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Star Ledger- Crucial test for school agency "The name has changed, as has the leadership. Yet the state Schools Development Authority, charged with building schools in New Jersey's poorer cities, is still struggling to shed its reputation..."
Courier Post - Special-needs districts to get aid
Star ledger, 8-14-08 Many N.J. superintendents due six-figure retirement deals
Trenton Times 8-14-08 State's highest-paid school officials revealed...Their salaries, benefits to be made available to public
ASBURY PARK PRESS/GANNET - August 14, 2008
Schools chiefs' farewell tab: $59M
Crucial test for school agency
Thursday, August 14, 2008 The name has changed, as has the leadership. Yet the state Schools Development Authority, charged with building schools in New Jersey's poorer cities, is still struggling to shed its reputation as the agency that burns through billions in public money with too little to show for it. The uncertainty over whether the new Central High School in Newark, costing more than $100 million, will open on time next month is not helping to change that perception. The authority's first incarnation, the Schools Construction Corp., pledged to open a new Central High in 2006. Two years later, the question is whether the school will be safe and able to receive students by Sept. 8. The issue is the fire suppression system built into the school's walls and whether it meets current standards. Other inspections are being done each day. That's cutting things close for a project that has been under way for so long. Until all such matters are settled, it will be impossible to get a temporary certificate of oc cupancy -- or the peace of mind -- to let more than 1,000 kids into the building. Last month, the authority head, Scott Weiner, promised to fire the project contractor if the school was not finished on time, a refreshing new approach for an agency that had previously been bullied and outwitted by contractors. Since then, he says, the Central High contractor has made substantial progress and so is still on the job. Weiner insists that the school will open on time and that it will be finished except for some work on the auditorium, a dental lab that is part of a career program, and some outside work. No one should be happy, however, about any significant construction going on in a school full of kids. It is true that the authority inherited the problems that have put Central's opening in jeopardy. Weiner insists the reconsti tuted agency is getting done in weeks what its predecessors took months or even years to accomplish. The authority, created because it was thought a state agency would be more efficient than local districts, has not yet proven it can keep to its deadlines and budgets. If it cannot, perhaps the Schools Development Authority should get the same ultimatum it was prepared to give its contractor. |
August 14, 2008
Special-needs districts to get aid
For your back-to-school source, visit courierpostonline.com/backtoschool
By LISA G. RYAN
Gannett State Bureau
Special-needs school districts across New Jersey that have struggled to address health and safety issues such as deteriorated roofs and broken boilers at their schools will soon get state funding to make the necessary repairs.
The state Schools Development Authority announced this week it will spend as much as $60 million in the coming months to pay for emergency projects at 114 schools in 27 of the state's poorest 31 school districts.
South Jersey school districts receiving assistance are Bridgeton, Burlington City, Camden, Gloucester City, Millville, Pemberton Township and Salem.
The state agency posted a complete list of the 137 projects on its Web site on Tuesday. It is expected each project will range from $100,000 to $3 million, depending on the work involved.
The funding for emergency repairs is separate from the $2.9 billion in a law signed by Gov. Jon S. Corzine last month that authorized construction projects in the special-needs districts. That money is designated for longer-term, typically larger, projects such as new schools and major additions, officials said.
The SDA established the $150 million reserve fund for emergency projects in April 2007. As of last month, the fund stood at $144 million.
"We need the flexibility to handle emergencies when they come up. Districts shouldn't be left stranded because we didn't put money away for a rainy day," said SDA spokesman Larry Hanover.
The SDA and the state education and community affairs departments worked together to select the 137 projects after reviewing 400 potential emergency conditions at 250 schools. State officials visited each of the 250 schools between mid-February and the end of March to see the conditions for themselves and determine if they rose to a level that required immediate action, Hanover said.
"I am pleased with the collaborative effort with DOE and the districts that resulted in an unprecedented, comprehensive list of emergent projects statewide," said Scott Weiner, chief executive officer of the SDA. "This collaboration has produced a plan that will ensure the immediate health and safety of students is addressed."
About 30 percent of the projects deal with roof repair or replacement. Other problems include crumbling facades, poor ventilation, water leaks, outdated fire alarm systems and broken toilets. The Newark and Paterson school districts lead the list with 30 and 18 projects, respectively.
