Simmering Resentment over Wage Hikes

The chorus of demands for the Bridgewater-Raritan Schools administration (including principals and supervisors) to set the example by enacting a voluntary wage freeze on their own compensation has been growing louder as the days go by. That strong sentiment was made abundantly clear at last Thursday’s meeting at the JFK School in Raritan Borough, when many motivated speakers challenged the administration on that topic.

The audience consisted largely of parents with school-age children, as well as a very large contingent of bargaining unit staff personnel who made their presence known. But there were also several residents without kids in the school system. It took a lot of guts to get up to that mike and declare that this is the time for a wage freeze.

The idea that this community needs to push back on wage hikes that it can no longer afford is not new. Nor is it simply my own. A year ago, on March 11, 2009, I wrote a blog post highlighting an example from the administrator of another school district. Below is an excerpt:

So there you have it.

“In a front-page Courier News article today, Hillsboro Schools Superintendent Edward Forsthoffer III indicated that he would forsake his salary increase for the 2009-2010 school year. Finally! Someone at the top of the administrative chain has decided to do what has been evident to just about every responsible New Jersey taxpaying citizen: Hold the line on salary.

With respect to the Bridgewater-Raritan School District, I’ve had it in mind to write that the administration, beginning with Superintendent of Schools, Dr. J. Michael Schilder and School Business Administrator/Board Secretary, Peter Starrs, should be among the first to give up their pay raises. Their example should be followed by all other leading educators in the Bridgewater-Raritan School District.

I never thought that a superintendent from another nearby school district would be the first to do it. The example has been set, but it’s only a beginning

Getting the three Bridgewater-Raritan schools bargaining units to see the economic light is like trying to start a camp fire in the rain.

The largest of these groups, the Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association has been meeting in the last 24 hours with its membership to consider the issue. At Thursday’s meeting, Board member Evan Lerner, who is on the Negotiations Team, publicly asked to meet with representatives of the BREA.

That meeting should happen on Monday, one day before the full board of education is scheduled to meet to refine its budgeting strategy. The other two members of the Negotiations Team are Board President Jeffrey Brookner and Board Member Lynne Hurley.

Meanwhile, the other two significant bargaining units – the first representing school principals and the other representing school supervisors – are hanging tough. Board President Jeffrey Brookner told Thursday evening’s public assembly that these groups have not yet given up a dime of their scheduled pay increases – nada, rien, niente. Thanks for checking in. Stay engaged

Sunday evening, March 21st revisions: This post has been revised to correct the fact that the Bridgewater-Raritan Negotiations Team consists of board members Jeffrey Brookner, Evan Lerner and Lynne Hurley. Board policy gives the board president flexibility in appointments. Cindy Cullen, Jill Gladstone and Arvind Mathur were previously identified as being on the Negotiations Committee. This confusion arose due to an incorrect posting and titling of committee assignments found on the official Bridgewater-Raritan web site.