Contract Agreement for Teachers, School Staffers Has Been Reached

Updated 10:30 p.m. May 10, 2011:

Both school district and teachers' union officials have confirmed the good news: there is a new contract for teachers and other school support staff.

In an email, Superintendent of Schools Brian Osborne confirmed a tip that Patch received Monday night: "A Memorandum of Agreement was signed by the negotiating teams last night." Osborne noted that the memorandum of agreement has not been ratified by SOMEA membership nor approved by the Board of Education yet.

Paula Bethea of SOMEA (the South Orange Maplewood Education Association) also confirmed the memorandum of agreement. Reached at the SOMEA offices, she confirmed that the papers were signed at around 9:30 p.m. Monday. A mediator was present.

The next step, explained Bethea, is to present the terms of the new contract to the association members. They have a 48-hour window in which to ask questions or comment on changes before voting. SOMEA members had not yet reached this stage by Tuesday afternoon, as members of the negotiating team were preparing to share information with the membership. 

Board of Education President Beth Daugherty elaborates:

The negotiating teams have been in continuous communication over the last several weeks and signed a memorandum of agreement last night. Union leadership will now schedule two meetings with their members, one to provide information about the contract and the second to ratify the contract. If SOMEA can ratify the contract this week, then the Board of Education will approve the contract on May 16.

Daugherty said that she could not reveal details of the contract until SOMEA leadership has had a chance to inform its members, but, she added, "I do believe that the contract is responsive to all constituents: teachers, students, and taxpayers.  I'm am very excited about the prospect of finishing this school year with a new contract for our teachers."

Daugherty noted that Richard Laine had been the board liaison on contract negotiations, until May 2, when former Board President Mark Gleason took over that role.

Teachers and other support staff— including bus drivers, maintenance staff, clerical staff, secretaries, nurses and counselors —  in the South Orange-Maplewood School District have been without a contract since their last contract expired on June 30, 2009.