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Teachers, District Agree on New Pact in Ridgewood

Posted on: Friday, 29 July 2005, 21:00 CDT

Jul. 29--RIDGEWOOD -- The school district and the teachers union have reached a new contract, concluding negotiations that were a far cry from the labor strife of three years ago, when the district was on the brink of Bergen County's first teachers strike in 15 years.

Teachers will get salary increases of 4.6 percent in 2005-06, and 4.5 percent in 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Instructional time will increase for elementary school students by 15 minutes. The lunch period for elementary school teachers will decrease from 60 to 45 minutes to offer students five hours and 30 minutes of instruction, bringing the district closer to the state average of five hours and 32 minutes.

"Getting the 15 minutes of increased instruction in the elementary schools was an important issue for us," said school board President Mark Bombace. "We understood we were below the state average, and with 'No Child Left Behind' we needed [teachers] to have more contact with the students to address more issues."

Bombace said it is important for the teachers to have everything they need to be successful, and that the board will try to find ways to balance the needs of instructors with the needs of taxpayers.

"We're going to make sure the district is going to run effectively," Bombace said. "We're going to look at cost efficiencies in our operations, and we're going to try to do other things better to minimize the impact on taxpayers."

Among the three-year contract's provisions are a $10 increase, to $35 a day from $25, for unused sick time. Teachers with national teacher certification will receive $250 bonuses.

Longevity bonuses will increase from $1,300 to $1,400 for teachers in the district for more than 20 years and from $1,300 to $1,500 for more than 25 years of service.

No changes were made in the health plan that was negotiated in 2002.

Three years ago, a marathon round of negotiations between the board and union leaders averted what would have been the first strike by teachers in the village. The union gained annual pay increases of 4.4 percent in the three-year deal and stood firm on key issues of health benefits.

Talks between the school board and the Ridgewood Education Association began in November. The union represents 450 teachers, nurses and librarians.

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Copyright (c) 2005, The Record, Hackensack, N.J.

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Source: The Record - Hackensack, New Jersey

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