Our View

A few recent developments mark a positive momentum for the Brick Township school district as it prepares to enter a new school year.

The Board of Education and the Brick Township Education Association reached a contract agreement for 2003-06 Thursday that should go a long way in keeping talented young teachers in the district.

Both board and BTEA officials acknowledged it was difficult for the district to hold on to young teachers in recent years, as nearby school systems, like Freehold and Toms River, continually lured away Brick’s talent. Hopefully that trend is about to change.

The new contract agreement increases pay raises for first-, second- and third-year teachers, ensuring they earn more than $40,000 after their third year of employment.

To provide these raises despite defeated school budgets was no easy task. Veteran teachers had to make sacrifices in their own salaries to provide for the newcomers, officials said. This was an admirable, unselfish act that will aid the whole community and these teachers should be commended for it.

The board’s plan to conduct written exit interviews with departing teachers was applauded by members of the public at last week’s meeting. During the winter board candidate debates, some speculated that low morale was a reason why many teachers are leaving the district.

Providing teachers the opportunity to fill out exit surveys anonymously was a good idea in terms of encouraging honest answers. Hopefully these interviews will shed some light on the root causes and depth of low morale in the district and show if it is as prevalent as some have said.