Residents Question BOE Over Teacher Contract

Board of Education leaders were questioned Tuesday night over the new teacher contract which includes a 3.9-percent pay hike for each of the next three years, along with new provisions for co-pays on health insurance.

The questions came as the board heard a presentation from School Superintendent Margaret Dolan regarding cuts to the school budget following Gov. Chris Christie's decision last week to cut $4.22 million in state aid to the school district. The contract was ratified by the board and the Westfield Education Association a week before the state aid figures were announced.

Comments on the contract, which were mentioned to the board and been discussed around town in the week since Christie announced his cuts, focused on the provisions of the contract and the timing. Several residents asked why the board chose to ratify the contract before the final state aid numbers had been revealed. At the time of the ratification, the board was working under information provided by state Education Commissioner Bret Schundler that state aid would decrease by no more than $750,000 or 15-percent. Schundler announced the $4.22 million or 90.4-percent cut 15 days after informing suburban education leaders about the lower cut.

"I would like to know what was the rush?" resident John Blake asked the board. "Why did you have to sign before you knew from the governor officially what your budget would be?"

Schools Superintendent Margaret Dolan read a prepared statement at the meeting explaining the rationale behind the ratification fo the teacher contract. In the statement she explained that the contract would save money in the long term for the district, emphasizing the new health insurance program. She explained that in the last eight years the district's health insurance costs have gone up 103-percent.

The new health care plan moves district employees in to a less expensive health care plan, along with requiring employees to provide an increased co-pay for coverage, contribute towards health care costs and pay higher prescription drug costs. Dolan touted the benefits of the plan, which was adopted before Christie signed legislation on Monday requiring public employees to contribute to health care costs.

"These cuts will save the Westfield schools $1.3 million for the next school year," she said, noting a $4 million savings over the life of the three year deal.

Dolan also noted the public employee benefits reform legislation that Christie signed will likely produced an additional $500,000 in savings for the district over the next year.

Resident Jim Baker, a local community advocate who frequently questions the Town Council, asked the board about the size of the salary increase and impact on the overall budget. He highlighted public comments from board member Richard Solomon where Solomon said that the contract would hold overall spending increases to 2.67-percent.

"I think that 2.67-percent is too high for today," Baker said. "The standard for corporate America is zero percent."

Several in the audience were discussing Westfield's teacher salaries befor the meeting started. Parts of the discussion questioned whether the town's starting salary of $57,000, the highest in the state, is too high.

Solomon said the teacher pay raises did not impact the overall compensation growth in the budget, explaining that benefits were the cause for the hike. Westfield employees 800 staffers, with 550 being teachers. During the board meeting, Dolan announced a proposal which would layoff 27 staffers and cut various programs, including intermediate school plays, eighth grade sports and the purchasing of library books in order to close the Christie imposed budget gap.

Solomon said that if the district had held the teacher salaries flat compensation costs would have still risen due to rising health insurance costs.

"What we did is negotiate a contract that was more beneficial than if we did not," he said.

Baker continued to hammer at the 2.67-percent compensation figure saying that he thinks the board should look at lowering the costs in this area and work with the unions to find the cost savings. Board members continued to disagree citing a variet of costs including travel expenses for teachers and indemnity plans as part of the compensation factor.

Board Vice President Julia Walker said the district's $250,000 unemployment compensation payment for staffers laid off last year contributed to the costs, noting the layoffs coming in this year's budget will likely have an impact on this line item again next year.

Board members were unified in their praise for the associations that represent teachers, secretaries, paraprofessionals, adminstrators and custodial staff. They said the groups have been working with Dolan and BOE finance officials to find cost savings in the budget and to put together new contracts. Last week the board ratified a new contract with the union representing district secretaries.

Dolan has held a series of private meetings with union leaders over the last week to discuss the budget cuts and look for new ways to save. It is not known if reopening contract talks has been discussed. The teachers union held a meeting Wednesday afternoon to discuss Dolan's budget presentation and budget strategy.

Teacher compensation has become a hotly debated topic in the current fiscal climate in New Jersey and neighboring states. In New York, where Gov. David Paterson has proposed deep cuts to state aid to local school districts, a move that is swiftly gain support in the Empire State's legislature, teacher salaries are being discussed. On Tuesday afternoon, Assemblyman Sam Hoyt (D-Buffalo and Grand Island) announced plans to work with other New York Assembly Democrats to require teachers across his state to not accept salary hikes for the coming school year to offset layoffs due to Paterson's education cuts.