Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • August 14, 2013 Franklin Lakes Board ratifies agreement with administrators by Frank J. McMahon The Franklin Lakes Board of Educa- tion has ratified a three-year agreement with the Franklin Lakes Administrators Association. The collective negotiations agreement was ratified by a 4-0 vote of the school board with one abstention. FLAA previously ratified the agreement. Michael Solokas, the school district’s business administrator, advised that the new contract will provide a 1.75 percent increase in salary for the administrators who include the middle school principal, the elementary school principals, the super- visor of special services, and the middle school assistant principal. Administrators’ salaries will range from $122,997 to $187,519 in the 2013-14 school year; $125,538 to $190,060 in 2014-15; and $128,124 to $192,646 in 2015-16. These figures include longevity pay of $3,000 per League champs The Tigers baseball team recently won the Franklin Lakes Recreation League Championship for fifth and sixth graders. They beat the Marlins 3-2 with a walk-off hit in the bottom of the sixth inning. Front row: Nick Caporuscio, Robbie Kayal, Ben Bailey, and Matt Wingfield. Back row: Oscar Bachere, Cory Gorczycki, Joe Migliaccio, Ben Coffman, Cooper Greene, A.J. Wingfield, and Coach Dan Gorczycki. (Photo courtesy of Sandee Springer.) year, prorated, for administrators who have been FLAA members as of Jan. 1, 2010, or have been employed as an administrator by the district for five or more years. The school board will reimburse admin- istrators up to a maximum of $5,000 per individual per year, subject to an overall maximum of $8,500 for all FLAA mem- bers, for professional improvement. That reimbursement will be provided at the end of the school year. According to the agreement, administra- tors will be entitled to one month of vaca- tion in summer or two weeks in summer and two weeks during the winter and spring recess, or three weeks in the summer and one week during spring or winter recess, for a total of 22 days. They are also entitled to all school holidays, including Christmas week, but not winter and spring weeks, except as noted above. Administrators can also accumulate 14 days of sick leave with pay for each year of employment or up to one month in the event of a prolonged illness. In addition to sick leave, a maximum of two days per year will be allowed in cases of illness of a husband, wife, or child, although this is not accumulative. In the case of death in the immediate family, any employee may be granted not more than three days of absence with full pay, and administrators must be allowed up to three personal days without reason with pay for the discharge of important personal matters. The agreement also provides for health benefits for the administrators and their eligible dependents and the full benefits of the school district’s dental plan as provided by the Delta Dental Service Plan, Inc, which is the same plan provided for teach- ers, and the full benefits of the prescription drug plan that is provided to teachers. Some of the other features of the agree- ment provide that no person covered under the agreement can engage in association activities and meetings during the time he or she is assigned to duty except as requested or approved by the superinten- dent of schools. The association also rec- ognizes its obligation to represent equally all members of the negotiations unit, with- out regard to membership, participation, or association with any activities of the asso- ciation. All administrators must be directly responsible to the superintendent of schools, and it will be the responsibility of each administrator to carry out administra- tive directions regarding school board poli- cies and administrative regulations, subject to the district’s grievance procedure. The grievance procedure permits an administrator or the association to claim a grievance based upon the interpretation, application, or violation of the agreement, or any term or condition of employment adversely affecting an administrator or a group of administrators. The agreement states that school board members should refrain from criticisms of administrators at public gatherings, and administrators covered by this agreement must provide the board of education with notice of at least 60 calendar days prior to the effective date of any resignation and notify the board six months prior to his or her effective date of retirement.