New Jersey School Boards Association just issued a report on the status of teacher contract negotiations in the state’s 579 school districts. Of the 211 districts bargaining over contracts that expired this past June, 136 have yet to reach settlement; also, 47 districts have yet to resolve contracts that expired June 2014 or earlier.

N.J. school employees don’t work without contracts. The previous contract simply extends into the next school year and, upon contract resolution, teachers and other staff members receive retroactive salary increases.

NJSBA also reports that the average annual teacher salary increase for 2015-2016 is 2.5%. This is slightly higher than last year’s 2.47% “but well below the salary increases seen just a few years ago, NJSBA data indicate. For example, the average settlement rate for contracts covering the 2009-2010 school year was 4.23 percent.”