School Superintendent Gets a Raise

Updated at 2:00 p.m. August 23, 2011 to reflect additional information regarding Superintendent Brian Osborne's health care benefits.

Amidst glowing praise from Board of Education members and no comments from the public, South Orange-Maplewood Superintendent of Schools Brian Osborne received a 2% raise last night bringing his annual salary to $204,088.  

Board members had desired to give Osborne a 3% raise as per his contract, but that rate had been denied by the County Superintendent.

The new salary was approved by the Board in Resolution 2785K - Revised Reappointment of Staff for the 2011-2012 School Year.

Board President Beth Daugherty noted that the raise was based on Osborne's and the district's achievements of 2010-11. She said that it was a "breakthrough year" in terms of scores on where students made "significant progress."

Daugherty said that Osborne had met or exceeded all goals set for him including English Language Arts curriculum implementation, tasks related to excellence and equity, leveling up, hiring targets, communications outreach, budget, and technology.

Daugherty also noted that Osborne had foregone a salary increase last year, accepting a salary freeze, and that he had donated his last salary increase in 2009 to the Achieve Foundation which provides grants to district teachers for in-classroom projects.

Board of Education member Mark Gleason said he was disappointed that the County Superintendent had "slapped down" 3% raises for the superintendent, assistant superintendents and district business administrator considering the fact that, based on merit and continuously improving test scores by students, they had qualified for that rate.

Gleason added in a later email: "While I am sympathetic to the governor and legislature's belief that some districts have abused the public trust in heaping lavish compensation packages on superintendents, which is what led to the superintendent salary cap, I believe it is a flawed policy that will inhibit districts from attracting and retaining one of the critical ingredients to educational success: great leadership."

However, Gleason did say that he felt that upper level staff should have the same health care benefit premium package as SOMEA (South Orange Maplewood Education Association) members, who are contributing 1.5% of salary to basic health care plans and paying out of pocket for any additional plans. "It's important for all to be treated the same." (Gleason pointed out that he was not referring to the superintendent specifically in making this statement.)

New state requirements for employee contributions will be effective after current contracts expire; however, SOMEA's new contract allows for the new state-mandated contribution levels to take effect immediately.

Osborne's raise would be retroactive to July 1, 2011.

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Osborne's contract expires on June 30, 2014. This has been his contract expiration date since August 2009 when the Board of Education amended Osborne's contract to extend it one year. As Board President Beth Daugherty explained, "In March 2009, we had to decide whether or not to offer a new contract to meet the one-year advanced notice requirement for his original contract due to expire June 2010." (This law no longer exists, said Daugherty.)

The Board wished to give Osborne a new five-year contract, but the period of March 2009 to June 2014 was more than five years (the maximum allowed contract length), so Osborne was given a four-year contract (expiring June 2013), with the Board publicly stating that its intent was to amend the contract with a one-year extension sometime after July 1. The Board made the extension to June 30, 2014 in August 2009, with Resolution 2536.

Daugherty pointed out that Osborne voluntarily amended his contract in March 2009 to 'buy up' if he enrolled in a plan that was more expensive than NJ Direct 15. Since his contract is valid until June 30, 2014, he will continue to pay 1.5% of salary toward health care, not a percent of premium. He will also continue to 'buy up' and not revert back to the District paying for his plan of choice, said Daugherty, "leading by example as the district tries to rein in health care costs — even though he too did not receive the raise he deserved."