AR Handbook – 47
Evaluation
NJEA assists local associations and
members in understanding the requirements
of employee evaluation
regulations by conducting workshops,
publishing specific instructions
and guidelines, and by advising
members on how to prepare for
evaluation conferences.
Safeguarding & improving
economic welfare
NJEA believes school employees
should earn salaries and receive
fringe benefits that enable them to
maintain a standard of living commensurate
with their preparation
and their job demands.
NJEA also believes salaries and
fringe benefits should be equitably
administered. The best way for employees
to ensure equity in this area
is through the collective bargaining
process. NJEA makes the following
services available to all local associations.
Collective Bargaining
NJEA maintains a full-time as well
as part-time staff members qualified
to assist locals in all phases of collective
bargaining. NJEA UniServ field
reps provide the following negotiations
assistance to locals:
• Proposal preparation
• At-the-table assistance
• Bargaining strategy and tactics
• Training of local negotiators
• Budget analysis
In addition, headquarters staff
members provide research back-up
including cost-of-living adjustment
figures, average salaries, school
system capabilities, tax rates, and
expenditures per pupil. NJEA also
maintains up-to-date records of
contract settlements which are used
to assist locals in their negotiations.
In addition, we use NEA research resources
on developing trends in the
area of fringe benefit improvements
from other state associations.
The NJEA network of attorneys
(in cooperation with NEA) keeps
abreast of legal developments and
advises NJEA’s officers and staff on
changing trends and directions in
bargaining.
Pensions
NJEA lobbyists work continuously
to get the state government to
protect the pension system from unsound
management and to increase
pension benefits. NJEA pension
specialists visit each of the NJEA
regional offices on a regular basis to
provide consultations to members
considering retirement.
School Revenue Lobbying
NJEA is very much aware of the
direct relationship between the
revenue available for schools and the
economic security and well-being of
its members. NJEA works to convince
the Legislature, Governor, and
State Department of Education to
support measures that will maintain
and increase the State’s financial support
of local school systems. NJEA’s
eight registered lobbyists work
with research and communications
personnel and attorneys to develop
and promote positions on revenue
legislation beneficial both to the
educational programs of the schools
and to their employees.
Promoting professional
working conditions
NJEA believes school employees
must have the proper physical working
conditions and personnel relationships
in order to do their jobs
properly. In order to ensure these
conditions, NJEA proposes and/or
supports changes in legislation, regulations,
or in collective bargaining
agreements as follows:
Physical Working Conditions
NJEA and its locals bring pressure
to bear on state and local agencies to
make sure that schools are operated
in a safe manner and that light,
heat, proper ventilation, and sanitary
conditions are maintained, and
encourages its locals to negotiate
improvements in a wide range of
working conditions.
Personnel Policies
NJEA believes school personnel
should be assigned, transferred,
promoted or separated from employment
under policies which have
been bargained with the majority
representative. Through its Working
Conditions Committee, NJEA develops
and recommends to its governing
bodies and to its local associations
improvements in personnel
policies for either legislative action
or for bargaining.
State Department Regulations
NJEA takes the position that State
Department of Education regulations
which mandate a great deal of
record keeping should be reduced
to a minimum and that unnecessary
paperwork should be eliminated.
NJEA continues to press the department
on this issue of major concern
to members.
Research
The Association conducts frequent
surveys on issues of instructional
interest and maintains a large library
of education-related items. In addition,
NJEA gathers information to
support legislative programs related
to education.
Certification
NJEA provides assistance to teachers
who need information on certification
and minimum standards
required by State law. NJEA works
with the State Board of Examiners
and other educational groups to
recommend changes in certification