Schools

Principals Association Declares Impasse in Negotiations

And discussions are continuing with the Supervisors Association.

The board of education is beginning its negotiations with both the Bridgewater-Raritan Supervisors Association and the Bridgewater-Raritan Principals Association—and one has already declared impasse.

Board of education president Evan Lerner said Tuesday that the board's negotiating committee participated in a session Dec. 13 with the Bridgewater-Raritan Principals Association. At the end of the meeting, the BRPA announced that it would be declaring an impasse and filing documents with the state's Department of Labor.

"Thus, direct negotiations between the parties have terminated and the parties will enter non-binding mediation in the next few months," Lerner said in a statement concerning the negotiations.

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The session with the Supervisors Association, Lerner said, was also held Dec. 13, and lasted about two hours.

That session, Lerner said, went well, and discussions will continue Jan. 17.

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"The discussions covered a variety of topics and we believe that significant progress was made," he said.

The hope, Lerner said, is to reach agreements with both unions.

"The board's goal in negotiations is the same, to arrive at agreements with our supervisors, principals and assistant principals that are in the best interests of our students, are within the community's capacity to pay and the district's ability to budget, and take into account competitive compensation paid by similar and surrounding districts," he said.


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