13 South Jersey School Districts Remain Without Contracts

by KYW's Mike DeNardo

Thirteen South Jersey school districts still have unsettled teacher contracts, as the first day of school approaches.

Statewide in New Jersey, 99 teacher contracts are still not settled.

In South Jersey, the districts without labor contracts include Rancocas Valley, Pennsauken, and Deptford Township.
    
Teacher strikes are illegal in New Jersey. If negotiations fail, the law calls for mediation, then fact-finding, then something called super conciliation, says New Jersey Education Association spokesman Steve Wollmer:

"Since this law was amended in '04, we have not had a teachers' strike in New Jersey. So even though the process takes longer, it seems to always lead to an agreement at some point down the line."

Wollmer says the major sticking points remain salaries and health care.