Report
energizes critics of superintendents'
perks
Wednesday, March 15, 2006 • BY
JOHN MOONEY • Star-Ledger Staff
The day after the release of a searing
state report on how public school administrators are paid,
talk turned to fixing the system.
Legislators yesterday revived languishing
bills to stop the perks and other extra pay detailed in the
report by the State Commission of Investigation, in some
cases amounting to tens if not hundreds of thousands of
dollars hidden from taxpayers.
Pension officials pledged to review any
cases where officials may have padded their
income.
State officials and school organizations
promised to consider the various recommendations in the
165-page report, from limits on extra pay available to
administrators to further public disclosure of their full
compensation.
"This calls to mind some questionable
practices and obviously some people working the system,"
said acting Education Commissioner Lucille Davy. "I don't
want to paint with a broad brush, but there is obviously a
need for greater transparency and
accountability."
Even though widely anticipated, the SCI
report sent a jolt through districts and their school
administrators, unearthing multilayered packages that many
districts rely on to attract and keep
administrators.
Looking at 71 school districts and more
than 300 contracts, the SCI found what it called a pattern
of extra compensation that could grossly inflate total pay
through annuities, buybacks of unused sick and vacation
time, and job perks such as district cars.
The author of the report said districts
-- suburban, urban, small, large -- were chosen for
investigation as a representative sample, along with a few
that had been suspected of offering generous
packages.
"That factored a little into it, too, but
we tried to be as comprehensive as we could," said Lee
Seglem, the SCI spokesman.
Some officials, even in districts not
reviewed by the SCI, did not take well to the findings.
Several yesterday questioned the report's timing on the eve
of school budget elections and in the face of lean state aid
prospects.
"Let's not throw us to the wolves the day
after we filed our budgets with the state," said Patricia
Walsh, a school board member in Middletown. "That $4.5
billion hole in the state budget is not because of a few
superintendents."
Others also pointed to the flux in
superintendents' jobs, the only certified position not
protected by tenure, leading to short terms in office. There
are currently at least 40 superintendent vacancies in the
state.
"The destabilization of the job and the
lack of people to fill these positions has created a
situation where it is basically a free market," said Barry
Galasso, director of the state's superintendents
group.
The SCI report made several
recommendations, including limits on reimbursements for
unused sick and vacation time, full public disclosure of
compensation packages, and tighter monitoring and training
around pension rules.
"A blanket prohibition on the ability to
cash in (on sick and vacation time) on annual basis would go
miles to addressing the problems," said Seglem.
Several recommendations also involved the
state's oversight, including the need for subpoena power to
determine pension amounts, and the need for a state
Department of Education review of contracts.
"I'm not sure we ought to review every
single contract," Davy responded. "I'm not ready to go there
yet. ... I think there are other ways to ensure these are
public, such as making documents more available."
The state's school boards association
said it would rethink its own training and guidance for
contract negotiations. The SCI criticized the association's
model contract, described as overly generous.
"The employment market has gotten us to
this point," said spokesman Frank Belluscio. "But it's time
to take a look at what we're doing and maybe reconsider some
of these practices."
Assemblyman Michael Panter (D-Monmouth)
said he expects the report's release to jump-start two of
his bills, limiting sick-time buybacks and tightening
pension rules. He said the bills had not gotten far in the
Legislature.
"But candidly, I think it was because the
issue hadn't seen the light of day like it has now," Panter
said. "I think now I'll have a number of
co-sponsors."
John Mooney covers education. He may be reached at
jmooney@star ledger.com or (973) 392-1548.
© 2006 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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