Meeting Scheduled with Union Reps Today

A negotiations committee of the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education is expected to meet today with representatives of the BREA (the teachers union) in an effort to continue hammering out a potential agreement between the two parties.

Evan Lerner listens as Pat Breslin offers his opinion. (Bergeron Image)

Representing the B-R BOE are its President Evan Lerner; Board Member Jeffrey Brookner; Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael Schilder who sits in; as well as a professional negotiator hired by the Board.

The current contract with the BREA – by far the largest bargaining unit – expires at the end of this month.  Meanwhile, contract talks with unions representing supervisors and principals are being held in abeyance awaiting the outcome of BREA negotiations.

A source close to these intermittent but ongoing talks informed me that after about four weeks of waiting, the BREA has received the B-R BOE’s latest offer.  That person was unable to comment on the likelihood that it would be accepted.

These negotiations have been going on for months without any substantive report to the public from the Board of Education.  Asked for specifics of the Board’s current proposal to the BREA after last night’s meeting, Board President Evan Lerner declined to provide any information. 

Even though there is no formal non-disclosure agreement between the Board and the teachers’ union, Mr. Lerner continues to hold the position that it is not in anyone’s best interest to reveal specific information about these negotiations.

I disagree.  I strongly hold the view that it is specifically in the best interests of the communities of Bridgewater and Raritan to know what the heck is going on.  Teachers, students and voters are the ones who have the most at stake – financially and educationally – in these negotiations.

The true constituencies are not the two parties sitting at the negotiations table:  They are the public and the teachers who they represent.  

A detailed report card is long overdue.  We need discrete data in order to grade the performance of our representatives.

No more stonewalling.  No more telling us how open this Board is.  Just the facts.  The public needs to become a force in these discussions.

The clearest way that I can state my position is this:  “Transparency; More Transparency; Most Transparency.”  Now.