Phillipsburg teachers union, school board mediation pushed back to April

Tuesday, February 23, 2010
By SARAH M. WOJCIK
The Express-Times

PHILLIPSBURG | A contract negotiation meeting between the Phillipsburg teachers union and school board will have to wait until April after a session with a mediator was postponed this month.

The Phillipsburg School District's faculty contract expired last July and the support staff has been without a contract close to a year and a half, said Barbara English, president of the Phillipsburg Education Association.

The delay is due to the assigned mediator from the Public Employees Relations Commission undergoing a medical procedure, officials said.

English said both the faculty and support staff intend to meet for negotiation sessions with the mediator April 7. Kevin DeGerolamo, negotiation committee chairman for the school board, said either side could still come together before the mediated session, though the likelihood of that appears slim.

"The fact is we weren't getting any closer together," DeGerolamo said Monday. "I think we are going to play our cards and see what happens with the mediator."

English was similarly doubtful about the chances of a meeting before a mediator takes a fresh look at the negotiations.

"I don't know if we could come together enough this time," English said.

The board and the union remain at odds over salary, health benefit contributions and work hours, officials say.

Most of the faculty enrolled in a preferred provider organization, or PPO insurance system, do not contribute toward health care premiums, English said.

She said Phillipsburg School District has among the longest school days in the state. Most schools in the district operate for seven hours or longer, though the state average is only six hours and 30 minutes, according to 2009 New Jersey Department of Education data.

Following the delay until mediation, the Phillipsburg School District should know how much state school aid to expect next school year from Trenton and the district should have its 2010-11 budget drafted.

English said the financial information could help both parties.

"I think the good news is the district should have their budget ready for next year," she said. "They'll know much more about their state aid. They'll be in a better position to negotiate at that point."

DeGerolamo said the negotiation committee has already set its goals for faculty and staff salaries and health benefits.