Middletown teacher talks resume tonight

VERONICA YANKOWSKI Students arrive for their first day of school at Middletown High School North on Thursday.

Parents still fear strike threat;

opening smooth

By alison granito

Staff Writer

VERONICA YANKOWSKI Marykate Smith, a junior at Middletown High School North, talks with reporters about the possibility of a teachers’ strike Thursday.

Contract negotiations between the Middletown Board of Education and the Middletown Township Education Association (MTEA) are expected to resume tonight.

According to the Super-intendent Jack DeTalvo, the first couple days of school for students last week went smoothly.

DeTalvo said Monday that he expects schools to remain open for the immediate future.

"I’m not expecting a problem this week," he said, declining to speculate beyond that.

With the uncertainty of the negotiations, it was a relief to district parents when union members reported to work last week, allowing schools to open on time Thursday. However, many parents still fear that a strike may be looming in the distance and are making contingency plans for what to do with their children if they can’t send them to school.

DeTalvo has said that in the event of a strike by the MTEA, it would be impossible to find enough qualified substitutes to adequately staff the district’s 17 schools, so they would be forced to close schools to protect the health and safety of the students.

District officials had advised parents to monitor the local media to make sure that classes were in session last week and to continue that practice until a settlement is reached.

Until a settlement is reached, parents will continue to monitor the situation and its effect on their children closely.

"I just don’t think it’s fair to the kids. It puts them in a stressful situation not knowing whether or not they’ll have school," said parent Jeanne Capatasto, who has a fifth grader at New Monmouth School and a freshman at High School North.

"Both sides need to find a way to work this out without a strike," said Capatasto.

On Tuesday, Sept. 4, the first scheduled day of work for faculty and staff, the board handed union members an injunction banning them from striking. The MTEA went back to court Friday, where a judge lifted the injunction after the MTEA signed off on the old contract, which expired June 30.

The injunction was issued by a judge in 1998 after a four-day walkout by the MTEA during the last round of contract negotiations and made permanent in May of 2000. After negotiations broke down in 1998, the board imposed a contract which teachers never signed.

Courts in New Jersey have ruled that is illegal for public employees, including teachers, to strike.

MTEA leaders could not be reached for comment by press time.

Negotiations broke down earlier this summer after teachers took a strike authorization vote in June, shortly before the last contract expired. A state mediator from the Public Employment Relations Commission was brought in to the talks in July.

Mediator Lorraine Tesauro imposed a media blackout Sept. 4, prohibiting both sides from discussing negotiations with the public.

Due to the blackout, neither board representatives or the MTEA would comment on the negotiation sessions held last Wednesday and Thursday evenings.

Before the blackout was imposed, both sides acknowledged that they were far apart on the three main issues on the table — salary, health benefits, and work time.

MTEA representatives have said that they are seeking a 4.35 percent annual increase in pay for teachers, while the district budget calls for a 3.5 percent increase next year.

The Matawan Regional Teachers Association, which has also been negotiating with the help of a state mediator, ratified a new three-year contract last week with a 4.11 percent average salary increase over the three-year period. Members will also pay an additional $10 or a total of $20 for medical visits.

The Hazlet Township Education Association and Hazlet school board reached a tentative agreement last week, but details were not released.

Board officials have said that any settlement for the MTEA must fit within the tight confines of the budget.

In April voters rejected the base budget and separate question, prompting $1.1 million in cuts to the budget by the township committee.

The district is also requesting that MTEA members pay 12 percent of their health insurance premiums, rather than the $250 flat contribution.

The MTEA has also stated concern over the board’s wish to lengthen the school day at the high schools and elementary schools, and the additional sixth period added to the middle school.

In 1999-2000, Middletown teachers had a median salary of $51,240, just over the state’s $50,878 average, according to last year’s state report cards. The average number of years of experience for Middletown teachers was 17 years, compared to a state average of 14 years.