Tenafly Teachers Boycott Back To School Nights

Tenafly Back To School Nights

Owing to unresolved salaries negotiations, Tenafly teachers are abstaining from participating in the Back To School Nights. While the teachers primary reason for not attending is the unresolved contract negotiations they also want to surface the issue to the parents of Tenafly students.

While the teachers are expected that they  attend Back to School Night, the educators are not contractually obligated to attend.

The contract negotiations between the TEA ( Tenafly Education Association) and the board remain largely unresolved on the issues of employee contribution to the cost of health care premiums and overall salaries, according to board President Edward Salaski.

The board and TEA initially met in December 2014 to discuss teacher contracts, which expired on July 1.

In April, after several meetings, the two parties declared an impasse in negotiations, as the TEA and the board could not come to an agreement, Salaski said. As mandated by state law, in the event of an impasse a state appointed mediator is identified to attempt to facilitate an agreement between the two parties.

Following the July mediation, the issue of health care contributions remained largely unresolved.

According to Salaski, the TEA requested the board “contribute a significant amount” to the cost of premiums the employees pay.

The cost of the premium is mandated by the state and outlined on a four-tiered scale carried out over four years.

Teachers are currently in the fourth and final tier of the scale, which requires them to pay 20-35 percent of the premium, according to Wellman………According to Wellman, the lowest paid teacher in Tenafly earns an annual salary of $51,000. The highest earning teacher, requiring a masters degree and 32 additional graduate credits, earns $101,000…..Wellman said the salaries in Tenafly are not competitive with those of surrounding areas…..

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