B-R Teachers’ Union President Issues own Version of Stalled Talks

BREA officials Joe Krenetsky & Steve Beatty at 3/22/11 Board Mtg., among other observers.  (Bergeron Images)

Yesterday, immediately following release of a statement by the President of the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education concerning the status of the negotiations between it and the teacher’ union, the BREA issued its own press release, outlining its view of offers, counter-offers, and of why talks have stalled.

On Saturday, June 25^th this blog was first to report that discussions between the two parties had broken down on.

The full text of the BREA’S comments issued by its President, Mr. Steve Beatty, appears below without further comment:

B-R Board of Ed. President Reports Talks with Teachers’ Union have Stalled

Mr. Evan Lerner, then Board Vice-President, at a work session of the Board in Raritan, at the JFK School on 3/8/11. (Bergeron Images)

At the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education meeting last light, Board President Evan Lerner issued the statement below concerning negotiations between it and the teachers’ union, the Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association.  

According to those present at the meeting, after Mr. Lerner read the statement, there was no further discussion by the Board, and no members of the public rose to comment upon it, including representatives of the BREA who were present last evening.

On Saturday, June 25^th,  this blog was first to report that discussions between the two parties had broken down.

The full text of Mr. Lerner’s comments appears below without further comment:

Union Representatives Abandon Bargaining Talks

In several documents obtained on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic, the Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association (the BREA) informed its membership this week that it has broken off talks with the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education (the B-R BOE).

Thursday:   NJ Assembly seats await final vote on pension reform.

Mr. Joe Krenetsky, Negotiations Chair for the BREA, wrote to his constituency that “The BREA and the Board are at impasse, which means that we have ended the head-to-head process and are applying for a mediator to come in to help.”

Mr. Krenetsky indicated that his union had offered to “compromise” by trying “to meet the Board half-way, but that the Board has been unwilling to compromise in the least,”  adding that, “In fact, the Board has increased their demands instead of working towards an agreement.”

He also expressed concern that “Health Care legislation being discussed at this time will complicate our negotiations process a lot . . . it’s all connected to our negotiations.”  (Krenetsky was referring to the pension reform bills that have since passed the New Jersey Senate and Assembly.)

Governor Christie is expected to sign those proposals into law on Monday.

In an analogous communication to BREA membership one day before the New Jersey Assembly approved the pension reform bill, BREA  President Mr. Steve Beatty expressed similar sentiments when he indicated that: 

For Some, Perhaps a Summer of Discontent

How would you answer the question?  (NJN12 Screen shot/Dick Bergeron)

Things are about to change for public unions.

By day’s end on Thursday of this week, union members and the general population of New Jersey will witness the conclusion of a prolonged pension and health benefits battle which has been raging in this state for months.

The end is in sight. 

Unless there is a major surprise – don’t expect one – the bill that will be presented to the New Jersey Assembly for a vote on Thursday is expected to pass in a form little changed from that agreed to by the Senate.  (I outlined some of those provisions in my last post.)

One of the most significant aspects of this proposed legislation is that Republican Governor Chris Christie has lately been sitting quietly in the background, as the considerable firepower of public unions has been taking aim squarely at Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver. 

Inter-Party Alliance Forces NJ Pension Reform Proposal

Who?  Me?  (TV Screen shot/Bergeron)

Yesterday, at the State House in Trenton, NJ, a rare event occurred:  A coalition of Democratic and Republican state legislators witnessed the passing of a committee resolution that is scheduled to go to the floor of the full Senate on Monday for an up or down vote.

Also on Monday, a similar committee headed by Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver will consider this highly controversial proposal.  The New Jersey Education Association and other public unions are fiercely opposed to these measures.

Should the NJ Senate approve the bill and should New Jersey’s Assembly concur, it will be presented to Governor Chris Christie for approval and codification into law.  Under the State Constitution, a budget must be passed by June 30.

On Friday, Governor Christie was the target of highly caustic, personal invectives by union demonstrators.  Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver, both Democrats, were not far behind in experiencing similar union pressure to break away from Christie on this issue – to no avail, so far.

