BOE Meeting Sparks Confidentiality Issue Debate

The issue of teacher contract negotiations was raised once again at the Board of Education (BOE) meeting at Tuesday night, this time sparking a debate of whether confidentiality agreements were breached.

Bloomfield Education Association (BEA) President John Shanagher chided BOE members for publicly discussing the teachers’ 15-step salary guide during the meeting.

“The subject of the salary guide has never come out of the mouths of the BEA. It came out of this (BOE) table tonight,” Shanagher said. “I think that was a privileged item.”

Earlier in the meeting, Interim Superintendent Catherine Mozak had detailed uneven raise percentages between the first seven steps and the final eight of the salary guide. She said the negotiation process is still ongoing because the BOE wants to equalize the increases across the entire salary guide.

BOE President Joseph Lopez read a portion of the nine-page Public Employment Relations Commission’s, which denied teachers pay increases (based on the salary guide) in the interim.

In past meetings, the BOE has been tight-lipped on divulging information about the contract negotiation process, citing confidentiality agreements made between the BOE and BEA. Shanagher argued that the BOE defaulted on the agreement.

“There seems to be a change in the board’s decision,” Shanagher quipped. “So, I’m wondering at this time, am I free to share the terms of what’s been said at the negotiating table?”

Lopez said salary guide information discussed at the meeting is public information and offered to provide copies of his statement made earlier in the night.

“I don’t believe I have violated anything in regards to negotiations,” Lopez said.

Here’s what else you may have missed from last night’s meeting:

• Along with equalizing the salary guide, Mozak said teacher contracts are still being negotiated because the BOE must be “mindful” of Gov. Chris Christie’s two percent cap on property taxes. “Until we can work those two things out, it’s going to take a while,” she said. “And it hasn’t anything to do with anything else.”
• At the next BOE meeting on Feb. 22, the BOE will vote to oppose the , a bill that would provide funding for children in underperforming schools to attend charter and private schools. BOE member Mary Shaughnessy has .
• BOE approved to award a $2,029,950.75 contract bid to Tomco Construction, Inc. for the .

The next BOE is Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. at .

Click here to watch the BOE meeting.