Public school teachers in New Jersey who are in the first three years of their contracts will see a slight pay raise for the coming school year.

(Jupiterimages, ThinkStock)
(Jupiterimages, ThinkStock)
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The New Jersey School Boards Association reported that teachers in the first, second, or third years of their contracts will have their salaries increase by 2.42 percent.

Overall, 72 percent of districts with settlements covering the 2014-2015 school year reported some type of union concession.

Thirty-seven percent of the contracts have provisions calling for longer workdays or instructional time, "adding days to the school year, adding time to the school day, or restructuring the day to allow for more student-teacher contact," said Jeanette Rundquist, NJSBA spokesperson.

Additionally, Rundquist said about a quarter of the contracts include salary concessions, "freezing or eliminating longevity, freezing stipends, or restructuring the salary guide."

The 2014-2015 increase is significantly smaller than in previous years, almost half of the 4.23 percent increase that teachers saw in 2009-2010.

While 324 agreements have been ratified for the coming year, a significant portion of contracts still remain in limbo.

Of the 206 contracts that expired in June 2014, 143 of them -- or 69 percent -- remain unsettled. However, Rundquist said it's not unusual to have 100 or more contracts unresolved going into September.

"Last year at this time, 140 districts were still on the bargaining table," Rundquist said, adding that many settlements are reached in the fall.

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