As school closures are increasingly used as a remedy to budget woes and a solution to failing schools in many cities, debates are intensifying about their effect on student performance and well-being, on district finances, and on communities and the processes districts use to choose which schools will be shuttered. Student and parent groups in…

This report, one of an annual series, analyzes a number of crucial topics that could affect educational negotiations in New Jersey during the year. The articles cover the scope of negotiations; agency shop negotiations; when to start bargaining; contract clauses dealing with union recognition, teacher transfers, and payment for unused sick leave…