SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The South Orange–Maplewood Board of Education reached an agreement in principle with the South Orange–Maplewood Education Association, the teachers union, early Friday morning, March 25, for a contract that runs from July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2024.
“After 14 hours of negotiations, the South Orange–Maplewood Board of Education is pleased to announce we have reached an agreement in principle on a three-year contract with the South Orange–Maplewood Education Association,” BOE President Thair Joshua said in a press release.
“It was an arduous night; however, SOMEA kept the line of communication open, and we were able to secure a tentative agreement,” SOMEA President Rocio Lopez told the News-Record on March 28. “SOMEA appreciates the hard work of the members of both teams, and the support of the community, students and our membership during the process.”
After months of negotiations, the BOE and SOMEA were able to come to a mutual agreement. As one of the next steps in the process, SOMEA will bring the agreement to its members for ratification. If the majority of SOMEA members vote “yes,” the final agreement will be presented to the Board of Education for a vote and approval at an upcoming board meeting.
“We are grateful to the participants of both negotiation teams for their focused efforts to bring this settlement together,” Superintendent of Schools Ronald G. Taylor said in the press release.
Neither Joshua nor Lopez was able to share the details of the agreement.
“Until members vote, it’s our practice to respect the process and not share details until they’ve had the opportunity to make a decision,” Joshua told the News-Record on March 27.
Lopez declined to comment on details on the same grounds.
Just a few weeks before this most recent announcement, the BOE and SOMEA had announced that they were at an impasse and would be bringing in a fact finder, who would evaluate each position and accompanying data, and ultimately make a recommendation.
“The fact-finding process had begun, but both sides agreed to continue negotiating in good faith during the process,” Joshua told the News-Record.
“The willingness of both teams to meet the students’ needs at first while securing a fair contract made us sit down and get an agreement,” Lopez said. “We both have the same interest: quality education for all our students.
“I think this tentative agreement really demonstrates that we have been proactive to resolve one of the biggest issues this district has had during many years: teacher retention and the need to attract quality educators that are invested in our kids,” Lopez continued.
Photos Courtesy of Thair Joshua
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