Testimony Before Assembly Education Committee

[Dollar$ and Sense]

Assembly bill A-3185 does not solve any issue. It creates new ones. We are to have a mandated model contract, a one size fits all intended to reign in abuses. Variations are allowed with the Commissioner’s approval. Will she have the time to review all possible variations? With all of the challenges we are facing, is that good use of her time? Or will she make it easy by simply saying no?

Accomplishing uniformity has it’s own problems. A-3185 specifically states: “The model contract shall address, but need not be limited to, the following aspects of employment….” The very first item is salary. Will this be defined in Trenton dollars, or Ramsey dollars? They are very different. Using a corporate relocation web site, www.bestplaces.net, we see that a $100,000 salary in Paramus is equal to a salary of $71,924 in Cape May, $79,874 in Sparta, $59,367 in Cherry Hill, and $55,362 in Trenton. Even if we allow for a wide margin of error with these web sites figures, the differentials are substantial. How will the needs of districts with the greatest challenges be accounted for? Will there be extra rewards for meeting extra challenges?

If the bill is amended and salary gets removed, we have a different problem. Since the Legislature removed tenure we have a free agent market. Superintendents can negotiate to maximize compensation. That is good for schools. Higher rewards provide the stimulus for higher-level performance. We need higher-level performance. Sweetening up a benefits package was one way to do this. If we are unable to use this negotiating tool, extra dollars will go to salaries. Salaries are pensionable and we try to avoid that.

I am not condoning abuses or disregarding the need for fiscal efficiency. I am recognizing that once again, we are being indignant about nickels while we are losing dimes. At the very time when we are talking about the challenges of pre-schools and increased rigor throughout our educational system, we are telling the education leaders we need so desperately that they are not worth their wage and they are not trustworthy. It’s not about hurt feelings. It’s about having the best people in critical leadership positions to help us accomplish our long-term goals.

We all know the value of leadership. We see it in our corporations, our politics, on our sports teams, and in our religions. It does not serve us well to tell the leaders of our educational world that they cannot be trusted. A-3185 tells them that we need to have additional legislation to structure their compensation for the sake of our taxpayers. It tells our taxpayers and our parents that educational leadership is not trustworthy. This comes at a time when we are struggling to fill positions with talented and experienced leaders. We need these leaders to prepare our children for a very demanding future.

As a School Board member, we try to provide a Superintendent with a contract that allows us to be demanding. We want high standards and the continuity in leadership that success demands. A reward tied to performance is a tool that good management uses to maximize performance.

The answer to the concerns about fiscal accountability is not in legislation, it is in training. More than any other elected officials, School Board members receive a great deal of training. More than new Legislators, I might add. There is already legislation and many regulations that restrict how a Board of Education negotiates contracts. Why do we need another bill to make the same points?

Everyone knows that abuse makes a big splash and the acts of a few reflect badly on us all. It happens in business, in politics, and in education. How many abuses are there really? As a percentage, it is very few. Do they need to be corrected; of course they do. Must we lose sight of the absolute fact that the vast majority of School Board members are very capable of negotiating a proper contract? Do we need to lose sight that the vast majority of our districts Superintendents are dedicated and honorable? The education world is held to a standard that far exceeds any other field of endeavor. It’s just not right. The road from good to great requires us to remember our long-term goals. We need to put our focus where it belongs.