NJ Spotlight published the following article on June 10, 2014. To read the full article, click here.
FINE PRINT: BILL WOULD ELIMINATE CAPS ON SUPERINTENDENT SALARIES
JOHN MOONEY | JUNE 6, 2014Legislation targets $175,000 limit that’s been hailed for fiscal prudence, blamed in part for exodus of administrators
What it is: A bill sponsored by state Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex) that would end the Christie administration’s controversial limits on superintendent pay will be heard on Monday in the Senate Education Committee.
What it means: As the influential chair of the committee. Ruiz’s sponsorship of the bill is a big step in the growing legislative pushback on the salary caps that limit the salaries of school leaders, depending on district enrollments, to no more than $175,000. The caps, instituted by regulations in 2011, have been blamed for an exodus of veteran superintendents in the state.
Simple language: The bill proposes an amendment to statute that lays out the role of the county executive superintendents in reviewing administrative contracts. The county officials have been at the center of the debate over the caps, serving as the Christie administration’s enforcers. The new language prohibits them from considering maximum salary limits and explicitly says the state Department of Education shall not set such limits.