LeRoy Seitz's $212,020 salary would increase to $216,240 this year, plus annual 2 percent increases through 2015
LeRoy Seitz, walking out of the Colonia Middle School in this 2000 photo, was awarded a new five-year contract as superintendent of Parsippany's public school district. The contract, approved tonight, came under heavy attack by township taxpayers and Gov. Chris Christie.PARSIPPANY — The Parsippany Board of Education voted 6-2 tonight to renew the contract for district schools Superintendent LeRoy Seitz, just hours after Gov. Chris Christie called the contract greedy and arrogant because it would exceed the proposed pay cap for superintendents.
The board voted to extend Seitz’s contract, which expires July 1, by another five years, paying him an average annual salary of $225,064. The contract was approved by the Executive Morris County Superintendent Kathleen Serafino on Friday, according to board attorney Mark Tabkin.
"I appreciate the support of the board and I am truly honored and humbled to work for Parsippany-Troy Hills, their parents and their school system," Seitz said after the vote.
The decision — six yes votes, two no votes and one abstention — came hours after Christie lashed out at Seitz during a standing-room-only town hall meeting in Berkeley Township.
"Let me tell you about the new poster boy for all that’s wrong with the public school system that is being dictated by greed," Christie said. "This contract is the definition of greed and arrogance."
"I suspect that the executive county superintendent is going to look very poorly upon someone who is trying to game the system and take from the taxpayers of Parsippany, and by extension, the taxpayers of New Jersey," the governor added. "If Lee Seitz wants to try to put his greed and his arrogance ahead of the taxpayers of New Jersey, you elected me to stand up to people like Lee Seitz and others across the state, and I will."
While the governor’s proposed cap doesn’t take effect until February, the administration has been quick to criticize districts that are trying to circumvent the cap by renewing or approving new contracts.
In July, Christie proposed a superintendent salary cap. Under the proposed regulation, superintendents’ pay would be directly proportional to the number of students enrolled in the district. The new regulation would have capped Seitz’s salary at $175,000.
"I feel very strongly that our board has negotiated very strongly the best possible contract," board member Debbie Orme said amid cat-calls, whistles and yells from the crowd in Parsippany last night.
During the board’s discussion of the contract, board member Michael Strumolo made a motion to table the vote for a later date. The motion was seconded by Bob Crawford, a vocal opponent of the contract.
"No board member who is committed to openness and transparency will have no issue with delaying this vote," Crawford said.
Parsippany Schools Superintendent LeRoy Seitz was awarded a new five-year salary contract tonight that exceeds the spending cap proposed by Gov. Chris Christie for school superintendents.The motion was promptly voted down by the board, 6-2, with one abstention. During the public comment period, scores of people questioned why the board would not wait until the governor’s cap is enacted before renewing the superintendent’s contract.
"Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should do something," said M. Stanley Kron, a Parsippany resident.
Seitz was hired as superintendent in 2006 with an annual salary of $212,020. Under the approved contract, Seitz will be paid $216,240 for the first school year, with a 2 percent raise each additional year. During the fifth year of the contract, Seitz will be paid $234,065.
The new contract, however, eliminates the superintendent’s $6,000 annual travel stipend and $3,500 in life insurance policy. Seitz can no longer bill the district for unused vacation days, saving the district $6,057 per year.
Seitz has said he would decline the district’s healthcare coverage, a move the superintendent said will save the district more money than if he accepted the coverage. If Seitz declines the coverage, the district will compensate him $5,000.
Parsippany is Morris County’s largest school district, with 7,272 students throughout 14 schools. In 2009, the district had a graduation rate of 98.8 percent, higher than the state average of 93.3 percent.
Crawford and Strumolo voted against the superintendent’s contract. Robert Choffo abstained from the vote. Afterwards, Crawford said he was not surprised by the vote.
"I’m disappointed," Crawford said. "It’s a vote that was defined by greed and arrogance."
Hours before the vote was cast, the governor said Seitz may threaten to go the Pennsylvania or New York to make more money.
"I will say in response to Mr. Seitz, ‘Let me help you pack,’" Christie said to loud applause. "We have real problems in our state that we have to fix and we don’t have the time, nor the money, nor the patience any longer for people who put themselves before our citizens."
Star-Ledger staff writer Peggy Ackermann contributed to this report. Matthew Huisman of the New Jersey Local News Service: (908) 243-6200 or mhuisman@njlns.com
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• Gov. Christie proposes superintendent salary cuts, merit-based bonuses