Accord made on teachers contract Wednesday, August 02, 2006 • BY LYNN OLANOFF • The Express-Times After more than a year without a contract, Great Meadows Regional School District teachers and the school board reached a tentative agreement early Tuesday morning. District officials declined to release the agreement's details until both the board and teachers approve the terms. The agreement was reached after a session with a state-appointed fact finder lasting more than six hours. "As soon as the board and everyone is comfortable, the details will be made public," board President Bob Jones said. "At the very least, (the agreement) was a very positive outcome." The district's 86 teachers have been working under an expired contract since July 2005. In June, the teachers rejected the school board's offer of a three-year contract that included annual pay increases of slightly more than 4 percent. The teachers rejected the contract because it still left them below the county's average salary. The contract included some concessions on health benefits that the teachers had agreed to. Monday was the district's second fact-finding session. The first one in June resulted in the rejected contract. Contract negotiations have been an especially contentious issue in the district this year. Teachers restricted after-school activities and picketed before and after school to show solidarity. They also boycotted an in-service day planned for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. District officials dispute the teachers' claim they are underpaid. They say 36 percent of Great Meadows staff earns significantly more than counterparts in Hackettstown, which is a larger district with a larger tax base. After going through a yearlong contract battle of its own, the Hackettstown School District in April approved a three-year contract awarding successive annual raises of 4.2, 4.3 and 4.4 percent. Reporter Lynn Olanoff can be reached at 908-475-8044 or by e-mail at lolanoff@express-times.com. © 2006 The Express-Times. Used with permission.