Brick School Board Inks New 5-Year Contract With Teachers’ Union

Brick Township Board of Education/Schools (Photo: Daniel Nee)

Brick Township teachers will receive salary increases for five years under a pact unanimously agreed upon by the Board of Education at its latest meeting.

The contract between the board and the Brick Township Education Association focused primarily on simple raises versus complex issues regarding work rules or healthcare, as in past contractual negotiations. With the state having adopted its own uniform healthcare plan for teachers, Trenton officials have largely usurped what was once a negotiating point for local school districts that once engaged in a give-and-take discussion on salaries versus the breadth of benefits packages.

“It pretty much takes the negotiation of health benefits off the table,” said district Business Administrator James Edwards. “It’s written in law what that plan is going to be offering, co-pays and contributions, so the negotiations of health benefits, unfortunately, for schools districts across the state has been taken off the table for teachers’ unions.”

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The new contract provides the districts teachers and paraprofessionals an 18.7 percent raise over five years. The contract, which runs retroactively from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2030, calls for salary increases of 3.4 percent in year one, 3.7 percent in year two, 3.8 percent in year three, 3.9 percent in year four, and 3.9 percent in year five.

Edwards said the board’s negotiating committee and union officials met about 15 times to hammer out a pact before it was presented to both the union’s members and the board, both of which approved its final language.

“The process took a little bit longer than in the past,” said Edwards. “It’s one of those tough things that, when you know you did a job, both teams leave the table a little unhappy – sort of. I think this was successful in the end.”

Edwards said besides the salary increases, the district will bring back its “perfect attendance” benefit, rewarding teachers who reliably come to work every day. The district previously had such a policy built into its teachers’ union contract, but it was removed as part of previous negotiations and had become a minor source of controversy among residents who did not favor its inclusion. This time, however, officials are trying a different implementation that would offer a $500 bonus that winds down with the number of days missed in a set time period.

“Rather it being counted by quarter, we’re bringing it back in a semi-annual counting period,” said Edwards. “It’s going to be phased, so when a professional uses a day, it will be phased down. We’re trying to think of ways to promote better attendance, and both parties felt this was something that was needed to promote better attendance.”

“We don’t want people coming to work just to get the $500 if they are sick, and we didn’t want to penalize people for staying home if they really are sick,” he added.

The contract drew praise from BTEA President Kevin Bliem, who said the financial pressures borne by both taxpayers and teachers emanate from Trenton.

“We’re fighting for our pensions, we’re fighting for school funding, so I ask that the community stick to Dr. Farrell’s motto that I love: ‘we all need to work together on this,'” he said. “It’s not about the teachers getting a certain percentage, or this or that – our battle is with Trenton for school funding.”

Bliem said that the new contract is a positive for morale heading into the new school year.

“It’s nice to know you always have our backs because the number one priority for you, and for us, are the kids,” he said. “You build our morale just for speaking highly of the teachers and the paras, and you always do, so I want to thank you for that and I appreciate that.”

The 2025-26 school year begins Thursday, Sept. 4, for students.