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.

Expect People-Intensive School Board Meeting at High School



Cheryl Dyer, Assistant Superintendent (Bergeron Images)

The next work session of the Bridgewater-Raritan School Board is scheduled for Tuesday, June 14^th, at 8:00 PM, in the High School on Garretson Road.  The meeting’s agenda is expected to attract a large group of parents who have become focused on a particularly controversial topic which may be resolved by Board action on Tuesday.

The issue relates to a staff report originally presented to the School Board on May 17^th and updated on May 24^th.  It concerns a proposal to establish an ESL (English as a Second Language) Magnet School Program at the Bradley Gardens Elementary School for students from kindergarten through 4^th grade. 

That plan, if implemented, would involve busing about 112 students from around the District to Bradley Gardens.  It also would involve consolidating another 12 ELL students (English Language Learners) at the Hillside School, accounting for a total of 124 students who would be bused away from their neighborhood schools.

Points of Outrage

Congressman Anthony Weiner (D) NY, (Google Photos)

Cape May, New Jersey.  Last Friday, when I had the privilege of standing before a class of 7^th graders at the Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School to discuss the Internet, its benefits and its pitfalls, I had no idea of how expansive the scandalous Internet conduct of Anthony Weiner, Congressman from the State of New York, and a front- running candidate to succeed Michael Bloomberg as mayor of New York City would become.

It was bad enough when he first stood in front of the cameras and the mikes in full denial of his abusive use of Twitter. It grew progressively worse, as his audacious lies grew increasingly implausible in a crescendo of public mendacity.

Middle School Hosts its First Book Fest

Yesterday, I drove east on the shoulder of the 2^nd Watchung Mountain Range, down into the heart of Bridgewater’s Washington Valley; up and across the 1^st Watchung Mountain on a narrow and curvy Mine Road; then down onto Foothill Road, still heading east.

Main entrance to the Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School

That early morning drive on a brilliantly sunny day would take me to the Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School where I had been invited, along with many others, to participate in its first annual Book Fest. 

As I neared my destination, turning right on Merriwood Drive and onto the school’s grounds, I came upon the daily lineup of empty yellow school buses tightly parked along the curvature of the entrance’s driveway, waiting for their cue to depart. 

If you’ve never seen it, it is a truly efficient sight to behold, because that row of buses speaks to the competency with which the B-R Transportation Department runs a tight ship, maintaining a schedule which leaves little room for error.  They departed just as I reached the main entrance, with a school employee waving them past, accounting for each vehicle as it roared by.

This would be an interesting day.  Kristy Shurina, 7^th grade teacher of Language Arts and Literature, had asked me to speak to students on the topic of Internet blogging.  Mrs. Shurina, who has been on maternity leave, is returning to the classroom in the fall.  She and I, working as a team, were to engage the students.  I would cover the nature of blogging, and she would speak about how to comment responsibly to blog authors.

In Case You Didn’t See the Announcement . . . (To Be Rescheduled!)

The town hall meeting scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, June 1^st, featuring Governor Chris Christie, and originally scheduled to be held at the 4-H Center on Milltown Road in Bridgewater has been cancelled. 

MCJ.com had an announcement to that effect, but it appeared last Saturday evening when many folks were away for the weekend, and some of you may have missed it.  Thus, I’m posting this reminder. 

Today, around mid-morning, I called the Governor’s office with a question about that meeting and was told that it was cancelled, but would be rescheduled; yet no new date was immediately available as of the time of my call. 

Commemorating what we Shouldn’t Forget

The 9/11 memorial at Harry Dunham Park (Photo/R. Bergeron)

During his recent visit to the nation’s Capital, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu impressed me a great deal.  There is in this man a core of stability, determination, consistency and integrity which cannot be ignored. 

The U.S. Congress, it seems, must share similar sentiments because, in a joint meeting of the House and Senate this week, he united Democrats and Republicans, as, on one point after another, they rose from their seats and enthusiastically punctuated his statements with applause and admiration – a gesture seldom expressed by that group with such frequency, especially for a visiting foreign dignitary.

