Delay in settling teachers' contract makes no sense
It is happening again, kind of like the swallows coming back to San Juan Capistrano … teachers in red shirts on Fridays at our local K-8 schools, pickets and homemade signs outside the Manalapan-Englishtown Board of Education offices before the weekends, and still no contract settlement between the teachers union and the board.

Four years ago I wrote a letter to the News Transcript wondering why it was taking so long for the two parties to reach a settlement during their last negotiations.

My sentiments are the same around the current situation and reading that the next negotiating session is scheduled for April after the previous contract expired last year is at best laughable and at worst nonsensical.

Wrapping these negotiations up in good faith by both parties benefits lots of people - the Board of Education, so it can have a more concrete idea about upcoming expenses as it sets its budget; the union, so its members can concentrate more on teaching and less on the intricacies of work rules; and taxpayers, who shouldn't need to worry that there might be some type of work action later this year.

In short, this should have been settled a long time ago and hopefully more pressure will be placed on the union and the board to closet themselves somewhere as long as it takes until it's all wrapped up in a nice, tidy bow.

Christopher McBride

Manalapan