Princeton School District, Teachers Reach Agreement On Contract Extension

PRINCETON, NJ — The current contract for teachers in the Princeton Public School District will be extended two years, the school district announced. The contract was ratified in 2015, and was set to expire in 2018.

The two-year contract extension through 2020 includes an increase in salary of 2.63%. The school district says this is comparable to the average raises of other teachers’ contracts in Mercer County public school districts. It also maintains the shared-savings agreement associated with the funding of health benefits.

The agreement was ratified by the teachers on June 19, and approved by the Princeton School District Board of Education on June 20.

“The district is currently working on implementing bold steps to deepen learning and enhance wellness for both students and staff,” the school district said in a statement. “This extension of the contract gives the teachers, the administration and the Board the time and the inspiration to focus on challenges together and to work towards becoming a model of the very best in public education.”

School Board President Patrick Sullivan lead negotiations for the district and commended the union for reaching out to the board to work out an agreement quickly and amicably, according to Planet Princeton.

"Many mutually agreed upon improvements are coming from teachers themselves," he told the website.

“This contract extension is a celebration,” Superintendent Steve Cochrane said in the statement. “It is a celebration of trust, partnership and a shared vision of what is right for our students and our community. I
could not be more grateful to our teachers and their leadership.”