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I forgot that the measure of value is based wholly on tangible wealth production.

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The difference being of course that lawyers and business people generate wealth whereas superintendents generate future a-hole parents.

Superintendents are highly educated and are not simply beginning their careers as executives of school systems. That's four years of undergraduate schooling, a master's degree, and at least a doctorate of education, or put another way, typically nine years of education beyond high school; all of that and typically many years spent working at lower paying positions as teachers and in school administration. By comparison, lawyers and business people spend less time in school with higher starting salaries. But I'm sure the best and the brightest will spend almost a decade in school so they can earn $175,000 a year placating a bunch of a-hole parents who earn more than they do.

My guess, and it's just a guess, is that there are a decent number superintendents for relatively wealthy districts in Bergen, Essex, Union, Morris counties and the like that can find jobs in Pennsylvania or New York, and if necessary relocate further afield. Their districts perform well so they will have a good resume and be able to command a relatively high salary.

Lots of these people make around $200,000 to $250,000. They have the support of their school board. The last thing they need is a Governor now implementing state controlled salary caps that will knock them back $50,000 - $100,000.

If, in fact, the salaries are too high, voters can vote in new school boards or, as some did earlier this year, vote down school budgets.

The crisis in New Jersey schools is largely a crisis in urban poor schools. Living in a city, I appreciate the attention, although throwing away $400 million because the Governor didn't want to be seen as having any cooperative relationship whatsoever with teacher's unions strikes me as bad policy. Nevertheless demanding that superintendents in other districts where the public schools do relatively well take a state mandated pay cut in the name of reform doesn't strike me as particularly helpful.

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Agree with a lot of what you have to say, but I'm not buying the "$175,000 salary is going to drive out talent" argument. I haven't bothered to look it up, but typically NJ is at or near the top in pay for public employees. Sure, there are a few high profile spots in cause celebre cities that pay well.

I'd bet you a dollar that cutting the Bayonne superintendent's salary from $230k (!!!!) to $175k won't result in her leaving to become the head of the D.C. school system or the equivalent. In fact, I'd bet you another dollar that the she couldn't get another job outside of NJ that pays $175k.

Christie is doing " a heckuva job ".

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I like HS sports. But the United States is rather unique in that it relies on high schools and colleges to develop athletic talent.

Just about anywhere else in the world, no serious athlete in the making relies on an educational institution. You have professional clubs that run youth programs, junior leagues, or in the more authoritarian world, governments taking and training young athletes from an early age.

I remember about the University of Bath's semi-pro soccer team a few years ago (since disbanded), the article presented it as this fascinating new concept ("They go to school and play football!").

To be fair, there is more to HS sports than training the kids who plan to become pro/olympic level athletes, or even college scholarship athletes. Plenty of kids participate and become fit, learn the value of teamwork and camaraderie, and create school spirit. Still, it seems like an awful lot of resources are being invested into programs that are being used as free development by professional leagues, etc.

This is remarkably short sighted. For one thing, outside of the problem urban districts, NJ schools are pretty good. If the wealthier districts want to pay more taxes to keep a superintendent or give the teachers a raise then let them make that decision.

With respect to the urban districts, people may find it mind boggling and frustrating that superintendents are getting $250,000+ for poor performance. But I don't think the superintendent's salary is the reason for poor performance.

From a very cynical perspective, it would seem that Christie is looking to force out talented and/or independent superintendents and make the position attractive only to political sympathizers.

I'm guessing the football team beat you up grovepath.

Sports in schools give many kids who just really don't have the booksmarts an outlet. It also gives kids a place to be besides the streets and instills town pride.

I feel safer walking by a pack of kids with their football and baseball gear then just a group with nothing to do.

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Speaking of sports - we really need to cut all athletic programs. Phys Ed is great, but spectator sports is a crazy waste -- how many students are really on the teams and what does it all cost per player?

===================================

New Jersey athletic directors are doing what they can to keep programs and coaching staffs in place in the wake of heavy education budget cuts announced by Gov. Chris Christie.

Schools that haven't already eliminated middle school sports are considering doing so, and the number of games and travel associated with freshman teams is also being examined.
"We don't want to get rid of anything," North Hunterdon athletic director John Deutsch said. "Our backs are against the wall. Something's got to give, that's the problem."
In reducing the number of feeder programs offered by the public schools the burden will be placed back on community recreation programs.
"We've already sliced our athletic budget two years ago and then last year again," said Phillipsburg athletic director Tom Fisher. "To do it a third year, it's going to be tough for us because we're pretty much bare bones."