I couldn’t listen to Netanyahu’s address without noting the unpretentiousness with which he speaks, and with the forcefulness by which he underscores his laser-like intent, which is to preserve the continued existence of Israel.

Middle East Christians: Washington’s Throwaways

Some things need to be said, and this is one of them:  The passivity with which President Obama and the Congress of the United States continue to ignore the wanton destruction of Christian churches, the killing of Christians, and the forced exile from their countries of origin in the Middle East and parts of Asia is a national disgrace.

The "Arab Spring" is not unfolding as peacefully as is this flower in my garden.

It’s like a malignant virus spreading across the region.  Christians in Iraq, Egypt, and Pakistan have been set upon violently while celebrating their sacred liturgies or as they openly exercised their rights:  They are erratically beaten and gunned down in their own neighborhoods, or blown up in their churches as they quietly and peacefully pray. 

Stories of these religious atrocities keep rolling off the newswires, yet the problem remains effectively unaddressed by Washington elected officials, its power brokers, and the Pentagon. 

Schools’ Staff Proposes a “More Efficient” Learning Model

Board member Lynne Hurley seeks the floor, as Cindy Cullen looks on.

Tuesday evening, May 17^th, at the Wade Administration Building in Martinsville, Superintendent of Schools Michael Schilder and Assistant Superintendent Cheryl Dyer outlined a proposal for a Magnet School Program for English Language Learners (ELLs), who are studying English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL).

Schilder and Dyer were supported by District staff members present in the audience who were on hand as subject-matter experts to take questions and to expand on certain points.  This program, if approved, will be implemented at the Bradley Gardens Primary School as early as next September.

The Magnet School proposal was put on the table because, in the words of Dr. Schilder, “Our ESL program is not meeting the needs of our kids.”  There are approximately 112 ELL students, about half of which employ Spanish as their primary language.

BREA President Offers his Views on Contract Negotiations

Left to right:  Messrs. Beatty & Dohenny, BREA; Lynne Hurley

Yesterday afternoon, Mr. Steve Beatty, President of the Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association returned my call from the previous day. 

During that conversation we discussed the current status of negotiations between the union which he represents (BREA),  and the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education, which is expected to take up the BREA’S latest response at a closed session meeting on May 17^th.

Those of you who regularly follow this blog are aware that I have previously asked both parties what the offers and counter-offers have been, hoping that this information could be passed on to you, the public and union members, while discussions are still in progress.

Mr. Beatty indicated that the Association wants to do “what is fair and right.”  He explained that the reason both parties “have chosen to be more tight-lipped” is to ensure “better success” in negotiations.  He added that “we both see value in keeping (negotiations) private.” 

Update on School Labor Contract Negotiations

Evan Lerner, Patrick Breslin and Lynne Hurley at May 3rd Board Meeting

At the May 3^rd post-election reorganization meeting of the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education, newly installed Board President Evan Lerner alerted the audience that on Tuesday, May 17^th, at the next meeting, the Negotiations Committee will update the full Board in closed executive session on the status of negotiations with the Bridgewater-Raritan Education Association. 

In a telephone conversation this evening, Mr. Lerner disclosed that although the Negotiations Team had not met with representatives of the BREA since the School Board’s reorganization on May 3^rd, that it had, nonetheless, "received a proposal" from the teachers’ union. 

Mr. Lerner was unable to disclose the contents of that proposal, but indicated that in its executive session next Tuesday, the full  Board will hear the specifics in closed session, will discuss it, and  “will be crafting a response for the Negotiations Committee” to bring back to the BREA. 

The Board may also consider the question of “whether or not to disclose the BREA’s offer” to the public, but there was no indication of what the sense of the Board might be on this issue.

A Happily Deserved Mother’s Day to All You Moms

Springtime at the Bridgewater Township Administration Building

Recognition and thanks goes out to all of you wonderful ladies in Bridgewater and beyond who have chosen such a noble profession.

