BOE to Re-Negotiate Superintendent's Contract to Comply With Salary Cap

Board of Education President Michelle Stevenson said the board plans to re-negotiate a new three-year contract for Superintendent Dr. Nathan Parker when his current contract expires June 30, 2012. This new contract, she said, will comply with the salary cap guidelines required by the state after sweeping education reform by Gov. Chris Christie.

The boardThe contract would have raised the 25-year veteran educator's salary to $228,124. For a school in Summit's size bracket of 3,000 students or more, the new salary cap is $165,000. A performance bonus is allowable in addition to the salary cap but would not be factored into a superintendent's pension.

"Prior to the expiration of the current contract, the board will meet with Dr. Parker to negotiate the terms and conditions of the contract in order to comply with the salary cap guidelines and all of the conditions spelled out in the regulation," Stevenson said.

Parker, who only joined the district two years ago, made $222,560 for the 2009-2010 school year, the third most of any Union County Superintendent, according to the Asbury Park Press database DataUniverse. Parker is being paid $228,124 for the current school year and will be paid a 2.5 percent increase of $233,827 for the final year of his existing contract. He holds a doctorate from Columbia University and was the 25th highest paid superintendent among the state's 616 superintendents in New Jersey last year.

The contract approved in January would also have provided Parker with a 0 to 2 percent possible annual raise, based on the superintendent's annual evaluation and the Board of Education's "judgment as to the financial conditions in the district at that time." The contract also included 27 vacation days and 50 sick days.

His current contract allows for 20 sick days and 27 vacation days annually. According to information provided by Board of Education member Tom O'Rourke, Parker used five sick days last year and six to date this school year. Parker also used 20 vacation days last year and 18 to date this school year.

"The board very much hopes that we will reach an agreement with Dr. Parker," Stevenson said.

Stevenson said Friday morning that the board had to either do nothing or doing something in regards to Parker's contract by June 30 of this year. Rather than stay silent on the issue, she said the board decided it would rather make a statement about its intentions.

"We wanted to be as clear as possible about our intentions," she said.

The only element of Parker's current contract that can be retained in negotiations is the three-year length of the contract.