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But raising personal and business taxes doesn't drive wealthy people to other states?

BTW - Where is the evidence for any of your claims?

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Agreed. I would also like to see the consolidation of municipalities across the state. If your town has fewer than 15,000 people, it should have to merge with a town greater than 15,000. The number I came up with is irrelevant, but we really have way too many municipalities in this state. Ideally for a county like Hudson County they should merge East Newark & Harrison into Kearny. Then West New York, Guttenberg, North Bergen into Union City. And keep Secaucus, Jersey City, Bayonne, and Hoboken. So the county would have 6 municipalities. Then eliminate all local public safety agencies and provide that by the county level. And do so with other agencies. That is cutting the fat!

This is almost treating the schools like sports teams. The superintendent is the GM and should be held responsibile if his district fails. I mean look at the pirates and royals. Awful teams who don't perform yet still make money. The owners pocket huge profits for failures. If the superintendent can't get all the right pieces for a successful district they should be fired or reassigned.

NEW JERSEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS FACT SHEET


Total Number of School Districts 604

State Aid 7.9 billion

Public School Enrollment 1.38 million

Number of Full-time Classroom Teachers 112,933

Median Salaries* (2009-2010)

Administrators and Supervisors $116,305

Classroom Teachers $59,670

Educational Support Services $74,630

District Superintendents $169,000

Principals $125,344

Real reform would be reducing the number of superintendents by eliminating school districts. Capping salaries just means driving qualified education executives into other fields or other states. Having more school districts than municipalities means a gross mismanagement of government resources.

Christie pushes ahead with rules to cut and cap pay for school superintendents, including many in Hudson

Tuesday, November 02, 2010
By SUSAN K. LIVIO
THE STAR-LEDGER

TRENTON - Gov. Chris Christie yesterday made good on his plans to introduce rules limiting how much school superintendents are paid - an action that would shave $9.8 million off the salaries of about 360 school executives when their contracts expire.

Superintendents would see their salaries tied to the number of students in each district under the proposed rules, but could earn bonuses based on student performance under terms set by the school board, according to Christie's office. The bonuses would last for a year and would not count toward pensions.

"Raises will no longer be automatic but will be earned, based on how students are performing in a school district," Acting Education Commissioner Rochelle Hendricks said.

Christie, who first announced the plan in July, is now taking the step of implementing the proposed rules, which were published in yesterday's New Jersey Register. The action does not require approval by the Legislature.

Under the plan, superintendents would earn no more than $125,000 in districts with no more than 250 students. Salaries would increase incrementally, based on district size, to a pay limit of $175,000 in a district with 6,501 to 10,0000 students. The state education commissioner could allow a higher salary in districts with more than 10,000 students.

Nearly every schools superintendent in Hudson County - including Bayonne's Patricia McGeehan - could be looking at a major pay cut if this plan is implemented.

McGeehan, who presides over a district with roughly 9,000 students, earns $230,330 annually, according to public records. The plan would cap her salary at $175,000.

Superintendents in Union City and Jersey City could earn more than $175,000 annually since their districts have more than 10,000 students.

Jersey City Superintendent of Schools Charles T. Epps Jr., who presides over a 29,000-student district - the second largest in the state next to Newark - earns $268,200 annually.

A recent Star-Ledger review found 235 school administrators earned more than $175,000 in the 2008-09 school year.

Public hearings on the plan will be held at Kean University, Union, Nov. 18; Warren Regional High, Blairstown, Nov. 29; Cumberland Community College, Vineland, Dec. 2; and Burlington County Institute of Technology, Westhampton, Dec. 7.

The Jersey Journal contributed to this story.

come out and ask Dr. Epps your questions Wednesday, 10/13 -

http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/ ... ed-for-wednesday-evening/

Community Meeting with Jersey City Schools Superintendent Slated for Wednesday Evening
By Jon Whiten

As he waits for county and state education officials to sign off of his controversial new contract, Jersey City schools superintendent Charles Epps will be on hand to participate in a community meeting on education tomorrow night.

The meeting with Epps is being put together by local education advocacy group Parents and Communities United for Education (PCUE), and all who are interested in local education issues are invited to attend. For more information, call 201-918-2918.

THE DETAILS
Community Meeting with Charles Epps; Wednesday, October 13 at 6 pm; at the Mary McLeod Bethune Center, 140 Martin Luther King Drive


Facebook invite -

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=154813144549710&index=1

http://www.greatschools.org/

Type in the school and get an independent review of it

Jersey City Board of Education set performance 'benchmarks' for Schools chief Epps

Monday, September 27, 2010
By AMY SARA CLARK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City Board of Education members met Saturday morning to set performance standards for Superintendent of Schools Charles T. Epps Jr.

