Superintendents say they're not overpaid

As Hackettstown Superintendent Robert Gratz sees it, releasing statewide administrative salaries is comparable to beating on top school officials as if they were a bunch of pinatas.

Gratz is listed as the highest-paid superintendent in Warren County in a recent state report but he said those salary figures should be part of a larger conversation in Trenton about how public schools are funded and how they can be managed more efficiently.

By focusing on what superintendents get paid, the state is laying the groundwork for criticism that could lead to greater school consolidation on a countywide level, Gratz said.

"They're throwing stuff in the water and trying to get the sharks," Gratz said. "My suggestion would be to not paint us with the same brush."

A state Department of Education report released last week shows Warren County's 24 superintendents earning between $96,000 and $166,520 as of Jan. 1. Since that date, some superintendents received raises and others left their school districts.

In addition to Gratz's salary, the other top two earners were Peter Merluzzi at the Warren Hills Regional School District, whose pay was $166,305, and former Phillipsburg Superintendent Gordon Pethick, whose salary was $154,191.

Superintendent Timothy Frederiks was earning $155,310, but that salary was split between the Allamuchy School District and the Green Township School District in Sussex County.

Administrative spending across the state has come under intense scrutiny since earlier this year when news spread that the Keansburg superintendent was set to receive a severance package worth more than $740,000.

Gratz and other superintendents maintained there are no such arrangements in Warren County, but only fair and reasonable salary packages awarded to school administrators who work hard to fulfill a challenging role in their school districts.

"I think it's difficult to keep and maintain good superintendents," said Belvidere Superintendent Dirk Swaneveld, whose salary was listed as $124,875. "If you count the hours a superintendent puts in, I don't think anybody in our county is overpaid."

Despite the perception that they are far removed from education itself, superintendents play a critical role in what happens in the classrooms, from maintaining the facilities to hiring the best personnel, said Kevin Brennan, the former Greenwich superintendent. Brennan starts next month as the new executive county superintendent.

Some superintendents wear multiple hats as well, Brennan said. While serving in Greenwich, Brennan was both superintendent and elementary school principal. Brennan was earning $146,150.

"They're overseeing it, but they're also leading it," Brennan said.

Market forces are also at play here as local school districts compete with their counterparts in Morris and Hunterdon counties to attract quality superintendents, Brennan said. Sometimes superintendents in other counties earn more money to lead school districts of similar sizes.

Mansfield Superintendent Rita Seipp was making $123,636 to oversee 702 students last year, whereas the superintendent in Rockaway Borough, Morris County, earned $154,285 to supervise 640 students, according to state reports. An individual superintendent's experience also plays a factor in salary ranges, officials said.

At the same time, there is a limited pool of candidates, since some school administrators opt not to become superintendents, Brennan said. Unlike principals, superintendents do not receive tenure and thus have little protection while holding a job that can become politically contentious.

In his new position, Brennan is expected to review all contracts for superintendents and school business administrators. Although there are state caps on administrative costs, there is no regulatory ceiling for salaries yet, Brennan said.

"The responsibilities these people hold are quite significant and the compensation needs to be in line with an appreciation of that position," Brennan said.