Teachers
protest stalled contract talks
They picket outside Great Meadows
Regional schools
Wednesday, January 11, 2006 • BY MIKE FRASSINELLI
• Star-Ledger Staff
Frustrated over a standstill in contract
negotiations, teachers from the Great Meadows Regional
School District in Warren County took their case to the
public yesterday.
Cars honked approval as a half- dozen
teachers, holding signs with big red letters reading "SETTLE
NOW," picketed after school along busy Route 46, outside the
district's Central School and Great Meadows Middle School in
Independence Township. Before school, about 25 teachers
picketed in front of the district's Liberty School in
neighboring Liberty Township.
The teachers took their classroom to the
highway, hoping to educate the public that they have been
working without a contract since June, while at the same
time showing they haven't let their feelings affect the way
they teach students.
"It's important to let (the public) know
we're working without a new contract -- without hindering
the education of the students in our classroom," said Lisa
Baatz, a physical education teacher.
"We weren't getting anywhere in
negotiations," explained fellow sign carrier John Skodocek,
the union president and a middle school language arts
teacher who is in his 33rd year with the
district.
At issue are the size of the salary
increases and the share of health care benefits that
teachers would have to pay. Teachers have only a modest
co-pay for health care now, but would have to pay
significantly more under the new proposal, Skodocek
said.
While Skodocek said he wanted to keep
talk of specifics at the negotiating table, a Star-Ledger
analysis of teacher salaries in October 2004 showed that the
$50,242 average salary for Great Meadows teachers was below
the county's $52,025 average.
The contract dispute is heading for
mediation, but Great Meadows Regional Superintendent Jason
Bing said yesterday he is hopeful the two sides could come
to an agreement before they meet with the
mediator.
"It's always a difficult situation," Bing
said. "We're very lucky in the fact that we have teachers
that always have the best interests of the students in
mind."
Bing, a Union County native who has
taught in urban districts, finds Great Meadows a district
with a strong bond -- people who grew up in the region end
up becoming teachers there.
He said that like many school districts,
Great Meadows is waiting to see the effects of Senate bill
1701, which puts spending caps on districts.
The day before Thanksgiving, teachers in
the three district schools decided to work only the hours
specified in the old contract, known as work-to-rule.
Instead of arriving early or staying late, the more than 80
union teachers began a mass arrival and exodus at the same
time every morning and afternoon at their respective
schools.
"This particular type of job action has
really unified our association throughout this whole
process," Skodocek said. "It's just to show the
administration and board of education that without a
contract, we are not doing anything beyond our regular
school day."
Yesterday, the teachers took their
contract battle to a new and more visible front.
They plan to continue picketing until the
contract is resolved.
William VonderHaar, a frequent school
board candidate who runs CARE -- Citizen Association for
Responsible Education -- said the picketing Skodocek failed
to answer his questions about whether teachers planned to
ask for increases beyond those allowed by Senate bill 1701
or whether they felt their benefits should be fully paid by
taxpayers.
Skodocek said later that Great Meadows
teachers only want their salaries and benefits to be
commensurate with other Warren County districts.
Mike Frassinelli covers Warren County. He may be reached
at mfras sinelli@starledger.com or (908) 475-1218.
© 2006 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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