Edison teachers' contract approved
Agreement with union outlines pay raises, changes to health plans
BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer
T he Edison Board of Education approved the new three-year contract between the district and the Edison Township Education Association (ETEA), the local teachers union, during a special meeting July 29.

The contract, the end product of about sixand a-half months of negotiations between the school board and the ETEA, was supported by most on the board, as well as by representatives from the teachers union, but was criticized by some board members as not acknowledging economic realities.

The new contract contains many changes from the old one, though among the most drastic is the shift in health benefits providers, from insurance being offered by the district, to teachers now being on the State Health Benefits Direct 10 Plan.

Board President David Dickinson said this will save the district about $200,000 a month while giving the teachers immediate reductions in co-pays.

The district will handle increases in costs up to the first 10 percent, with the individual teacher expected to then handle the costs up to a 20 percent increase in premiums, at which point the district will bear additional expense.

Members of the Board of Education viewed this arrangement positively.

"The Board of Education got concessions on health care — a win — and the health care [is] much simpler and saves us money," said board Vice President Joe Romano.

Another big change in the teachers' contract is a shift in the salary guide determining the pay for teachers of various experience levels.

Under the recently approved contract, new teachers will make $44,439 a year (a figure that will increase to $46,575 by 2011). Teachers will then receive annual raises before topping out after 10 years with an $85,130 annual salary (which will increase to $90,753 by 2011). This represents a roughly 2.5 percent salary increase in the first year of the contract and 2 percent increases for the second and third, whereupon the new contract would be negotiated and ratified.

On top of the standard salary increases, teachers with a bachelor's degree plus 15 graduate credits will receive a raise of $1,802. This increases to $3,605 with a master's degree, $5,444 with a master's plus 15 graduate credits, $7,282 for a master's plus 30 credits, $9,158 with a master's plus 45 credits, $11,033 for a master's plus 60 credits, and $12,476 for a doctorate.

Aimee Szilagyi, one of the two newer Board of Education members, said that she believes this figure ignores "economic realities," though she abstained rather than vote no, due to her professed desire to not imply any disrespect to the negotiating team, which she was not a part of.

"Those in education, especially those in the front line, deserve a fair enumeration … [but] more could have been done to … save the district and taxpayers money over the years," said Szilagyi.

She noted that the salaries would be locked in but that budgets would remain fluid, implying a lack of flexibility on the part of the district to meet future, unknown fiscal challenges.

Gene Maeroff, the other new board member, had similar reservations about the contract and said he believes the salary increases were much too high in too short a period of time, and called the time scale "compressed," noting that it only takes 10 years to go from $44,439 (new teacher pay in 2008) to $90,753 (the maximum pay in 2011). The pay increases between some steps, Maeroff asserted, amount to roughly 15 percent.

"These are hardly 2.6 percent increases," said Maeroff.

Salaries and benefits, he said, would account for almost four out of every five tax dollars spent. Noting the pay raises that come with advanced degrees, and the bonuses for receiving tenure and national board certification that are worked into the new contract, Maeroff said he could not support the contract, because it did not have enough savings to protect the taxpayers.

"These are lean times for many in this township, and I wonder where the equity is for them … . Where will Edison get the money in future years?" asked Maeroff.

He concluded that it puts the solvency of the school system at risk.

Board member William Van Pelt, who had to abstain from voting because he has relatives who are employees of the district, said that Maeroff doesn't understand that the people making around $90,000 have been in the system for over 30 years, and characterized the other board members' statements as "unfair." While he admitted that the distribution of the pay jumps were a little steep, he said that the overall amount of money allocated was satisfactory.

"There's the valid point that says the built-in raises in each step provide raises anywhere from 2.5 to upwards of 14, 15 percent, and that is accurate, and maybe that has to be revised … . There are certain things I would have done — not to change the amount, but to distribute things a little more evenly without increasing steps," said Van Pelt.

Emil Ferlicchi, president of the ETEA, spoke positively about the new contract and downplayed the concerns expressed by Maeroff and Szilagyi, saying that compared to other districts, Edison teachers do not get that much money to start out. He said the larger pay raises as one advances through the steps are there to reward loyalty.

"As they go through the years, and go through the steps, they are not making as much because they know that if they make it in Edison, they meet the high standards as an educator or staff member, they will follow through with this guide, and down the road they will be rewarded with something a little bit more," said Ferlicchi.

Shortly after the meeting concluded, Szilagyi said that the ETEA had tried to pull a switch with an altered contract that the board had not previously agreed to, which forced delays on the ratification process because this action forced the negotiating parties back to the table.

Dickinson, though, said this was not an accurate interpretation of events. The board president said that there had been a discrepancy between what the board thought was agreed to and what was actually written down, but that it was eventually resolved.

Acting Superintendent John Dimuzio said he was glad the contract had passed, and that energy should now be devoted to making sure the bond referendum in September passes.

Other measures in the contract included expanding who counts as a teacher, which now also encompasses behavior specialists, speech therapists and specialeducation inclusion experts; outlining the grievance procedure; and adding language that furthers cooperation between the ETEA and the board, such as stating that the board will make board policies available for review by ETEA members in the schools, the union office and the main district offices.