BOE Spoke About Us With 'Disdain and Reproach,' Teacher Says

Teachers at Monday's South Orange - Maplewood Board of Education (BOE) expressed anger and frustration at statements a board member made last month regarding the status of teacher contract negotiations.

"The BOE spoke about me and my colleagues with disdain and reproach," Tuscan fifth grade teacher Ana Reyes said. "What is behind such anti-union animus?" she asked.

The current teachers' contract is set to expire on June 30. At last month's BOE meeting, Sandra Karriem, chairwoman of the BOE negotiating task force, said the South Orange Maplewood Education Association (SOMEA) teachers' union was "unwilling" to negotiate further and had filed a declaration of impasse with the state.

The two groups are currently in mediation.

Referring to numerous recognitions the board made Monday to honor students and faculty for various accomplishments, Reyes asked, "Who do you think helps make this happen?" to applause from teachers in the audience.

Roughly 10-12 faculty members who attended the meeting stood as their colleagues spoke, to show support.

Reyes asked why the board wanted to "[portray] SOMEA as unfeeling and callous." Noting that one-third of union members live and work in the community, she concluded by saying, "My name is Ana Reyes and I am SOMEA."  

Tuscan teacher Danielle Perrotta grabbed the mike and strode around the room, addressing the BOE members at close range in an animated series of remarks.

"I love my job, I love teaching students," Perrotta said. She pleaded that teachers and board members not be "adversaries" but should "work together to help these kids achieve."

Calling the tenor of the last board meeting "devastating," Perrotta invited Superintendent Brian Osborne and board members to come to her classroom and see her teach.

Tuscan librarian Roberta Baltin said budget cuts were impacting her ability to provide sufficient materials and time to serve students. She asked what mattered more to the district, the students or the "bottom line."

Karriem said at the last meeting that the board "deeply appreciates the staff and teachers." She said SOMEA's NJEA representative had accused board members of not "represent[ing] the students," which Karriem disputed. 

At Monday's meeting, Karriem said, "[The BOE] did not express a lack of appreciation for our teachers." BOE president Beth Daugherty said the entire board of education felt the same way.