The negotiations have followed a rocky road. At a previous meeting two weeks ago, the board rejected a contract 5-4 after one board member said it wasn't what he had agreed to during negotiations.
Before that, during the spring, the board had scrapped an earlier deal, saying that Schools Superintendent Jack Raslowsky had kept them in the dark and did not demand enough givebacks to justify the raise.
Sources have said that the original contract had a pay increase of close to 6 percent, while the more recent one was in the 5.7 percent range with some union givebacks, like a half hour of class time added to each day.
However, one source close to negotiations said last week that the contract presented to the board at the last meeting included a pay raise for school clerks (part of the teacher's union) that was much higher than what teachers would get, perhaps even close to 10 percent.
A board member confirmed last week that the raises set forth in the contract did vary wildly from teachers to clerks to transportation workers.
School board member Anthony Romano said last week that the Negotiations Committee had met since the last board meeting to re-evaluate the direction of negotiations. He said that as soon as board attorney Joseph Morano returns from medical leave, the talks will continue.
Tuesday night, teachers' union president Gary Enrico, "Does the board have any intention of returning back to the negotiating table?"
"Mr. Enrico, it will be done," said board member Phil DeFalco, who had cast the surprise vote against the contract during the previous meeting. "We want to have this done quickly and we want to have this done correctly."
"The two weeks from the last meeting was a good cooling-off period, but I don't think we want to go too much further," Enrico said.
Board member Theresa Minutillo said after the meeting that she was upset because resident Lane Bajardi was hushed by the board and administration for talking about the possible pay raises during the meeting - since contract amounts are supposed to be confidential. However, Minutillo complained that during the previous meeting, board members were allowed to speak freely about specific givebacks set forth in the agreement.
At Tuesday's meeting, Bajardi reminded the board that they can only legally increase the budget by 4 percent every year, so raises in the 6 percent range would be hard to sustain throughout the three years of the contract.
One legal source said that since the contract was voted down, it can be made public. But board members and the administration were awaiting word from Morano before they released any information.
School choice program may be revived
Also at Tuesday's meeting, the board considered promoting the fact that students from other towns are allowed to attend the Hoboken schools - which allows the district to be reimbursed by the state to the tune of $15,978 per student.
Hoboken is the only Hudson County participant for a state-sponsored "school choice" program and thus is the only school district in the county that can accept students from outside of the district. They already have done so in the elementary grades, but have in the past accepted high school students as well. But in the last few years, they haven't promoted the program, so very few out-of-town students have been added.
Schools Superintendent Jack Raslowsky asked the board to consider whether they want to continue taking in students and, if so, whether they want to encourage high school students to come. He said that now, any student who moves out of Hoboken can remain in their Hoboken school as a "school choice" student because of a recent statewide legislative change.
Board member Rose Markle said this was reason enough to keep the program going, considering all of the families who might have to move out of Hoboken because they are suffering financially.
The state reimburses Hoboken $15,978 for each student they take on from out of the district.
________
Mary Tremetiedi, administrative assistant to the superintendent, gave a presentation at the meeting to explain to board members and the public exactly what the program entails.
Kindergarten students are not eligible because they must be in another school system for a year before their application is considered. Students are issued available seats on a "first come, first serve" basis. If there are more students than available seats, the remaining students are entered into a lottery and put on a waiting list.
Tremetiedi said Thursday that the district currently has eight "school choice" students in various grades. She said three are in the high school and five are in the elementary schools. Six are from Jersey City and two are from North Bergen. Transportation is provided for elementary students who live in a 2-mile radius and high school students in a 2.5-mile radius, and the district is reimbursed for that in addition to the tuition money.
Jersey City kids blamed
The board was largely in favor of continuing the program, although board member James Farina voiced his opposition to the high school aspect, saying there have been disciplinary problems in the past.
"I really have reservations about the whole 'student choice' program, being a sponsor of the first 'student choice' program [in 1999]," Farina said. "With the problems that we had, kids coming out-of-town with a different situation than the children that live in Hoboken."
Maureen Sullivan, a parent and a former school board candidate, was critical of the incoming students. Sullivan said, "That's the thing you hear about the high school, 'Those Jersey City kids, they cause a lot of problems.' "
Her comments drew the ire of board president Frances Rhodes-Kearns and board member Anthony Romano.
"This is a stigma that I don't like to hear," Romano said. "This 'Jersey City,' this 'Jersey City.' That's improper and it's wrong."
Raslowsky offered that people are confused because several years ago, a number of Jersey City residents were allowed into the Hoboken housing projects ahead of Hoboken residents. He said some of the unseemly actions of the projects residents were now being attributed to those incoming students, which was unwarranted.
Former board member Theresa Burns said at the meeting that the district should take the "school choice" opportunity to "create an academic niche" that would draw bright students from other towns.
After the meeting, board member Phil DeFalco explained that even though the district is reimbursed for only $16,000 of the average $25,000 per-pupil cost that the district pays, the intake is not a loss. The schools only make available space in existing classrooms, so it is a matter of maximizing resources. The significant savings on the choice students is spread among the remaining students.
He said that by accepting more incoming students, the board can effectively reduce per-pupil costs as a whole.
But finances aside, DeFalco and some other board members asked for more information to make a final decision. Raslowsky agreed to provide it.
Filling the classrooms
The school choice program led to a continued discussion about what the most effective classroom size is. Last year, board members wondered how many teachers could be laid off without overloading the classrooms.
Some board members believe the ratio should be 18 students per teacher, while others believe 22 is more appropriate.
Raslowsky said that as far as new students are concerned, the biggest classroom seat availability would be in the ninth and tenth grades in the high school.
Board member Frank Raia suggested not filling all the seats during the first year of the program, so that the district and the students could acclimate themselves to the out-of-town students.
Board member Carrie Gilliard was not at the board meeting, nor was board member Carmelo Garcia, who was attending the Hoboken Housing Authority meeting that night.
For questions or comments on this story, e-mail tcarroll@hudsonreporter.com.
Post a Comment