By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Superintendent of Schools Nancy Gartenberg will receive an increase in her salary, following the school board’s approval of an amendment to her contract at its Nov. 21 meeting.
The Montgomery Township School District Board of Education voted 6-1 to amend the contract, raising Gartenberg’s base salary from $167,500 to $182,174 on a pro-rated basis, retroactively for the 2017-18 school year.
Gartenberg will receive an additional $5,000 stipend because the school district includes a high school – for a total salary of $187,174 for the 2017-18 school year.
The “yes” votes were cast by school board president Rick Cavalli and board members Dharmesh Doshi, Dale Huff, Charles Jacey, Amy Miller and Shreesh Tiwari. The lone “no” vote was cast by board member Minkyo Chenette.
The amended contract calls for Gartenberg to earn $190,917 for the 2018-19 school year, including the $5,000 high school stipend. She will be paid $194,736 for the 2019-20 school year, including the stipend – the final year of her contract.
Gartenberg’s initial contract was set to expire June 30, 2017, but it was extended by five years in 2015 so that it ends June 30, 2020. The contract included a provision for the school board to negotiate a salary increase “in the event salary cap regulations expire or are amended.”
Gartenberg is among many superintendents who have received salary increases since the state-mandated cap on their salaries has expired. The cap on salaries had been $167,500.
State law allowed for an additional $2,500 stipend – which has now been increased to $5,000 – for a superintendent whose district included a high school.
The Hopewell Valley Regional School District Board of Education approved a salary increase for Superintendent of Schools Thomas Smith earlier this year. He will earn a base salary of $195,415, plus a $5,000 high school stipend.
The Princeton Public Schools Board of Education approved a salary increase for Superintendent of Schools Stephen Cochrane, who will earn $196,584, plus a $5,000 high school stipend.
The decision to increase Gartenberg’s salary met with some opposition from parents, students and the Montgomery Township Education Association. Several speakers argued that Gartenberg should not be granted a salary increase.
Some speakers wanted more information on the merit goals or “key performance indicators” that would justify additional pay, while others said a decision on a salary increase and amended contract should be made by the newly elected school board members when they take office in January.
State law also allows a superintendent to earn as much as 14.99 percent additional pay, based upon whether the superintendent has met mutually agreed upon goals between the superintendent and the school board.
Scott Mason, the president of the Montgomery Township Education Association, said that even considering that Gartenberg has not received an increase in her base salary due to the cap – although she has received merit bonuses for meeting goals – “we find the rationale to grant this level of compensation hard to absorb.” The increase is about 12 percent.
The Montgomery Township Education Association believes that the superintendent’s salary increase is “inappropriate at this time,” Mason said. Since 2011, the union members have watched their paychecks shrink even as their responsibilities have grown, he said.
Students have continued to excel academically, Mason said, adding that the teachers union wants the school board to have a “full appreciation” of the role of the staff.
One parent suggested holding off on taking action until after the newly-elected school board members are sworn into office in January. While she does not “begrudge” a raise for the superintendent, she questioned whether it is commensurate with the pay increases that teachers have received.
School board attorney Stephen Fogarty explained that the current school board has the legal authority to take action now to amend Gartenberg’s contract. The current school board began debating whether to amend the contract and increase the salary in February or March, he said.
“This school board began the process of determining whether a salary increase was appropriate and allowed for public hearings on it,” Fogarty said. It is appropriate for this school board to take action because it has been studying the issue for several months, he said.
Another speaker claimed that Gartenberg had threatened to leave the school district if she did not receive a salary increase – an allegation that Cavalli, the school board president, quickly squashed.
“At no time” was such a demand or threat made, Cavalli said.
Wrapping up the discussion on the amended contract and salary increase, Cavalli pointed out that the Somerset County Executive Superintendent of Schools must approve both the merit goals and the pay attached to them.
In addition, Roger A. Jinks, the interim Executive Superintendent of Schools for Somerset County, approved the amendment to Gartenberg’s contract in an Oct. 23 letter to Cavalli. The letter noted that the provisions of the contract “are in compliance with (state) regulations.”
