Sides reach tentative agreement once again E.B. teachers' union, board come to terms after further mediation BY VINCENT TODARO Staff Writer After more than a year of negotiations, the East Brunswick Board of Education and teachers' union came to terms on a new contract after another marathon negotiations session last week. The agreement, announced at last Thursday's school board meeting, was reached at about 2:30 a.m. before the board meeting. There was no information available about the terms of the new contract. Patricia LaDuca, coordinator of community relations and programs for the school district, said the specifics cannot be discussed until the East Brunswick Education Association (EBEA) votes to ratify the deal. A Feb. 22 deadline has been established for that vote. The East Brunswick Education Association represents more than 1,300 teachers, instructional aides, bus drivers, custodians, secretaries, cafeteria workers and computer tech personnel. The employees have been working under the terms of the last three-year contract, which expired in June. Negotiations on a new contract began in December 2005 but reached in impasse last September. A state-appointed mediator was then called in for a November negotiations session that followed a union rally outside the Chittick School. Speakers at that rally said job expectations had grown faster than salaries, and that salaries had not kept up with inflation. The sides then reached a tentative agreement during a 14-hour negotiations session that followed the rally. But earlier this month, the union asked to go back into mediation to settle differences on outstanding issues. School officials said the unresolved matters were relatively minor in nature, as salary or health benefit issues had already been agreed upon. In the meantime, concerns were raised that teachers were protesting by cutting back on extra services not required in their contract, such as staying late after school to work with students. Also, many teachers wore black as part of "Black Fridays" as a symbol of their lack of a new deal. However, Board of Education President Holly Howard said she was assured by teachers' union president Ruth Davitt that teachers had not been instructed to cease helping students before and after school. At last Thursday's meeting, board member Dr. Susan Karp praised the teachers' contributions to the district and said the staff is a primary reason that the school system is held in such high regard. Board member William McCann said the board very much admires the work done by its staff. He said negotiations are always adversarial, with each side trying to get the best deal it can. Despite the difficulties, he said, the board is just as committed to the staff as it is to the students. McCann noted that the funding of public schools and its reliance on property taxes have made matters much more difficult for all those involved to accomplish their main goal, which is to educate those who will soon lead the country.