Long Branch in Monmouth County will receive funding for two projects at its alternate middle and high school, an older building. The facility will receive an upgraded fire alarm system and repairs to its fire escape, said Joseph Ferraina, the school superintendent.
"The systems are operational now, but we want to repair them now instead of waiting until they break," Ferraina said. "Having this money available is great because now we're able to completely repair the problem, not just patch it. Doing it this way is more cost effective."
Without state funding, the Gloucester City school district would likely have delayed making playground, lighting and roofing repairs at its facilities, said school Superintendent Paul Spaventa.
"The projects would have gotten done, just not as expeditiously," said Spaventa, noting the district had unsuccessfully applied for more emergent projects. "We were told the state was looking for the most serious problems."
About half the projects will be overseen by the SDA. The rest will be managed by the individual school districts based on the projects' scope and complexity.
There won't be as many projects in future years, Hanover said. Now that a reserve fund for emergency health and safety issues is in place, problems will be evaluated and addressed on an ongoing basis with input from the education and community affairs departments, he said.
Reach Lisa G. Ryan at lgryan@gannett.com
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Trenton Times 8-14-08
State's highest-paid school officials revealed
Their salaries, benefits to be made available to public
Page 2 of 1
Amid controversy about retirement packages for superintendents, the state Department of Education yesterday released for the first time a list of the salary and benefits of nearly 3,600 of the highest-paid school officials in New Jersey, with a Mercer County superintendent ranking in the top 2 percent.
Ronald Bolandi, superintendent of East Windsor Regional schools, is the 58th highest-paid school official in the state, earning a $198,000 salary on top of an $8,650 yearly allowance.
The data were compiled in keeping with the School Accountability Act of 2007, which requires all school districts to release salary and benefits figures for administrators and employees who are not in a union and make at least $75,000. This information also must be posted on district websites and made available to the public.
"Citizens have a great deal of interest in knowing how their education tax dollars are being spent, and this new resource gives them a way to access that information quickly and easily," said Education Commissioner Lucille Davy, adding the effort is part of a renewed focus on "accountability and transparency."
According to the data, Newark Superintendent Marion Bolden is the top-earning administrator in New Jersey, making $260,728 a year, plus an $18,000 allowance.
In Mercer County, Princeton Regional Superintendent Judith Wilson is the second-highest paid administrator with an $182,845 salary.
Those at the bottom of the list of highest-paid administrators include two employees in the Trenton district's human resources department whose incomes peak above $75,000 after benefits and allowances.
The DOE began collecting the contract information in January as school districts started submitting their budgets.
The release comes as Gov. Jon Corzine and the Legislature have pressed hard for districts to curb administrative spending in a bid to control rising property taxes.
The Legislature this year enacted several regulations that capped sick and vacation time buybacks and prohibited separate severance packages. Lawmakers also gave the state power to review administrator contracts.
The new state rules were approved after the outrage generated by the disclosure of a $740,876 retirement deal for recently retired Keansburg superintendent Barbara Trzeszkowski. Keansburg is one of 31 so-called Abbott communities that receive millions in special state aid.
State associations representing administrators and school boards said they support state efforts to make school finance information more accessible to the public.
But they stressed administrative costs represent only about 10 percent of overall school spending, one of the lowest percentages in the nation.
Mike Yaple, a spokesman for the state School Boards Association, said the spotlight has shined harshly on administrative pay in the past few years.
"They've taken a lot of criticism for their salaries," Yaple said. "The downside occurs if there's such negative out-fall that it makes it difficult for a school to hire and retain an effective leader.
"Hiring a superintendent is probably the most important decision a board has to make," he said. "That person is responsible for meeting the educational goals in the community."
According to state figures, from 1990 to 2006, the number of administrators in New Jersey schools has risen 2.6 percent, compared to the 30 percent increase in students and 35 percent increase in teachers.
"Really, it's a fallacy to think schools in New Jersey are administratively top heavy," Yaple said. "But we've long supported -- and have called for -- transparency when it comes to their contracts."
Richard Bozza, director of the state's school administrators association, said the state should apply the same rules to other government rolls.
