The Supers Are Hanging Up Their Capes

No one could have imagined this would happen:

If Christie's plan goes into effect, O'Neill would lose $35,000 as his contract expires next year. "I was not expecting to leave the district for another three to five years," said O'Neill last Friday. "But if this cap goes through, I expect I would tender my resignation in January to allow the district ample time to find a new superintendent and would retire effective July 1.".... 

"If I were the CEO of a company with a $55 million budget, I would be making three times that amount," he said. "It is demeaning to say that superintendents have no special skills and should only be judged by the size of the district they manage. A one-dimensional measurement that fails to consider the performance and fiscal health of the district is naive and ill-conceived."  

He continued saying, "at least the governor had a commission to study the horse racing industry before making any decisions, but that is not happening with school districts. That shows that at the end of the day, there is no concern for the quality of education in our state."

Oh, snap!

Let's see who goes through the hours and hours of graduate courses after gaining enough classroom and administrative experience to take O'Neill's job at one of the best districts in the state. I'm sure neither the salary caps or the demeaning rhetoric coming from the governor will discourage the best and the brightest from seeking this career path.

Just so we're clear: your pension is based on your last three years of salary. If you make less in your last year, it brings down your pension, which will haunt you for the rest of your life. No superintendent in his or her right mind is going to hang around if they don't have to.

So, supers, enjoy that retirement!