NJEA on Christie’s Budget Remarks: “Path to Educational Ruin”

Good questions. Yes, each local negotiates separately with each school board (that's 591 distinct bargaining processes in NJ) though reps from NJEA's central office steer the locals. School boards typically hire an attorney. Contracts usually are 3-year agreements so about 1/3 of districts are up simultaneously. It would certainly change the dynamic if all were up at the same time, though it's hard to imagine how that would be legislated.