Tuesday, June 4, 2013
State law will result in a pay cut of more than $60,000 for the superintendent of Ridgewood schools, who will be renewing his contract with the district.
Ridgewood Superintendent Dan Fishbein will remain the chief school administrator in the village despite a state ruling that will slash his salary by more than $60,000 starting next month. "Whatever I [say] will be interpreted as self-serving, so It was a personal decision," Fishbein said when asked why he has elected to stay in Ridgewood. "Professionally, as a superintendent your job is never complete. There are always areas in a district to improve." In 2010, Gov. Chris Christie passed a law that cuts salaries to school superintendents to a maximum of $175,000, with the figure based on the size of the school district and various performance measures. The order impacts superintendents when their contracts expired; Fishbein's expires at the…
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Ramsey school officials say caps on school superintendent pay has created an "educational leadership crisis"
Another Bergen County school district has joined Ridgewood in vocally opposing the pay caps New Jersey Governor Chris Christie placed on schools superintendents. Christie's stipulation holds that superintendents could not make more than his own $175,000. Their salaries would be tiered based upon district size, with potential "bonuses" for meeting performance goals. Ramsey school officials last week passed a resolution denouncing the state law – passed in 2010 – on the basis it not only prompted its former superintendent to leave for New York, but has further strained efforts to replace him. “There is an educational leadership crisis in this state,” Interim Superintendent Bruce DeYoung, a retired Ramsey Superintendent who returned to the …
Monday, February 11, 2013
Petition to NJ Supreme Court asserts governor’s action overstepped his authority
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Monday, February 11
Into its third year and no less controversial, the Christie administration’s cap on school superintendent salaries is getting one final legal challenge before the state Supreme Court. The New Jersey Association of School Administrators and two of the superintendents who first contested the 2011 cap have petitioned the high court to hear their argument that the administration overstepped its bounds. The appeal’s odds for success are long, after several court rejections of this and various other challenges, including an appellate court defeat last fall. But with Christie signaling he has no plans to amend the cap and the Legislature mostly silent on the measure, the main plaintiff said it is worth one more shot. “On the court side, it has …
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
The governor has no plans to acquiesce the Ridgewood BOE's request to skirt a salary cap that would lighten its superintendent's wallet considerably.
If you were expecting Gov. Chris Christie to change his stance on superintendent pay caps, you might not want to hold your breath. Responding to the Ridgewood school board's efforts to have the caps lifted or at least to allow for a higher salary, Christie at a press conference Monday offered a simple "sorry." “Everyone is being asked to make some sacrifice here,” said the governor, who passed the law in 2010 without action of the legislature. “I think a lot of people in New Jersey think $165,000 is a perfectly acceptable salary to be superintendent.” The NJ Department of Education estimates annual savings from the superintendent caps – which limits salaries from between $125,000 and $175,000 – at about $10 million. Detractors argue, …
Monday, January 14, 2013
The Ridgewood school board will draft a resolution pushing for new lobbying efforts in Trenton to overturn superintendent salary caps in place since 2010.
With its hands tied by state regulations, the Ridgewood Board of Education will draft a resolution to lobby for changes in the state salary cap that will either force current superintendent Daniel Fishbein to take a substantial pay cut, or restrict the board in negotiations with other candidates when his contract expires this summer. Board member Michele Lenhard, who proposed and will draft the resolution, said it is intended “to encourage school boards to look further at this issue and advocate on behalf of boards of education, from the standpoint that salary caps definitely impact the boards' ability to seek the best candidate for the superintendent position.” If the Ridgewood school board approves the language of the draft, it will be …
Bob Hutton
5:25 pm on Thursday, June 6, 2013
I had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Fishbein and voting to hire him 5 years ago. He has supplied outstanding leadership to our school system. He is a man of character and integrity. As Eastside Dad pointed out, I have no clue as to why Superintendents were singled out for a fixed salary. Unfortunately, public education has had some bad apples and the Trenton fix is always 'one size fits all… more ›