Ridgewood School Contract Negotations Drag On

RIDGEWOOD, NJ - The negotations between the school district and the teachers’ union continue to drag on as the sides could not reach an agreement at a meeting held recently.

Represetatives from the Board of Education and the Ridgewood Education Association met Jan. 20 for more than four hours. The sides discussed the issue of the union’s goal of increasing members’ take-home pay without jeopardizing the district’s financial position, said President Sheila Brogan in a statement.

The board shared a proposal to address that and other issues. The union did not respond with a proposal of its own. Instead, the president said, the board focused on the amounts their members contribute towards their health care benefits.

The sides will hold a hearing with a state-appointed fact-finder Feb. 3. Fact-finders are assigned by the state and specialize in public sector negotiations.

Brogan said the board is prepared to present the facts of their case “accurately and clearly.”

The board’s negotiating committee is ready to meet with the union if they want to continue discussions, Brogan said. The conditions of the expired continue remain in effect.