| ANGELINI AND RIBLE: TIME TO REVIEW EXORBITANT SCHOOL ADMINISTATOR SALARIES |
| NJDOE: Nearly 60 School Administrators Make More Than $200,000 Annually |
Assembly Republican members Mary Pat Angelini and Dave Rible, citing information from the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) which shows nearly 60 school administrators making more than $200,000 annually, said such exorbitant salaries are, in part, to blame for the high cost of education in New Jersey and the state’s chronic budget deficits.
The District 11 legislators reiterated their support of Governor Chris Christie’s plan to freeze state aid to schools to close a $2.2 billion budget gap this year, adding that despite Democrat claims to the contrary, the freeze will not necessitate a property tax increase or deprive students of the education they have been receiving year-long.
“There is plenty of waste in all areas of government, including our school districts,” said Angelini, R-Monmouth. “State aid to schools accounts for nearly 30 percent of our budget each year. We have to begin bringing costs down at all levels of government. A good place to start would be a thorough review of school administrator salaries.”
Angelini and Rible’s comments follow a discussion Tuesday on a Millennium News radio talk show about public school official salaries, including those of superintendents, assistant superintendents, business administrators, principals, department directors and supervisors. A majority of the salaries noted in the NJDOE report exceed $100,000 with nearly 60 administrators pulling down in excess of $200,000 a year.
“These salaries don’t even include what state and local governments are paying out in bonuses and healthcare and pension benefits,” noted Rible, R-Monmouth. “Governor Christie is taking a realistic and responsible approach to closing this year’s budget shortfall by freezing state aid to schools above the two percent surplus. Not one dollar of voter-approved school budget spending is being impacted.
“Going forward, we cannot maintain the status quo as far as these salaries are concerned. These dire times require equal sacrifice,” he continued. “Our taxpayers have certainly done their share. The fact of the matter is government must become leaner at all levels. It must learn to live within its means and stop banking on bailouts and permanent ‘entitlements.’ Certainly, we can find areas to cut without impacting the quality of education.”
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