Hillsborough Board of Education & Hillsborough Education Association Unable to Reach Contract Settlement
The Hillsborough Township Board of Education and the Hillsborough Education Association were unable to reach a contract settlement on April 1, 2019 after six (6) meetings of direct negotiations over the last five (5) months. While the parties have attempted to reach a voluntary agreement, the negotiations stalled over salary increases, longevity, employee health insurance contributions, restructuring of the existing work year to allow for additional teacher training and student orientation, the workday scheduled for part-time staff and tuition reimbursement. The Board has offered competitive salary increases in consideration for the contract changes it is seeking. The Association declared an impasse and has requested the appointment of a mediator by the Public Employment Relations Commission.
The function of the mediator shall be to assist all parties to come to a voluntary agreement. A mediator may hold separate or joint conferences as he or she deems expedient to effect a voluntary amicable and expeditious adjustment and settlement of the differences and issues between parties. In the absence of an agreement between the parties, the mediator, at any time after appointment, may recommend to the Director of Conciliation that fact-finding procedures should be invoked.
During this time and until a successor agreement is reached, the District’s employees maintain their current salaries and benefits under the terms of their prior agreement that will expire on June 30, 2019.
The Board is committed to maintaining a quality educational program and competitive salaries and benefits in Hillsborough Township at a cost it can afford in light of the serious financial challenges it is facing for the 2019-2020 school year and beyond. As this process moves to mediation, the Board is committed to working cooperatively with the Association and, with the assistance of the mediator, it is hopeful that a voluntary settlement can be reached before the new school year begins.
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