District will close on day teachers rally in Trenton Thursday, December 07, 2006 • BY DUNSTAN McNICHOL • Star-Ledger Staff Schoolkids in Cinnaminson are getting an unscheduled day off Monday because too many teachers and staff have said they are tak ing the day off to go to Trenton to protest potential cuts in their pensions and health benefits. The Cinnaminson district's decision to cancel classes -- and make them up with an extra school day Feb. 16 -- is the most drastic response so far by districts grappling with absenteeism due to Monday's protest rally. Organizers have predicted a turnout of 30,000 people and are asking for at least three teachers from every school to travel to Tren ton for the 11 a.m. rally. In Cinna minson, 55 teachers and staff members from two schools notified administrators they would be attending the rally. The district has a staff of 245 in four schools. "We came to the conclusion real fast it would be a wasted day as far as education was concerned," said Cinnaminson Superintendent Sal vatore Illuzzi. In Weehawken, officials also are facing high absenteeism rates, and will decide how to respond today, Superintendent Kevin McClellan said. Sen. Diane Allen (R-Burlington), whose district includes Cinna minson, suggested the teachers might want to reconsider their mass absenteeism. "Having to close the school is pretty drastic," she said. "Perhaps not as many teachers should go up." Erica Fineman-Bertoli, communications director for the New Jersey Principals and Superintendents Association, said lawmakers are to blame for any classroom disrup tions, saying their insistence on moving rapidly on reform legislation forced teachers to react. "Teachers are forced to choose between one day in the classroom and the future of education in this state," Fineman-Bertoli said. Monday's protest rally is fo cused on recommendations from a special Joint Legislative Commit tee on Public Employee Benefits Reform, which include raising the state's retirement age to 62 and re quiring new employee co-payments for health insurance. Those plans have also sparked controversy in the Legislature, as many of the recommendations were left out of a bill (S-40) introduced this week to implement the reform committee's proposals. The bill includes measures to eliminate multiple pensions, bar part-time and elected officials from the retirement system and prohibit officials from holding more than one elected post. But, at Gov. Jon Corzine's behest, lawmakers omitted controversial proposals like raising the retirement age, rolling back a 9 percent increase in benefits approved in 2001, and cap ping maximum pension benefits. Corzine said those matters should be left in his hands to work out in ongoing contract negotiations with the state's public employee unions. "This piece (of legislation) should be about fundamental reforms of abuse in a system," Cor zine told reporters after an event in Washington, D.C. "The collective bargaining process ought to turn out what needs to be done with respect to some of the (other) is sues." The omissions prompted Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union), co- chairman of the benefits reform committee, to refuse to sponsor the legislation, and he plans to skip a committee hearing on the measure today. "We have a difference of opinion over how to handle reform going forward," Scutari said. "I think we both maybe want to end up in the same place, but I think the Legislature has certain duties and obliga tions and rights." Statehouse leaders suggested the dissension may force a delay in action on the reforms until after the first of the year, which would buy Corzine some time to negotiate further with union leaders. "I tried to work behind closed doors on these issues so that we can come to a reasonable compro mise of very difficult issues that would be accepted by all of the parties: the Legislature, the Administration, the various elements of our public employee units ... (and) most importantly, to the public," Corzine said yesterday. Union officials are pressing for ward anyway to protest even the limited changes included in the introduced pension bill, citing the proposal to remove part-time workers from guaranteed pension benefits as one element they op pose. This afternoon, leaders of two potent unions, the Communica tions Workers of America and the New Jersey Education Association, are scheduled to hold a press conference at the Statehouse to denounce the bill, which they characterize as "ill-considered, fast-track legislation that will have long-term negative consequences on education and government services in New Jersey." Staff Writer Deborah Howlett contributed to this report. © 2006 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with permission.