Teachers Contract Could Be Ratified by End of Month

The Montville Township Education Association (MTEA) could be close to having a new contract ratified as a union representative said she expects the negotiations to come to a conclusion by the end of the month.

"The salary guides have been developed and submitted to the board for them to review. We are hoping the parties will ratify before the end of the month," Vickie Walsh, a New Jersey Education Association field representative who is representing the MTEA said Thursday.

The Montville Township Board of Education is hoping for an agreement to be reached soon.

"The board is also hopeful a successful conclusion is near," Board President Dr. Karen Cortellino said.

Developing salary guides, and then agreeing on them, are the final steps in a contract negotiation process that has taken more than a year in Montville. However, other neighboring school districts, such as Kinnelon, are still not near the stage that Montville has reached at this point in negotiations.

The MTEA and school board met through the night on Aug. 31 and reached a tentative agreement on the contract. The actual ratification of the contract can now be done electronically once the board members have had a chance to review the documents, according to Walsh, and does not require the entities to meet again.

The MTEA includes teachers, secretaries, custodians and more.