Teachers reach accord with Matawan Board of Education Tentative agreement ends picketing by MRTA members BY ERIN O. STATTEL Staff Writer ABERDEEN - Picketing members of the Matawan Regional Teachers Association (MRTA) put their signs down for the night and attended a negotiation meeting with the Matawan Aberdeen Regional Board of Education on Feb. 26. According to Carl Kosmyna, representative for the MRTA, the organization has reached a settlement with the Board of Education. "We reached a tentative settlement late last night, around 1:30 a.m. this morning actually," Kosmyna said on Wednesday. "So hopefully, we will be presenting this package to [MRTA] members within the next few weeks." Kosmyna explained that some of the issues negotiated included health benefits, salary proposals and teachers putting more time in at school. "When we addressed some of the larger issues, the smaller ones ironed themselves out," Kosmyna said. He declined further discussion of the agreement terms, as the package has yet to be presented to MRTA members, who include teachers, custodians and bus drivers. "I am pleased that we reached a tentative agreement that will bring the district's focus back to helping our children create great futures," said Board of Education President Lawrence O'Connell. According to O'Connell, the next step is to reach an agreement on salary guides. Once the board and MRTA can agree, MRTA can submit the salary guides for ratification and then bring them to the board for a final vote. "Picketing will stop," Kosmyna said. "We have cancelled all job actions and teachers will be available for extra help and extra curricular activities." The fact that certain teachers were not available to students after school was noted at the Feb. 25 Board of Education meeting by Matawan Regional High School senior Alice Oliver, the student representative to the board. "It really affected after-school activities and the availability of teachers for extra help to students in need of some tutoring," Oliver said. "While we realize the teachers put in a lot of hard work, the student body hopes members of MRTA and the Board of Education can come to an agreement soon." Kosmyna said that the MRTA is hoping to reach agreement on a final contract by mid-March and that members of the association were willing to sit down with Board of Education members in part because of the new superintendent. "The fact that the district hired a new superintendent helped make them more willing to sit down and negotiate," Kosmyna said. "I hope it will all be done by April," O'Connell said. "With a new superintendent and a new agreement with MRTA we have a brand new foundation to move the district forward."