Board makes plans for possible strike

MARLBORO — Qualified substitute teachers are being sought by the Marlboro K- 8 School District Board of Education in the event that members of the Marlboro Township Education Association (MTEA) go out on strike.

The previous contract between the Board of Education and the MTEA ended on June 30, 2008. The two sides have not reached an agreement on a new deal since that time. The employees are continuing to work under the terms of the previous contract.

Within the past week the board has run a newspaper advertisement which states that the school district will pay $300 per day for emergency substitute teachers. Applicants for the substitute teaching positions must submit a valid New Jersey teaching certificate or county substitute certification, proof of fingerprinting and proof of negative Mantoux test results, according to the advertisement.

The representatives of the school board and the MTEA have been going back and forth in an attempt to arrive at a new contract.

MTEA members were upset when the board rejected a fact-finder's report which the union members deemed to be fair to both sides. The board has stated that it rejected the fact-finder's report because the report did not provide for the employees to contribute toward the cost of their health benefits.

In an Oct. 28 letter distributed to parents, Board of Education President Cynthia Green said the board's position remains that it is critical for all district employees to make a contribution toward the cost of their health benefits in order to produce a fiscally responsible budget, which in turn will help to contain annual property tax increases in Marlboro.

MTEA President Diane Saks said, "The fact-finder clearly reported that the MTEA has already made efforts for cost containment and that a contribution (toward health benefits) is not warranted."

Representatives of the board and the union are expected to meet on Nov. 9 with a state appointed super-conciliator in an attempt to reach a contract settlement.

During its Oct. 20 meeting the board approved an operation of schools resolution and guidelines that provide for actions to be taken in the event of a strike by the MTEA.

When asked about the situation, Green said, "The safety and the security of our students is paramount to the board and we are doing everything that we need to do to ensure that. That has always been paramount, will continue to be paramount and we will do whatever we need to do to ensure that."

The resolution states that the board believes the closure of Marlboro's schools in the event of a strike is contrary to the educational interests of the students and contrary to the interest of the general public.

Commenting on the advertisement for emergency substitute teachers, Saks said, "We feel the board is engaging in an outright provocation when they are warning parents of a possible strike; that it is premature and inflammatory because the MTEA is committed to settling this dispute at the bargaining table and we intend to stay as long as it takes on Nov. 9 to do just that."

Green responded to the union president, saying, "We feel it would be irresponsible to ignore the possibility that the MTEA might engage in any illegal action."

She said the board wants to be prepared to continue providing educational experiences for students through the use of certified personnel.

According to the guidelines approved by the board, in the event of a strike schools will operate on a four-hour schedule and lunch will not be served in school. All school clubs and extracurricular activities will be canceled during the strike.

The emergency substitute teachers will be hired to keep the schools open, along with employees who are not a part of the MTEA bargaining unit who will still be working in the schools.

In her letter, Green advised parents that school buses would likely not be running in the event of a strike. She said parents would need to make arrangements to get their children to and from school.

Green and Saks have both said they hope an agreement that is reasonable to the two sides will be reached during the Nov. 9 negotiations.