Schools

Could Salary Cap Impede Brick's Superintendent Search?

Former schools super tells BOE not to expect many applicants

The list of candidates applying for the position of Brick's chief school administrator could be shorter than expected, a former North Jersey superintendent told Board of Education members last week.

Rich Marasco, a former Monroe Township superintendent who has also held interim positions locally in Berkeley and Manchester townships, said Gov. Chris Christie's cap on superintendent salaries will most likely result in only 10 to 15 applicants applying for the job.

Marasco was before the board Nov. 17 pitching his consulting service where he assists boards of education in finding new schools chiefs. His view on how Brick's search would turn out differed from that of Kathy Winecoff, who on behalf of the New Jersey School Boards Association in September.

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Brick's school district stands just shy of 10,000 students, which means a superintendent can legally earn up to $175,000 per year. In smaller districts, salaries are capped to various amounts, with the lowest being $120,000. Districts that educate more than 10,000 students can receive a waiver that would allow the cap to be exceeded. Middletown Township, Monmouth County, recently had such a waiver approved, Marasco said.

"If this job was posted 10 or 15 years ago, you would have 100 people who would die for this job," Marasco said. "That is no longer the case. Today, if we advertise this position, the likelihood is that you might get 10 or 15 people who are interested in the position."

Find out what's happening in Brickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Marasco said the rate of turnover in superintendent positions is now "dramatic" in New Jersey. In some districts, superintendents have retired since they would have to take a pay cut after their current contract ended.

"Even though this is a substantially paying position, the climate is not a welcoming one," said Marasco. "This is a quasi-political arena. It's a very demanding job, it's complex, and it's fraught with difficulties and complexities, and that pushes the pool down."

Marasco said the typical candidate to apply for the superintendent position in Brick would be someone who may have K-12 district experience, but is currently working in a smaller district. A candidate would most likely see the Brick job as a financial step up, he said.

Winecoff said in September that Brick would be an attractive district because of its size, and the applicant pool would be larger than most New Jersey districts.

"We are seeing, in those attractive districts, the pools of candidates are large," Winecoff said. "In order to make more money, they are looking to go to those K-12 districts."

The board has not decided whether or not it wants to hire a consultant to help conduct the search for a new superintendent. Search services generally reach out to a pool of applicants, conducts initial screenings and meet with community stakeholders to assist the board in making a decision.

Last summer, the board decided against renewing the contract of current superintendent Walter Hrycenko. If a new superintendent is hired, Hrycenko would take the position of assistant superintendent, his last-tenured position in the district.


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