School Contract Dispute Has Been Settled, Parsippany BOE Says

PARSIPPANY, NJ — A contract dispute between the Parsippany-Troy Hills Board of Education and the Parsippany Troy-Hills Education Association has been settled, the Board of Education says.

The Board posted a short note on the district web page on July 31 saying the two sides have reached an agreement. "The Board is pleased to report that it has reached a settlement with the PTHEA on a successor contract and is looking forward to approving the contract after it is ratified by the Association’s members when they return to school in early September," the note read.

A week later, a similar note was posted concerning a contract with the Educational Secretaries Association of Parsippany-Troy Hills.

A representative for the teachers union did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment. The union has not yet shared any public statements about the agreement.

Teachers have been working under the terms of a previous contract since June 2018. The PTHEA represents 750 teachers across 14 schools; teachers and students reported to school for the first day on Tuesday.

The heart of the disagreement is health insurance premiums. All New Jersey teachers are required by law to pay into their insurance premiums under Chapter 78. According to the Board, teachers would see "significant Chapter 78 relief" if they enrolled in a health plan that "is already in effect in the District and in which many of the Association's members are currently enrolled." Teachers who choose a more expensive health plan would receive less Chapter 78 relief, the Board says.

According to the PTHEA, the Board's suggestions were lose-lose. Teachers enrolling in the less expensive plan would see increased out-of-pocket health costs, creating an effective reduction in take home pay, while teachers in the more expensive plan would actually receive smaller paychecks, the PTHEA said.

It's not clear how that dispute was resolved.