Great Meadows teachers reject three-year contract Pay increases main issue. Next step is July 31 fact-finding hearing. Thursday, June 01, 2006 • By KAT MAIN • The Express-Times GREAT MEADOWS | Great Meadows teachers have rejected the school board's offer of a three-year contract giving annual pay increases of slightly more than 4 percent. Both sides said the main sticking point is the salary increases. "All we were interested in through this process was a fair and equitable settlement and keeping with the county average," Great Meadows Teachers Association President John Skodocek said Wednesday. Skodocek said teachers conceded some ground to the administration during negotiation of medical benefits. Neither Skodocek nor board negotiator Bob Jones would give details on the proposed benefits package. Tuesday's rejection came after six and a half hours of mediation by a state-appointed fact-finder. The next step for both parties is a formal fact-finding hearing July 31, which board officials say will cost $12,000. According to the statement, the board was "disappointed" because the association turned down the offer without comment. NJEA spokesman Steve Baker said teachers rejected the board's proposal because proposed pay raises were unacceptably low and the proposal didn't take into account inflation and fuel cost increases. Baker also said the offer isn't competitive with similar districts. "The board needs to budget responsibly and use that budget to offer a fair and reasonable contract to teachers They're not doing that from the perspective of the association," he said Wednesday. According to the board's statement, the teachers union claim that its salaries weren't competitive with similar districts was "less than accurate." They say 36 percent of Great Meadows staff make significantly more than counterparts in Hackettstown. In a contract battle that lasted nearly a year, Hackettstown teachers recently approved a three-year contract awarding successive annual raises of 4.2, 4.3 and 4.4 percent. The board indicated its proposal was comparable with Hackettstown, a district board members noted is "substantially larger with a much larger tax base." A reminder accompanied Tuesday's offer saying a majority of recent district budgets have either failed to pass or passed by slim margins. Baker said the district hasn't had the political will to budget up to the state-mandated cap, which leaves administrators struggling for resources. "(The board) needs to stand up for what's right. They're falling short and offering a budget below cap and trying to make up for that at the expense of teachers," Baker said. Great Meadows teachers have been working without a contract since July. Since then, they've restricted after-school activities and had even picketed before and after school as a show of solidarity. Teachers boycotted an in-service day planned for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Great Meadows Regional School District is comprised of Great Meadows Middle School, Independence Central School and Liberty School. Reporter Kat Main can be reached at 908-475-8044 or by e-mail at kmain@express-times.com. © 2006 The Express-Times. Used with permission.