NJASA and NJSBA Develop a Model Contract for Chief Education Officers

Focus on Accountability, Fiscal Responsibility, Educational Goals

The New Jersey Association of School Administrators (NJASA) and the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) are jointly releasing a Model Superintendent Contract to guide school board members and school superintendents in negotiating employment provisions of contractual agreements.

A series of legislative bills signed into law in 2007 made a substantial impact on the content of administrators’ contracts. These laws required the New Jersey Department of Education to issue regulations which establish standards for superintendents’ contracts. The new NJASA and NJSBA Model Superintendent Contract complies with those laws and regulations and will assist school districts to meet their goal of financially and educationally sound agreements.

The Executive Superintendent of each county currently must review all school administrator contracts in accordance with guidelines published by the State Department of Education. In addition, state legislators have recently proposed several bills that would also affect school superintendent contracts, including one that would require the State Department of Education to develop a statewide model contract. NJSBA Executive Director Marie Bilik and I have offered the Commissioner of Education the model agreement for use as the state-endorsed template on behalf of both organizations.

NJASA and NJSBA believe that school boards and chief education officers have an obligation to develop fair, fiscally responsible agreements. According to NJSBA Executive Director Marie S. Bilik, “The goal of local boards of education is to attract and retain effective chief school administrators while preserving the community’s financial interests. The model contract will enable school boards to develop a compensation package that is reasonable for the community and is consistent with current requirements.”

NJASA continues to support full compliance with the law and complete public disclosure of contracts for all school district employees. The Association encourages Governor Corzine and state legislators to establish standards for all public employees comparable to those which now exist for school leaders.