West Deptford BOE, Teachers Reach Tentative Contract Deal

Details of the agreement weren’t immediately available Monday night, pending ratification of the contract by the teachers’ union. 

Once ratified, said board member Kate Cargill, who chaired its Negotiations and People Placement Committee, the contract will come before the board for a vote at its October meeting.  

According to WDEA Chief Negotiator Joel Robinson, the union will vote on the contract Tuesday, Oct. 1. 

A majority of the 400-member WDEA would need to vote in favor of the contract in order to ratify it.

Although he was unable to discuss the conditions of the deal, Robinson felt it wouldn't be difficult to get a majority vote.

"It's a fair contract, and I feel the membership will vote in favor of it," Robinson said Monday night. 

"But it's tough to make 400 people happy."

Both sides were able to resolve the smaller issues in the early going, but couldn’t agree on the bigger issues, Robinson previously told Patch. 

Cargill, board President Christopher Strano and board members Ginny Brockway and Brian Gotchel were part of the committee that negotiated the contract with the union.

Negotiations began in April, but had broken down by June 20. The sides agreed to enter into mediation, which took place over two sessions in September.

The previous contract was a three-year deal with a 1 percent retroactive raise for the first year and a 2.45 percent raise for the second and third years.

There were no teacher layoffs related to that contract or the budget process, and there have been no staff impacts since 2010, according to West Deptford Superintendent Kevin Kitchenman.

The current contract expired June 30.