TEACHERS CONTRACT NOT REALLY FINAL YET, NO VOTE SET

It's been nearly two months since the South Orange Maplewood Education Association, which represents district teachers, boasted that a new contract had been reached between the district and its members.

But as of last week, the details of the contract salary guide had still not been met, and no date to ratify had been scheduled. The district also has yet to release any details about raises or the length of the contract.

As Superintendent John Ramos revealed at last Monday's school board meeting:



 
We asked District Spokewoman Suzanne Turner about the salary guide question. She said the raises had been agreed upon, but added via email:

The overall % or $ amount of the increase has been agreed upon. The work now is to
determine how that money will be distributed to SOMEA staff based on a number of
factors including number of years employed by the District and education degree. 
The salary guides specify the salary for each contract year for each category of
employee. For example, the salary of a 1st year teacher with a BA, vs. a 10th year
teacher with a Master's, vs. a 5th year teacher with a doctorate.

So it appears the deal is not done. We will let you know when it is.