After more than three hours of mostly closed-door deliberations at board headquarters on Claremont Avenue, they pronounced the meeting a success.

"I think it clarified a lot of things," said board member Carol Lester. "I think we have set strong parameters in order to move forward."

Board members declined to say what benchmarks were set, but board labor attorney Matt Gacobbe said the goals would be made public in October after they were transcribed and edited.

"We got together some really good benchmarks and goals for Dr. Epps and I'm really encouraged about what we accomplished," added board member Sterling Waterman. "We seemed to be able to put down some real transparent goals, and if these goals are obtained, we're really going to turn the schools around."

Several board members indicated that time was also spent clearing the air between board members who had differences in the past.

"I think the differences of opinion stem from lack of communication and we agreed to have better and more open communication as a whole," Waterman said.

"That doesn't mean that I'm always going to fall in line," Waterman added. "I am who I am ... I live in Jersey City and I want to see us do better."

Earlier this year, Waterman threatened to file an ethics complaint with the state arguing that a July meeting in which a majority of board members voted to extend Epps' contract another two years was held without proper public notice. Waterman never filed the complaint.

The board has signed off on a new contract for Epps that would end in June 2013 and calls for a continuation of his $268,200-a-year salary. However, the state's county superintendent, Timothy Brennan, has not yet approved the contract.

The goals established Saturday would be added as an addendum to the contract with Epps, board members said.

New job for Epps?

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010 ... aney_is_ousted_as_ne.html

Clearly, Dr. Epps has had his chance at the wheel, with years of mediocre performance to show for it. Simple longevity in office does not and should not be the sole basis for contact renewal. Nor will the matter be solved by conducting a national beauty contest search for another warm body. Something more is required.

Accountability. Accountability that runs from the bottom up and the top down of our school system.

A good place to start is at the top.

A Superintendent must be held accountable for their performance -- and this is where our Board of Education and the public need a crash lesson in connecting the dots.

I was appalled to read the proposed contract for Dr. Epps, and not merely by the overly generous compensation package. That contract does nothing to directly tie the Superintendent?s compensation to his performance. In this respect, the Superintendent remains unaccountable for his performance.

Cosmetically, the contract makes reference to an annual review and evaluation process against ?reasonable and attainable goals and objectives?. Compensation should not be an entitlement, as of right, when the consequences of failure for our children and the City's taxpayers stake.

What are those goals and objectives? These should be publicly disclosed.

Where are the incentives to work to improve performance?

What are the consequences or penalties for failing to attain those defined goals and objectives or if actual school performance declines year-on-year?

Should one be "entitled" to full compensation if those goals are not met? I think not. In this respect the proposed contract does not connect the dots between compensation and performance in office.

Even if this contract is ultimately approved, the ball will then be in the hands of the Board of Education members to set objective, measurable and meaningful performance metrics and goals, which the Superintendent should be personally accountable for. The specific benchmarks and actual performance results should be made public by the board each year. This would at least move things toward some level of transparent accountability in the event the contract is not redrafted. The Board of Education shouldn't punt a third time on this.

It is a tale told of an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Jersey City school board punts on superintendent search

Boards of education, we?re discovering, are misnomers, because often they don?t make educated decisions at all.
They have handed out ridiculously costly raises and benefits to teachers in the midst of economic peril. They have driven up the salaries of superintendents by bidding against each other. They have criticized town councils for cutting school budgets that were resoundingly rejected by voters. They looked the other way when protesting students walked out of class last spring.
And now, the Jersey City board of education appears on the verge of extending the contract of superintendent Charles Epps Jr. on Thursday night without a search to find a possibly better ? and more reasonably priced ? candidate.
Add it to the list.
Epps? supporters say the call for a search is racially motivated. (Epps is African-American.) But that rings hollow because Epps has said a search is probably wise, and because a search is likely to produce minority candidates. In fact, the board should make certain of that.
Those backing Epps say a search would be a waste of money. But they?re okay with his $268,200-a-year salary, a car and cell phone on the district?s tab, a $10,000 annual annuity and approximately 500 redeemable sicks days worth $86,000. His contract, if extended by the board for two years as expected, then would require the approval of the Hudson County superintendent of schools.
Supporters say Epps is worth all that. But he?s been superintendent for the past 10 years and progress has been slow. Twenty-six of his 37 schools failed last year to make ?adequate yearly progress,? according to federal standards. One middle school, where only 32 percent of children are proficient in English and 25 percent in math, has missed the goal nine years straight. That?s not good enough to close the door on other candidates before even looking.
?Nobody in their right mind would rehire someone who has failing performance without even a cursory look at who else is out there,? said Steven Fulop, a city councilman.
Education commissioner and former Jersey City mayor Bret Schundler encouraged the board to conduct a national search. That would give the board (and taxpayers) perspective on the talent available and leverage in getting a better deal.
Nothing in Epps? record says his reappointment should be a slam-dunk.

