Ho-Ho-Kus October 12, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 7 New round of contract negotiations to begin by Jennifer Crusco Ho-Ho-Kus Board of Education President Ellen Walsh reported last week that she will be reaching out to Ho-Ho-Kus Education Association Co-presidents Mary Meier and Katie Canning to arrange a first meeting to discuss a new contract for district teachers and employees. In addition to the district’s teachers, the association represents the school’s custodians and all certified staff members, including the child study team, nurses, and the counselor. Walsh, who will be joined by trustee Colleen Federer on the board’s Negotiations Committee, said she would like to set up a first meeting with the HEA sometime this month. The last round of contract negotiations culminated this year with a new three-year agreement that was approved by the HEA in late February and by the board in early March. However, since that contract covered 2009-12, both sides were destined to meet again at the end of this year. The current agreement was settled after two years of negotiations and includes pay raises of 3.4 percent for 2009-10, 2.28 percent for 2010-11, and 1.52 percent for 201112. Although the increase is 7.2 percent over the three-year period, it works out to just over 4 percent, a district official noted, since the teachers are now required by state law to contribute 1.5 percent of their salaries toward health care benefits during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 academic years. Contributions were to be made retroactive to May 2010. The negotiations also resulted in increased instructional time and a one-year freeze on tuition reimbursement. Instructional time has been increased by 40 minutes a week. That time has been taken from preparation time. The association and the board had begun contract negotiations in January 2009 in anticipation of the June 30, 2009 expiration of the prior contract agreement. The school district previously reported that talks had resulted in a memorandum of agreement jointly signed by the parties’ A new association with Hudson Energy Services has allowed the Borough of HoHo-Kus to realize a 9.2 percent savings on its August electric bill. Ho-Ho-Kus Borough Administrator Don Cirulli recently advised the governing body that the savings amounted to $1,862 for that month. Cirulli told Villadom TIMES that the borough had tried to work on a cooperative energy purchasing agreement through the 13-town Northwest Bergen Shared Services group, but found the process too complex. The borough subsequently began an investigation of various energy supply consultants that allow consumers access to various energy providers. Ho-Ho-Kus ultimately chose America Approved Energy Services, which is headquartered in Florida and works with consumers of electricity and gas throughout the country. Ho-Ho-Kus, Cirulli clarified, Electric bill reflects 9.2 percent cost savings negotiators in May 2009, but a majority of the HEA members did not ratify the terms of that proposal. The association and the board held three meetings with state-appointed mediator Kathleen Vogt, but were still unable to reach an agreement. Negotiations reached the fact-finding stage in February 2010. At that time, the New Jersey Public Employee Relations Commission presented the association and the board with a list of three fact-finders’ names. PERC subsequently appointed Timothy Hundley to handle the district’s case and make a non-binding recommendation. A fact-finding hearing was scheduled for December 2010, but that session was never held. Once that date was adjourned, both parties pushed to reach an agreement, a board member previously reported. is only interested in purchasing electricity. A marketing representative from AAES reviewed the borough’s energy use, analyzed the data, and consulted with five suppliers. AAES received quotes from Constellation NewEnergy, LibertyPower, FirstEnergy, Nextera Energy Services, and Hudson Energy. The administrator reported that Hudson Energy was chosen as the supplier for a 12-month period at a rate of 0.09619 cents per kilowatt hour. Cirulli noted that PSE&G currently charges over 12 cents per kilowatt hour. “It took almost two months for the benefit to show,” Cirulli said. “We hope to continue to see a savings.” The agreement with Hudson Energy Services covers borough hall, the fire department, police headquarters, the ambulance corps building, the library, the department (continued on page 10)