He recommended all categories of New Jersey public employees follow the example established for school administrators and be required to immediately release their respective data.
Meanwhile, questions surfaced as to the validity of some of the state's numbers, a repeat of last summer when the state released the data for the first time, but was forced to pull it back after errors were discovered.
Officials conceded the data may include errors, stressing the figures are all self-reported by the districts, and a review of the figures was ongoing.
"This is the first time we have done this and don't expect it will be 100 percent perfect," said Kathryn Forsyth, communications director of the state Department of Education.
The full data can be found online at http://www.state.nj.us/education/finance/fp/ufb/
John Mooney of Newhouse News Service contributed to this report.
Contact Times Staff Writer Lisa Rich at lrich@njtimes.com or (609) 989-5692.
Star ledger, 8-14-08
Many N.J. superintendents due six-figure retirement deals
By John Mooney
More than 30 New Jersey school administrators could be due six-figure retirement packages at a time the state is trying to rein in administrative costs, according to data the state released Wednesday.
By far the highest is a previously disclosed $740,876 retirement deal for recently retired Keansburg Superintendent Barbara Trzeszkowski, the package that initiated new state rules targeting "excessive" payments for sick-day buybacks and other compensation.
But the state's first statewide accounting of all such compensation indicates numerous high-priced administrator deals were already in place last year and, therefore, will not be covered by the new regulations.
For instance, among those reported to be entitled to more than $100,000 upon retirement were Wall Township Superintendent James Habel ($221,242), Somerset Hills Superintendent Peter Miller ($217,396) and even a business administrator, Guttenberg's Jolene Mantineo ($258,802), according to the state's data covering the 2007-08 school year.
Robert Aloia, Bergen County Vocational and Technical Schools' superintendent, would see a $190,000 retirement deal, according to the state, and is also entitled to $61,000 in annual buybacks of sick and vacation time. That's on top of a $231,000 base salary.
"There are definitely some benefits or compensation that wouldn't conform with the new regulations," state Education Commissioner Lucille Davy said. "They confirm what we have been saying."
But questions immediately surfaced as to the validity of some of the state's numbers, a repeat of last summer when the state released the data for the first time but was forced to pull it back after errors were discovered.
For instance, the state's own monitor in the Paterson schools, Mark Kramer, was initially listed for a $178,750 retirement package on top of his $165,000 yearly salary. But state officials said the figure is incorrect and Kramer is not entitled to any retirement package.
Officials conceded the data may include other errors as well, stressing the figures are all self-reported by the districts, and a review of the figures was ongoing.
"This is the first time we have done this and don't expect it will be 100 percent perfect," said Kathryn Forsyth, communications director of the state Department of Education.
The details arrive in New Jersey's first statewide release of administrative pay and perks in each district in 2007-08, as well as district spending and revenue for 2008-09.
"Citizens have a great deal of interest in knowing how their education tax dollars are being spent, and this new resource gives them a way to access that information quickly and easily," said Davy in releasing the information.
The full data set can be found online at www.state.nj.us/education/finance/fp/ufb/.
The administrative pay is sure to draw the most attention, as Gov. Jon Corzine and the Legislature have pressed hard for districts to curb administrative spending in a bid to control rising property taxes. The Legislature this year enacted several regulations that capped sick and vacation time buybacks and prohibited separate severance packages. Lawmakers also gave the state power to review administrator contracts.
For most of the 3,500 administrators listed, this shouldn't be an issue. According to the state's latest data, a vast majority would see retirement payments well below the caps, if any at all. The average was slightly over $10,000, on top of a typical salary of about $108,000.
State associations representing administrators and school boards said they support state efforts to make school finance information more accessible to the public. But they stressed administrative costs represent only about 10 percent of overall school spending, one of the lowest percentages in the nation.
"The pay has been really dictated by the market," said Mike Yaple, a spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Association. "It's not much different than that of other states in the region."
Richard Bozza, director of the state's school administrators' association, said the state should apply the same rules to other government rolls and recommended "all categories of New Jersey public employees follow the example established for school administrators and be required to immediately release their respective data."
