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Teachers, aides and parents urge swift contract settlement as board faces mediation
Summary
Dozens of teachers, paraeducators and parents pressed the North Brunswick Township Board of Education on July 31 to settle stalled contract negotiations before the August mediation, warning that low pay and turnover are harming students and forcing staff to leave. Board counsel said current law keeps staff working under the prior contract while mediation proceeds.
Dozens of teachers, paraeducators and parents packed the July 31 North Brunswick Township Board of Education meeting to press the board to reach a contract settlement before mediation on Aug. 13.
Michael Kesselinger, speaking as a representative of the MBTEA negotiations team, appealed directly to the board to ‘‘compromise with us’’ so that ‘‘come September, we could put the students first’’ and to give staff the ‘‘peace of mind’’ needed to focus on classrooms. He opened the public-comment period by asking the board to treat the mediation as an opportunity to find a fair agreement.
Multiple teachers described long unpaid hours and low pay compared with neighboring districts. Abby Morales, a fourth-grade teacher and parent, said she documented 505 hours of…
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