Teacher
pay rises faster in this year's school
pacts
Thursday,
September 09, 2004 • BY JOHN MOONEY •
Star-Ledger Staff
As more teacher contracts
get settled for the start of the new year, the average
salary increase so far is coming in at nearly 5 percent
annually, slightly higher than last year's
average.
About half of all
contracts under negotiation this year have been settled,
typical for the start of school. And among the 100 still in
talks, union and school board officials said there is
relative labor peace, with no hot spots of possible
strikes.
In the agreed-upon
contracts, the average salary increase has crept up to about
4.68 percent a year, while many districts have won more
instructional time in the school day and some increased
sharing of health care costs, officials said.
The average raise has
slowly but steadily risen over the last several years, after
a drop in much of the 1990s. Last year, the average increase
was 4.62 percent a year.
For instance, Waldwick
agreed to an average raise just shy of 4.8 percent in each
of its contract's three years, while almost a half- hour was
also added to the elementary school day.
Highland Park's average
raise will be over 4.8 percent for each year through 2007.
But the two sides also agreed to convert two half-days for
teacher training to two full class days, and to add 10 hours
of required professional development after
school.
The union's president said
there is give and take in every negotiation, and the
teachers were well aware going in of the district's wish to
add more instructional time.
"I think everybody was
happy with the contract," said Sarah Vacca, the union
president and a guidance secretary at Highland Park High
School. "With all the testing and pressures on teachers
today, they are really stretched to the limit. ... I think
negotiations have gone smoothly, and both sides are
pleased."
About a third of all new
contracts statewide include longer school days or years, the
state's school board association said. Half of the contracts
also have provisions to control district's health care costs
by boosting teachers' insurance deductibles, co-payments or
other expenses.
But both sides said a pall
lies over many talks this year after the state imposed new
budget restrictions on districts. Starting with next year's
budgets, districts will be limited to as little as 2.5
percent increases in spending and also face new restrictions
on how they use budget surpluses and make transfers within
their spending plans.
"With its forced reduction
of surplus, restrictions on school budgeting practices, and
smaller budget caps, the new law ... will be a serious
consideration for both sides at the bargaining table in the
future," said Edwina Lee, executive director of the state's
school boards association.
Assemblyman William Baroni
(R-Middlesex) announced this week that he plans to file a
bill to repeal the new restrictions, saying they will only
hurt schools and students without benefiting taxpayers in a
meaningful way.
And he said the
restrictions will surely hurt districts' ability to provide
competitive salaries to teachers in the future. "If we want
to retain the best educators, we need to provide the best
for our teachers," he said.
John Mooney covers education. He can be reached at
jmooney@star ledger.com, or (973) 392-1548.
Copyright 2004 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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