ASBURY PARK PRESS/GANNET - August 14, 2008
Schools chiefs' farewell tab: $59M
Monmouth: 4 of 10 priciest
By PAUL D'AMBROSIO and JEAN MIKLE
STAFF WRITERS
Retirement payouts for public school superintendents and top administrators will likely exceed $36 million in the coming years, according to budget information from more than 600 districts.
In addition to pending retirement costs, which can be paid over five years, annual perks were estimated to be $17.1 million in the last school year. That amount covered bonuses, extra pension payments, and salary allowances, such as travel stipends, for the top school administrators.
When coupled with $5 million in annual buybacks of unused sick and vacation days, about 3,400 school administrators will share nearly $59 million in annual perks and future retirement payouts.
Monmouth County leads the pack with four superintendents in the list of the 10 administrators with the highest estimated retirement costs in the state.
At the head of the list is recently retired Keansburg Superintendent Barbara A. Trzeszkowski, who is slated to be paid $740,876. The state, which pays for most of Keansburg's school budget, has sued to overturn her retirement payout.
All told, Monmouth County's school districts have an estimated retirement cost of $4.3 million, including that of Trzeszkowski's yet-to-be paid severance package, plus a cost of $1 million in annual perks.
Ocean County's costs are lower, at $633,168 in retirement payouts and $340,305 in annual perks, according to the data from the county districts.
The bulk of the projected statewide retirement payments usually comes from the various districts that buy back unused sick and vacation time from administrators. In Bergen County, for example, one district is contracted to pay its superintendent up to $110,000 for unused days upon his retirement.
Education Commissioner Lucille E. Davy said that new laws as well as new education department regulations will curtail or eliminate many perks for administrators in the future.
The regulations, though, may not affect entitlements permitted under a superintendent's current contract. Most contracts run three to five years. Once the contract expires, a new agreement would have to conform to the new regulations.
"We've issued regulations already that speak to some of the benefits and other perks that you see in these reports," Davy said. "The regulations are already having an impact on these contracts and how they're being negotiated now and how they're being approved."
The new laws cap accumulated sick pay at $15,000. They also require districts to advertise any changes to superintendent contracts at least a month in advance of a public hearing. The executive county superintendents also are charged with reviewing all employment contracts over $75,000 and rejecting any that have excessive costs.
State Sen. Jennifer Beck, R-Monmouth, said she believes the Senate's Education Committee should hold a hearing to discuss the data on administrative salaries and perks.
"It's hard to see if this data reveals that school districts are awarding contracts that are out of line or contrary to the regulations," Beck said. "We've got to get our arms around this. We have the most expensive education system in the United States, and some of it is due to administrative salaries."
A school district also is barred from awarding a bonus to an administrator unless a specific criteria is outlined for that bonus, according to regulations.
"I think there are definitely benefits being given that don't conform to the regulations," Davy said, but she would not be more specific.
Davy and Education Department spokeswoman Kathryn Forsyth cautioned the information from the local school districts may contain glitches due to data-entry errors.
Beth Brooks, director of fiscal policy and planning for the Department of Education, said the data also are being reviewed by executive county superintendents in each county.
"They are comparing it to any existing contracts they may have on file, trying to verify some of the data, based on their own intimate knowledge of these districts," Brooks said.
Many districts are giving a boost to superintendent pay by buying back a certain number of sick and vacation days each year. Long Branch's Superintendent Joseph M. Ferraina, for example, could sell up to $34,293 in unused days back to the board this past school year. His base salary last year was $222,436, the ninth highest in the state.
Across the state, the total cost of such buybacks was $5.2 million last school year.
Many districts also opt to boost the retirement benefits for top administrator by paying some or all of the costs.
In Wall, the Board of Education paid $26,005 toward Superintendent James F. Habel's retirement plan — on top of his $180,400 salary. His retirement payment perk was third highest in the state. Habel did not return calls for comment.
Perks and benefits for nonsuperintendents were less generous.
In Toms River, for example, an assistant superintendent is limited to a maximum of $15,000 for unused sick time.
Although the Department of Education has gone to court to try to block the $740,000 severance package of Keansburg's Trzeszkowski, Davy said she could not comment on whether the department would consider further action against other districts where administrators have hefty perks in already existing contracts.
