‘Sidebar’ Detours Millburn School Negotiations With District Admins

MILLBURN, NJ — Contract negotiations between Millburn school administrators and the district have hit a speed bump, but both sides say they’re hopeful that talks can cross the finish line.

The Millburn Public School District has three collective bargaining units: the Millburn Educational Association (teachers, paraprofessionals, secretaries), the Communications Workers of America (support staff such as groundskeepers and janitors), and the Millburn Administration Association (principals, vice principals, supervisors, directors).

Relations between the Millburn Administration Association (MAA) and district officials have hit some speed bumps over the past few months, with a heated debate surrounding job security taking place in late 2024, TAPinto Millburn/Short Hills reported.

On Monday, Millburn Board of Education president Kris Heinrichs and vice president Priya Shivani issued an update about ongoing contract negotiations with the MAA, which consists of about 32 members.

They wrote:

“During bargaining, the parties agreed to bifurcate a single issue around sick leave payouts. The issue was important enough to have a sidebar agreement ahead of the main agreement. The board and the MAA signed the sidebar agreement on January 7. The MAA held a meeting with affected members on Thursday, January 9. At this meeting, MAA presented a PowerPoint which was reviewed and shared with the members following the meeting. This confidential presentation was improperly shared with members of the public. Usually, such agreements are not presented for public consumption until finalized in total.”

Heinrichs and Shivani continued:

“When the MAA and Board started bargaining for a new contract, the MAA proposed to change the amount the Board pays for accrued but unused sick days at retirement. In Millburn, ‘sick leave’ accumulations have long been paid at $58/day. However, the MAA sought to increase that amount to be each member’s per diem rate of pay for each sick day upon retirement (there is no payment if a member resigns). The Board calculated the financial exposure of the MAA proposals to be conservatively several millions of dollars, substantially more than its currently accrued liability. Not only could the Board not afford such a payment, but it cannot control when anyone retires, thereby rendering the MAA ‘ask’ operationally and fiscally challenging. When the MAA was asked what pain point was trying to be addressed through the proposal, the answer was that there were MAA members who otherwise wished to retire, but felt that they were leaving too much money on the table. In an effort to address the issue, the Board asked if the MAA was interested in exploring other options to accomplish its stated goal of getting its members more money at retirement.

“Out of this entirely mutual, collaborative, and voluntary process was borne what the parties called the Terminal Leave Sidebar Agreement. The Board’s stated goal was that to the extent that MAA members wished to retire or resign, it needed to protect the operational and fiscal integrity of the District. The Board proposed that the number of eligible participants be limited to two groups of four participants. The MAA stated that its members were very interested in expanding the pool of applicants. The parties ultimately agreed on two cohorts of six potential participants (12 total) straddling two budget years. The reason that the group was broken into two cohorts was to diminish the fiscal impact and potential operational disruption occasioned by the sidebar. Participation was entirely voluntary and a very personal life decision. The Board took great care to NOT personalize who might participate; it certainly NEVER ‘targeted’ anyone. The decision was always entirely personal to eligible administrators and was wholly voluntary. The MAA wanted this sidebar. They wholeheartedly embraced it.

“What was intended to be a way to recognize the years of dedicated service provided by administrators who voluntarily elect to leave or retire has been perverted into being somehow nefarious. The notion that administrators will be targeted or retaliated against for not participating is ludicrous. We must set the record straight regarding the mutually agreed upon sidebar agreement, which was disseminated to the public by certain administrators, resulting in speculative rumors, chaos, and a huge distraction for all involved.

“We believe in transparency and having direct, thoughtful, and timely messages when major decisions are made. It takes time to compile complicated, nuanced agreements that deal with confidential aspects and the livelihood of our staff for public consumption. We appreciate that our community is so involved and we respect your right to be informed. We ask for your patience and support as we continue to work to bring negotiations to a successful completion. We hope you appreciate that the Board of Education, the Millburn administration, and teachers have the students’ best interests in mind.”

ADMINISTRATORS: ‘A POSITIVE AND PRODUCTIVE MANNER’

MAA president John Leahey released a statement about the negotiations on Tuesday.

“As many of you are aware, the board of education and the Millburn Administrators Association are currently engaged in collective bargaining,” Leahey wrote. “After months of dialogue, both parties are very close to finalizing a new collective bargaining agreement.”

Leahey continued:

“As part of these discussions, a sidebar agreement has been reached that focuses on a benefit for eligible members of the MAA. On Thursday, January 9, MAA leadership held a meeting for those members who are eligible to participate in this program. It is important to address some concerns that have arisen regarding this matter.”

According to Leahey:

• Participation in the sidebar agreement is voluntary
• No member has been threatened with retaliation for choosing not to participate

“The MAA believes that this agreement may be beneficial for some of our members,” Leahey said. “However, participation is a personal decision and we ask that the privacy of our members be respected throughout this process.”

“The MAA is committed to completing the collective bargaining process in a positive and productive manner,” Leahey added.

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