March 14, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 5 Mahwah School board and teachers’ union still at impasse by Frank J. McMahon The Mahwah Board of Education and the Mahwah Education Association continue to be at an impasse in their negotiations for a new contract for the teachers, secretaries, nurses, custodians, maintenance staff, bus drivers, and aides in the school district. About 100 members of the MEA attended the last public meeting of the school board to raise questions about the status of the negotiations. During the discussion, it was revealed that the main issues blocking an agreement concern the use of the teachers’ time at meetings, who sets the agendas for those meetings, and the board’s proposal that the days on which Back to School Night is scheduled be full days for students and teachers as opposed to the current half days. School Board Vice President Chuck Saldarini advised at the meeting that the board has proposed salary increases of 2.5 percent for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 school years, and two percent for 2013-14, which he claimed is higher than the average salary increases for teachers in other school districts in the county. Edward Deptula, the district’s business administrator, explained that the school board decided to offer the higher Temple forms SAHARA Outreach Committee salary increases to compensate for the additional time teachers might have to spend at meetings and the full versus half school days when Back to School Night is scheduled. The proposed salary increases are above the two percent cap the state has imposed on all school and municipal tax levy increases. Deptula said that, while it is difficult to say where adjustments would be made to the budget to compensate for the increased salary levels, some items such as utilities, snow removal, and tuition could come in under budget to offset the salary increases. According to information provided by the MEA, its members will be paying 30 percent of their health care insurance cost within two years and, in its last contract agreement, the MEA agreed to change to a lesser health (continued on page 6) Shailja Rastogi The Hindu Samaj Temple and Community Center has formed a new, ecumenical SAHARA Outreach Committee for the sole purpose of serving the broader community by lending a helping hand. The committee will be staffed by members of the Hindu Samaj and other residents of Bergen County. Volunteers are welcome. “In Hindi, SAHARA means support,” said Shailja Rastogi, chair of the committee. “I am honored to be working with an ecumenical team of volunteers who believe in the importance of serving the broader community by extending their hands to the needy, no matter what their race, color, or creed.” SAHARA’s first support project is dedicated to the Mahwah Marine Moms and North Jersey Military Moms. “We want to recognize the sacrifice of our military men and women in defending the freedoms we all enjoy. We also want to show our appreciation for the sacrifices that their families have endured,” said Dinesh Khosla, member of the committee. SAHARA has organized a benefit performance by local (continued on page 6)