New Jersey Education Commissioner Lucille Davy has asked the 21 county superintendents to review the existing contracts of all district superintendents in their counties, particularly focusing on excessive severance payments. 

Last week The Press of Atlantic City reviewed contract provisions for eight area superintendents including the four local urban Abbott districts of Vineland, Millville, Bridgeton and Pleasantville and four districts in which the superintendents have announced their retirements — Egg Harbor Township, Northfield, Margate and Cumberland Regional. All had limits on the number of sick and vacation days that can be paid on retirement or the amount that can be paid.

The most generous retirement plan was a more than $113,558 payment for 220.5 sick days that will be owed to retiring Egg Harbor Township school superintendent Philip Heery when he leaves in January. That amount was restricted to the 1996 level, and does not represent all unused sick and vacation days he has accumulated in his 28 years in the district.

State law passed last year requires payments for unused sick leave to be limited to $15,000. However provisions of contracts already in effect must still be honored.  The state requires contract information for all school superintendents and other administrators be posted on a school district's Web Site, although some can be difficult to find. Davy encouraged residents to review their local contracts. "Our priorities in doing this work are transparency and accountability," Davy said.

She noted that the DOE has no legal authority to order modifications to existing contracts, but the data gathered will be used to ensure that new regulations adequately define acceptable standards for all contracts. The state has already rejected a proposed new contract for the Plainfield superintendent.

Source: The Press of Atlantic City, 6.2.08