over the past three years. It’s an achievement that administrators say “underscores the commitment” of everyone involved in running the town’s public schools.

But they haven’t come without conflict, either.

On Thursday, the Montclair Board of Education released an update about several recent work contracts that have been inked in the district (see below).

The board also noted that administrators and union leaders have been periodically meeting as part of a district leadership team with guidance from the Rutgers Collaborative School Leadership Initiative. The team is scheduled to meet again on Oct. 10.

According to a joint statement from the board, the recent agreements involve the Montclair Education Association (MEA), Montclair Principals Association (MPA) and Montclair Head Custodians Association (MHCA), as well as a night-time custodians’ contract and a project labor agreement regarding the district’s recently passed bond referendum.

The work agreements are a “testament to the hard work and contributions of the district staff who serve the educational needs of our students,” the board stated.

Here are some recaps about each of them, as per the board of education:

BOND REFERENDUM – “A project labor agreement was approved at the board’s Sept. 6 meeting. This agreement will ensure that major projects supported by the bond referendum, passed last November, will be awarded to union contractors. We will be assured reliable, skilled and experienced labor, afforded reasonable costs and the [agreement] will maximize all safety conditions for both workers and the public.”

MEA – “The MEA’s most recent contract was approved at the board’s Dec. 21, 2022 meeting – which spans school years July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2025 – retains the benefits, vacation, sick and personal days, and work hours from the prior agreement, as well as pay raises.”

MPA – “The MPA’s contract was ratified at the board’s July 17 meeting for the school years July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2027, and all parties agreed that this was a fair and equitable agreement. Principals retained their benefits and received pay raises comparable to the industry. Our principals are highly valued by the administration and seen as instructional leaders.”

MHCA – “The MHCA’s contract is for school years July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2026. All parties agreed that the terms and conditions are fair and in line with industry standards. All benefits are spelled out in detail such as compensation with salary guides, work hours, transfers and reassignments, and other related benefits.”

NIGHT CUSTODIANS – “Brand new this year is a multi-year contract with our nighttime custodians. The contract was awarded to Pritchard Industries LLC at the Aug. 21 board meeting for the current school year, with two one-year extensions (through 2026). The nighttime custodians are members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 32BJ located in Newark. The district’s business administrator worked diligently with union representatives to ensure the SEIU language was incorporated into the bid documents, protecting the rights of our night-time custodians.”

UNION CRITICISM

The agreements haven’t come without some push-and-shove, however.

In particular, district administrators have faced steady criticism from the MEA, which represents more than 1,000 teachers, paraprofessionals, nurses, secretaries, aides, custodians, building/grounds workers and other support staff in Montclair.

In 2019, the union and its supporters held a rally outside the board of education office, claiming that their work contract wasn’t being honored – including a pay bump. Read More: Montclair Teachers Demand Promised Pay Boost, Rally Outside BOE

In 2021, the MEA and the board of education had a legal battle amid the coronavirus pandemic. The standoff went before the courts when the district sued the union in its quest to reopen for some in-person classes. Read More: Montclair Schools, Teachers Union Reach Settlement On Reopen Plan

The latest conflict between the union and the board took place earlier this year, when the MEA blasted dozens of staff cuts that the district was proposing as part of the annual budgeting process. District administrators fired back, claiming that the union’s numbers were inflated. Read More: Dozens Of Staff Cuts Possible In Montclair School Budget (Updated)

District administrators were eventually forced to close a $5.5 million deficit, which led to dozens of job cuts for teachers and paraprofessionals. In all, 22 teachers were let go; another nine positions emptied by attrition will not be filled. In addition, 34 paraprofessional positions were not renewed. None of those staff members serve students receiving special education services or kindergarten students. Read More: Montclair Students Protest Teacher Cuts In School Budget (WATCH)

Since then, the MEA has questioned whether the budget deficit was really as bad as district administrators claimed – or if it was a “manufactured community crisis.”

“Given Montclair’s history of receiving extraordinary aid [from New Jersey] and its increasing special education population, it’s unfathomable that they chose to underbudget these costs by $2 million,” MEA President Cathy Kondreck said in June.

“While there’s no guarantee that we will receive the same amount of aid each year, our history has demonstrated otherwise,” Kondreck said. “Even if the district had only allocated $1 million for these costs, it could have significantly reduced the number of positions they ‘needed’ to eliminate.”

The MEA continued:

“In addition to the state monies available, a budget analysis indicates the district also chose not to use $1.1 million in cap adjustment money to offset increased health care costs—a decision MEA finds puzzling, especially since Montclair residents were not fully charged what they anticipated to pay in the recently passed bond referendum. Under the referendum, Montclair school taxes were slated to increase by an average of $258 per household, yet the district only levied $106, leaving nearly $100 in unrealized revenue that could have been used to avoid further reductions in staff.”

“While we are not suggesting that it is always appropriate to raise taxes, Montclair—like hundreds of other districts around the state—could have utilized these funds without going over the budget cap and without prompting a vote on the budget,” Kondreck added.

• See Related: Montclair School Budget: Can PILOTs Save The Day?

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