Board of Education and Matawan Regional Teacher's Association Reach Contract Agreement

The Matawan Aberdeen Regional School District and the Matawan Regional Teacher's Association (MRTA) reached a contract settlement at the board of education's recent regular action meeeting. The previous contract with the MRTA, which represents teachers, instructor's assistants, clerical staff, bus drivers and maintanence staff, expired on June 30, 2010.

The board of education voted to accept the terms of a Memorandum of Agreement with the MRTA at their July 23 meeting. The agreement covers the period between June 30, 2010 through June 30, 2014, explained Board President Charles Kenny.

The agreement was unanimously passed by the six board members present during an executive session of the meeting, Kenny said. Board Vice President Elizabeth Hayward, who also chairs the Negotiations Committee, made the motion to accept the terms and was seconded by Dr. Jeff Delaney, who served on the negotiations committee along with Anissa Esposito, according to Kenny.

A memorandum of agreement is not a formal contract, however it sets forth the contract terms that both parties have settled upon, Kenny explained. The formal contract will be drafted and will include the same terms of the memorandum.

According to Kenny, the terms of the new contract, which cover a four year period, include no salary increases or changes in the contract for the 2010-11 school year; a salary increase of 2.5% inclusive of increment from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2014; and a change in teaching schedules starting on July 1, 2012 to include a full period of administrative duty assignment for all teaching staff.

"The Board of Education believes the agreement is fiscally responsible and fair to its employees. The agreement will also allow the District to provide even more educational opportunities for the students," Kenny said in an email.

Kenny said that he, the board of education, and the superintendent believe these changes will benefit students by eliminating "split block" scheduling, reducing in passing time, increasing supervision for students in hallways and cafeterias, and increasing instructional time.

The negotiation period was long and arduous, and led members of the MRTA to protest the lack of a contract settlement at two board of education meetings in and .

MRTA President Carl Kosmyna told Patch in November that district teachers have not seen a raise in the past two years, however they have seen an increase in the amount they have to contribute to their health care benefits and pension.

According to Board of Education President Charles Kenny, the MRTA contract expired in June of 2010. Since negotiations began that summer, the board and the MRTA and jointly filed for an impasse on Sept. 28, 2010.

After an impasse was filed, the contract negotiation entered a fact finding period. A fact finder was assigned to their case in Jan. 2012, but the two parties agreed to continue to meet "in good faith" to work toward reaching an agreement, Kenny .

The board and the MRTA met three times before the first fact-finding session was held in March 2012, according to Kenny.

"Despite the length of the negotiations process both sides worked in a collaborative fashion and negotiated in good faith towards the development of a successor contract," Kenny said via email.