Few people call it that, because motherhood doesn’t always fit in with the temper of the times which links success with the amount of bucks accumulated, let alone recognizes this endeavor as a job onto itself.

Nonetheless, the hand that rocks the cradle is truly the one that rules the world, despite any claims to the contrary.  There are only a couple of professions in life which demand such a lifelong commitment of time, energy, and love.  Yet there are few which can be so absolutely and frustratingly demanding, despite the dignity of it all.

VNA Rummage Sale Started Friday on the Fairgrounds in Far Hills

Spring, 2011, VNA Rummage Sale. (Photo/R. Bergeron)

The spring rummage sale held on behalf of the Visiting Nurse Association of Somerset Hills began today and continues for two more days.  It will be open for bargain hunters tomorrow morning, Saturday, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and on Sunday, from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

According to the VNA’s website, “This famous Rummage Sale, held every fall and spring at the Fairgrounds in Far Hills, New Jersey, is New Jersey's largest and oldest. As a major fundraiser for the VNA, 100% of the proceeds support the VNA’s programs and enable the VNA to care for those who are uninsured or underinsured.

If you haven't been before, prepare yourself! Bargains are everywhere, and the selection, spread out over 75,000 square feet, is incredible – you name it and you'll find it there.”

I always try to go each year, because I’m a bookworm on the lookout for an unusual edition on an interesting topic, or for a good novel or other notable work of literature.  (I found seven books for $12, about the price of a single electronic version.)  

Flash Report: School Board Appoints New Leadership

At its annual post-election reorganization meeting this evening, Tuesday May 3^rd, the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education unanimously voted to install Evan Lerner as Board President and Pat Breslin as Vice President.

Lerner succeeds Jeffrey Brookner, last year’s Board President, while Breslin assumes Lerner’s former position as Vice-President.

Prior to that action, and as a result of last week’s public voting of April 27^th, Arvind Mathur, Ann Marie Meade and Evan Lerner were each sworn in to three-year terms on the Board.

Participation of Student Representatives Emphasized, as the B-R BOE Reorganizes.

Katherine Wullert, Student Board Representative.

Tuesday night, May 3rd, at 8:00 p.m. in the Wade Administration Building in Martinsville, the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education will conduct its post-election reorganization, followed by a regular meeting of the new board, once the President and Vice President are elected and installed. 

The evening’s 10-page agenda is taken up largely with once-a-year items designating persons and institutions for specific roles and responsibilities, as well as to consider and to approve other motions concerning administrative and educational matters.

To be sworn in as members of the Board are incumbents Arvind Mathur and Evan Lerner from Bridgewater, as well as newcomer Ann Marie Meade from Raritan.  This first meeting following last week’s District-wide voting is also to a large extent a celebratory event for the winners.  After that, it’s getting down to business.

There are nine elected officials – not counting the Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, and Board Secretary – who sit around the table and who oversee educational and business matters on behalf of the community. 

Bridgewater-Raritan: School Budget Gets Nod; Two Incumbents Win, Third One Loses

In what appears to be a ringing endorsement of the overall direction of the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education and its Administration, voters from the Township and the Borough cast their lots overwhelmingly in favor of the school budget. 

Mathur and Lerner, upon learning of the final vote tally. (Photo/R.Bergeron)

Out of a total of 5,473 votes cast, the budget easily raced past the finish line by a margin of 893, with all voting districts in favor, including absentee ballots.

Bridgewater incumbents Arvind Mathur and Evan Lerner also won over contenders Barbara Kane, Lisa Giranda and Elizabeth Eisenger Lande.  Al Smith, a nine-year veteran representing Raritan, lost to newcomer Ann Marie Mead. 

The margins of victory were not slim.  Mead won overwhelmingly by more than 2 to 1, while Lerner and Mathur garnered 2178 and 2092 votes, respectively.  Barbara Kane placed third with 1642, while Lisa Giranda was next with 1,366.  Elizabeth Eisenger Lande, an active Bridgewater mom, yet a newcomer to the political scene, did well with 1,140 votes.