West Deptford Teachers to Enter School Year Without Contract

Talks between the West Deptford Board of Education and the teachers union have been cordial and frequent since negotiations opened in April, both sides of the table report.

But there's still no chance of entering the school year with the teachers under contract.

On June 20, talks entered the mediation phase, with a non-binding, third-party arbitrator working to help bring things to a close. The first time the two sides will meet since having agreed to mediation isn't until the second week of September, however. 

That means that when the first day of school rolls around, staff will be headed to their posts without a deal in place.

Joel Robinson of the West Deptford Education Association (WDEA) said that the talks started well, with both sides resolving "some housekeeping things" in the early going. 

But "on the bigger issues we just weren’t close enough to where we felt we could reach an agreement," he said.

"Both sides are communicating with each other, and both sides are expressing opinions," Robinson said. "Both sides are looking forward to reaching an agreement and reaching an agreement as soon as possible."

However long it takes to get a deal done, Robinson said, the teachers and staff are committed to professionalism and to the children of West Deptford, noting that the WDEA worked the entire 2010 year without a contract—not that those were days he's eager to revisit.

"I don’t think the staff will be too down," he said, "but I think most people probably saw the writing on the wall and saw that this was a possibility."

Robinson also expressed frustration that the current labor climate in New Jersey is almost uniformly tense for teachers, which he blamed on Gov. Chris Christie's politicization of union contracts.

"I think Christie did a fantastic job of vilifying teachers three or four years ago, and I think that stigma is still sticking with us," he said. 

"This seems to be how every district in the state is going; very few have settled a contract without having to go to mediation or fact-finding."

West Deptford School Board President Chris Strano shared Robinson's assessment, ading that "we have a very good relationship with our teachers," but adding that protracted contract talks are "just the climate we’re in and how the processes work.

"It’s apparently kind of par for the course," Strano said. "I’m hoping that it’s done within a relatively expeditious timeframe; you always hope these things don’t linger on.

Robinson said that although both sides are sensitive to the financial condition of the school district, the teachers are "just looking to be compensated fairly. 

"We realize the economy’s not great, and people have it hard all over, but I don’t think that people realize how hard and how dedicated teachers work," he said.

"We’re not looking for handouts here; we’re not looking for some fabulous contracts; we’re just looking for something that’s fair and average.