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Holmdel, N.J., Board, Teachers Union Reach Agreement on Contract

Posted on: Thursday, 19 January 2006, 18:00 CST

By Brian Lee, Asbury Park Press, N.J.

Jan. 19--HOLMDEL -- After an overnight mediation session, the Holmdel Township Education Association and the Board of Education have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, officials confirmed Wednesday.

Terms were not disclosed, but a New Jersey Education Association official said the new deal is for four years, through 2009, and covers teachers, custodians, secretaries and teachers aides.

Ray Tai, who led negotiations for the Board of Education, would not discuss specifics of the deal but said the major sticking points had been teachers' hours, salaries and benefits.

Teachers had been working under the terms of their previous three-year contract, which expired June 30, 2005. The superintendent's office did not have the information available Wednesday.

On Aug. 15, 2002, the HTEA and the board reached a tentative agreement, and a contract was signed more than three months later.

This time a deal should be struck within two weeks, Tai said.

Through mediation with the Public Employment Relations Commission, the agreement was reached after 12 hours at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, after a commitment by both sides to negotiate through the night. It was their fourth session since May.

Tai attributed part of the holdup to scheduling conflicts with the mediator; rescheduled sessions were as prolonged as six weeks, he said.

"The union association members have been very patient throughout the process, so we really appreciated that," Tai said.

HTEA President Katherine Hodecker did not comment, pending the official agreement. In October, she said the resignation of former Superintendent of Schools Maureen Flaherty, who left for a job in New York, would translate to improved negotiations.

Mark Franceschini was later installed as interim superintendent.

Interviewing for a permanent selection will be in March, and the person chosen should start working in July, officials said.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Asbury Park Press, N.J.

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Source: Asbury Park Press

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