Former assistant superintendent accused of angling for Epps' post

Monday, August 23, 2010
By MELISSA HAYES
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Cathy Coyle hasn't been an assistant superintendent in the Jersey City Public Schools since 2001.

But the Jersey City resident, who had a reputation for showing up to monitor teachers unannounced, has emerged as a central character in the drama surrounding the re-signing of Superintendent of Schools Charles T. Epps Jr. to a new three-year contract.

The local school board rejected the advice of state Education Commissioner Bret Schundler to undertake a national search for a superintendent and is expected to vote to rehire Epps at a meeting Thursday. His contract awaits the approval of the county superintendent of schools.

But former Jersey City mayor and school board member Gerald McCann has accused Coyle of angling for the job with board members and Downtown Councilman Steven Fulop of championing the cause of a national search so the post could be handed to Coyle.

At a public hearing on Epps' contract on Aug. 11, Fulop said he was pushing for a search, not for Coyle.

"I believe in going out and finding the best person, plain and simple, not something pre-selected," Fulop added last week.

Coyle, the principal of a Catholic school in Elizabeth, denies having clandestine meetings with board members, but she says she would return to the district under the right circumstances.

"If the opportunity presented itself, I would absolutely apply, but right now with the extension of a two-year contract (for Epps), it's a moot point," she said last week.

Coyle clearly believes the current school administration is failing students.

"No one is talking about the steps being taken to improve what appears to the community to be a failing education system," she said.

"We can't continue in the direction we're going," she added. "It doesn't matter who becomes superintendent, we have to change our focus."

Coyle started her career as a teacher in Jersey City and worked her way through the ranks. Her unannounced visits to classrooms enraged the Jersey City Education Association.

"I am a taxpayer and I am watching all this money go out the door," Coyle said, referring to the district's $600 million-plus budget. "More money is being spent on education and yet the students can't compete with students across the state of New Jersey."

What does the CURRICULUM look like in our schools? How often does it change before a teacher gets a chance to master the curriculum guides? How much academic freedom do our teachers have in their classrooms? Is the curriculum organically grown or developed by expensive consultants and then thrown into teachers' hands with the threat of ?do or die? and Big Brother at the BOE looking over their shoulders? Are our disaffected youth being ?reached? with the books in the curriculum? What type of after school programs are offered ? are there only NJASK themed ?clubs? or do our students have the opportunity to learn through a variety of enriching programs that include the arts? How does the technology in our schools measure up to the technology of surrounding suburban schools? And what happens when that technology fails ? does it get fixed in a timely fashion or sit in a classroom collecting dust? What about on-line courses for our high school students? What innovation has been seen under Dr. Epps reign? How long should one individual be in power? Would it be ok for Mayor Healy to run the city indefinitely? Change is good ? not always welcomed, but good.

For a compensation package of this magnitude, accountability is missing.

Unfortunately, the proposed contract does nothing to directly tie the Superintendent?s compensation to his performance. In this respect, the Superintendent remains unaccountable for his performance despite the fact that Section 5 of the proposed contract speaks to an annual review and evaluation against ?reasonable and attainable goals and objectives?.

Where are the incentives to work to improve performance? What are the penalties for failing to attain defined goals and objectives or if actual school performance declines year-on-year?

This is a major shortcoming that should be addressed.

Even if this contract is ultimately approved, the ball will then be in the hands of the Board of Education members to set objective, measurable and meaningful performance metrics and goals, which the Superintendent should be personally accountable for. The specific benchmarks and actual performance results should also be made public each year. This would at least move things toward some level of transparent accountability in the event the contract is not redrafted.

Only in Jersey City would some people want to reward failure. By giving Epps a new or extended contract would be doing just that.

Come on Jersey City we can do better, we have failures "Team Healy" running our city and also want to continue with the failures in our Education leadership.

Let's get rid of these FAILURES!!!!!

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Until election day!!

We get the government we deserve.

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Reverse discrimination anyone?