by ALLAN DEAN

MIDDLETOWN, NJ —  More than 130 striking Middletown teachers and secretaries were jailed this week for violating a judges back to work order.  Teachers and secretaries have been off the job since Thursday, November 29 and marathon negotiation sessions between the MTEA and the Middletown Board of Education have failed to break the loggerhead over health benefits.

Standing outside the Hall of Records, Ray McLoughlin, MTEA executive committee member, called out names yesterday from an alphabetical list of teachers and secretaries.  Next to some names was a mark. Those marked people had been served the proper notice to appear before the judge. The first notice, issued last Thursday told MTEA members to appear on Tuesday of this week. A second notice was sent over the weekend changing the date to Monday, according to Mr. McLoughlin. Those with marks next to their names had presumably received the second notice. Problem is, says Mr. Mcloughlin, one of those people marked has been dead for a month and another has been on medical leave.  About 3/4 of those listed had marks next to their name. 

"There is no rhyme or reason," said Mr. McLaughlin. "There are some people that they have marked that they supposedly served and they didn't. And there are some people who know they were given the second serving and they are not marked off, and they're upset. They want to go up there (to court.)." 

"It appears to be about three quarters of the whole staff has a mark next to them. But it is very inaccurate." 

"Unfortunately, they have a mark next to a person who died a month ago and he got served. They have marks next to people who are on medical leave that the board should be aware about," said Mr. McLoughlin.

One of those marked people, Victoria Johnson, is a secretary at Middletown South.  Her daughter Christy, age 12, was outside the Hall of Records yesterday.  Asked if she was worried about her mom, Christy said, "I know she is going to be ok.  I think she is doing a good job. I think it is right for her to stand up and she shouldn't back down. And I know she is not going to."

Students carry signs reading  "We love our teachers."

Michelle Czlapinski, a computer teacher at Ocean, Port Monmouth, and River Plaza schools, was not marked on the list.  But her mother, Peggy Hample, a secretary for the administration, found a hate poster on her car yesterday morning at her home in Belford. It read, "Jail bird, Freehold, the people, teachers and you."

"She lives alone and now she has to worry about people on her property at night," said Ms. Czlapinski. "My mom makes $22,000 and she has been working there 15 years." 

Anne Chretien, 6th grade Language Arts teacher at Thompson school said, her name had been passed over on the list the first time but she expected her name would be called back soon. Ms. Chretien said she was ready to go to jail if they called her up (to the courtroom). 

Her sister Ellen, a history teacher at Middletown High School North for 12 years, said she would not go to jail. "I have three small children including an infant, 8 months old.. My husband is out of the country."  Ellen explained why she felt it was important to be there, saying, " I teach about things like civil rights. I could not stand before my students and tell them about standing up for civil rights in history without standing up for mine."  

With the $10.4 Million referendum coming up in Middletown next Tuesday, Ellen said "It never had a chance of passing before, it certainly doesn't have a chance of passing now."

A married couple from Atlantic Highlands, Laurie and Carl Gentry who are teachers in the district, were faced with a dilemma as they considered the prospects of jail yesterday before Judge Clarkson Fisher, Jr.   The decision was made between them before the fateful hour. The couple, who are members of the Central Baptist Church, prayed before the hearing.  One of them must remain.  Laurie, whose octogenarian parents require attention. The decision  prevented her from following her husband to prison.  Laurie was torn, but the reality of the need to care for senior parents made the decision for her.

Carl Gentry in Red, Laurie Gentry in Blue

For Carl, it is a principled stand. "They have unfair demands in their contract offer, especially regarding health benefits. No other district in Monmouth County has a contract like that, nobody. Why should we," said Mr. Gentry before he faced the judge and was lead off to jail.

The major sticking point between the Middletown Board of Education and the MTEA appears to be the contribution levels for health benefits. The board has said that it wants teachers to pay a percentage of their benefits, determined on a sliding scale according to wages, which the MTEA opposes.

"In other words, the more time you have in the district the more they slap you in the face and take from you. I don't think that's right.  They should be rewarding the people that have dedicated their lives to this district. It's really a disgrace," said Mr. Gentry. "We're not making the starting salaries of the business world. We're not making the salaries that people might think we do. I mean, you stay at a very low salary for a very long time. The health benefits package is part of the whole package."

"There is a big misconception out there. Oh, we all make $80,000. Oh, we have the summer's off.  We don't do this and that. We struggle! We need those benefits! We deserve them! I am going to fight for them. I am going to fight for the teachers of this district. We're going to stick together and do what we have to do," said Carl Gentry

Judge Fisher ordered that the union members who were remanded remain incarcerated as long as they refused to go back to work, but he said that they could be released as soon as they agreed to return to school.

All those remanded to the custody of the Monmouth County Correctional Institute will appear again before Judge Fisher next week, presumably December 11 for those processed yesterday, to review whether incarceration is still necessary.

In order to handle the caseload of teachers and secretaries to be processed through the system, another judge was added.  Those union members whose last names begin with D-E-F went before Judge Ira E. Kreizman at the Monmouth County Courthouse yesterday. 

The Middletown Township Education Association's (MTEA) 1000 members have been without a contract since July.  Union members, including teachers and secretaries, authorized a strike last summer if a contract settlement was not reached.

The board wants MTEA members to contribute a percentage of the cost of their health care premiums based on a sliding scale. The teachers and secretaries, however, want to preserve the current plan under which they pay a $250 flat fee for family health benefits, plus up to $1,400 in deductibles.

Other issues to be ironed out include pay increases and workload.

MTEA First Vice President Bette Schreiber would not comment last night on the contract negotiations and referred all inquiries to Karen Joseph of the NJEA.

Malachi Kenney, the board attorney, did not return a call placed to his office late yesterday afternoon.

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