FLOW Area October 20, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 3 RIHEA and regional district declare impasse by Frank J. McMahon The Ramapo Indian Hills Board of Education and the Ramapo Indian Hills Employee Association have reached an impasse in their negotiations for a new contract to replace the three-year contract that expired on June 30. Superintendent Lauren Schoen announced the impasse at a recent public meeting of the regional high school board of education. She advised that a mediator has been assigned by the state’s Public Employment Relations Commission in hopes of reaching a voluntary settlement, but a mediation session has not yet been scheduled. In these negotiations, the RIHEA is representing fulland part-time teachers and supplemental teachers, administrative assistants, technical assistants and special education teaching assistants whose contract expired on June 30, and custodial, maintenance, grounds, and security staff whose contract expired at that same time. Barbara Duhig, the president of the RIHEA, explained that all these groups have always been represented by the RIHEA, which has more than 300 members. But previously there were two separate contracts for bargaining purposes, and now there is one bargaining unit with one negotiations team. The school board last reached an agreement with the RIHEA in July 2007 on two contracts for the district employees represented by the association. One of the contracts covered the 2006-07 school year and a new three-year contract covered the 2007-08, 200809, and 2009-10 school years, through June 30, 2010. In the one-year contract, the RIHEA received a 4.4 percent salary increase. The three-year contract included salary increases of 4.42 percent for 2007-08, 4.43 percent for 2008-09, and 4.44 percent for 2009-10. Those increases were inclusive of increments in the salary guides for RIHEA members which have been mutually agreed upon by the RIHEA and the school board. The salary guide for 2009-10 called for a starting salary of $46,419 for a beginning teacher with a bachelor’s degree. After 16 years, that teacher would earn $68,275 with the potential of reaching the top salary of $81,724. Those salary levels rise further when the teacher attains higher educational degrees to a potential maximum of $99,866 after 17 years with a master’s degree plus 30 credits plus $1,871 for a doctoral degree. Under that new contract, enrollment in the district’s traditional health insurance plan, which requires no primary care physician and pays benefits at 80 percent of approved claims, was frozen, although all current employees in that health plan remained in it until they voluntarily chose to change plans, or until they resign or retire from the district. That contract also increased deductibles in the traditional health plan from $100 per individual and $200 per family to $200 per individual and $400 per family. Beginning July 1, 2007, all new employees covered by the RIHEA were enrolled in a point of service health insurance plan with an 80/20 out of network benefit and a reduction in the out of pocket maximum to $1,000/$2,500. The three-year contract also modified the payout for unused sick days so that all current balances were frozen for certificated staff members and all unused sick days accumulated after July 1, 2007 would be paid out upon retirement at $125 per day to a maximum of 200 days. In addition, the contract changed the holiday benefit for some employees and set rules for temporary leaves of absence and personal days and it obligated full-time teachers to 25 teaching periods per week, five supervisory periods per week, 10 preparation periods per week, and 131 additional minutes per week, including an extra 45 minutes per month for long faculty and department meetings plus 30 minutes after school for four days per week. ‘Follies’ ideas continue to flow Seated: Jimmy Cohen, Ken Gysbers and Jeff Schwarz. Standing: Susan Natale, Cheryl Anderson, Joe Gennarelli, Marilyn Stallman, and Lisa Lupino. Not pictured: Tricia Levine. The 2010-11 FLOW Follies Writing Committee members have been busy creating the 2011 FLOW Follies Show. These talented and dedicated volunteers have met weekly since April to write the show which is performed by parent volunteers from Franklin Lakes, Oakland, and Wyckoff . FLOW Follies provides Indian Hills and Ramapo high schools’ graduating seniors with scholarship awards. This past year, FLOW Follies awarded 54 scholarships totaling $40,500. For more information and to get involved, contact Sal Moffa at (201) 891-6578 or epflowfollies@gmail.com or visit www.FLOWfollies.org. • MOMMY & ME Classes – Music & Gym Together ages 6 to 24 months childcare for siblings • PRE SCHOOL CLASS Beginning at age 2 Pre-K & Kindergarten Transition Classes – 4-6 year olds • Enrichment Classes Art, Science or Cooking, Classes 12:30-2:30 • Open GYM – Extend the day to Stay & Play: Mon-Fri 12:30-2:30 & Tues, Thurs 3:30-5:30, Extended hrs. Tues. & Thurs. 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