Contract Negotiations `Teach-In’ With Princeton Teachers’ Union Leaders Cancelled

Princeton Teachers Union protestThe group Save Princeton Public Schools has cancelled the event “Teach in with the PREA that was scheduled for Monday night at the Unitarian Universalist Church.

Friday morning, organizers announced that the forum has been cancelled due to the sensitive state of current negotiations between PREA and the Board of Education.

After a 12-hour negotiating session this week, school officials were optimistic a new pact will be agreed on before the end of the school year next week. Teachers have been working without a new contract in Princeton since July of 2014.

“We at Save Princeton Public Schools hope to reschedule the event for a later date,” reads the cancellation announcement from Save Princeton Public Schools. “Despite this delay, we continue to believe that the best way for Princeton Public Schools to move forward is through open, participatory, and transparent dialogue among all members of our community, and we look forward to providing a forum in which such communication can take place. We regret any inconvenience this cancellation may cause.”

In the original event announcement, organizers said the goal of the forum was to seek to provide clarity and encourage transparency.

“Our Princeton Public Schools Board of Education (BOE) and educators, who comprise the Princeton Regional Education Association (PREA), have been negotiating a new contract for more than a year,” reads the announcement about the event. “During this time, the community has been overwhelmed with information, resulting in confusion as to the `who, what and why’ of the negotiations, and the implications for students and the district.”

Save Princeton Public Schools planned a public forum with a moderator, and invited both the PREA and BOE as participants.

“Our BOE has declined to participate. In the interest of providing the community with information, the event will go on – in the form of a teach-in about the negotiations process. The negotiating team from PREA will be present to answer questions,” reads the invitation.