The Silence of the Leaders

Except for the Superintendent of the Bridgewater-Raritan School District, Dr. Michael Schilder, there seems to have been a veil of public silence over the school budget from two leadership groups, the supervisors and the principals. Dr. Schilder, through his presentations and comments at public meetings, as well as through a series of e-mails to a recipient list has been very expressive in his views about that topic.

So has Mr. Steve Beatty, President of the Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association which represents mostly teachers, but also includes secretaries, custodians, maintenance workers and others. (Lately, he has not spoken before the board of education or either municipal body.)

But the principals and supervisors, each represented by their own union, seem to be comfortable with officially remaining in the public background; and lately, it appears, letting Mr. Beatty speak for them on the much publicized question of a wage freeze for the upcoming academic year.

The principals and supervisors were the first to endorse a contribution to their health care benefits. Together with a give-up of certain other educational expenses, those concessions were subsequently adopted by the BREA.

A thoughtful person has to wonder what might happen now, if the principals and supervisors were to take the lead and to reconsider their previous rejection of a one-year wage freeze. It’s not too late.

Instead, since their initiative with the health care concession, the two unions seem to have linked arms with the BREA.

Why is that? At a time when the superintendent of schools and the entire non-bargaining team have already given up their salary increases for next year, why are the principals and supervisors still resisting? Please . . . Don’t tell me that they have already contributed enough through a 1.5% concession towards health care benefits.

It would be unwise to minimize the total impact of health care concessions which, for the BREA alone represents a $1 million give-back to the district. Notwithstanding, let’s also remember that those contributions are already scheduled to go into effect by law as soon as existing contracts expire. On July 1st, the BREA finds itself in the last year of its three-year wage agreement.

This is the consequential issue: The Bridgewater-Raritan community is staring at the stark possibility of further significant reductions to the school budget. Only a $2.4 million wage freeze might assure that more teachers will not lose their jobs.

Thanks for reading, and stay engaged.