State acting Education Commissioner Chris Cerf said Wednesday he would review the impact of the new superintendent salary caps to see whether districts had lost talent at the top.
Cerf’s comment came as he addressed about 500 superintendents at a meeting of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators at Jackson Liberty High School. During the question-and-answer period, two superintendents won long applause when they said the year-old caps caused a brain drain.
“The best I can tell you on the superintendent cap is you have been heard, you have been heard by me,” Cerf said. “I am not in a position to give you the change or the comfort you want. … This is something worthy of a look based on data.”I wouldn't stay up late waiting for Cerf's review. 360 days ago, Cerf promised a report on charter schools that took a look at their claims of superior results "as soon as is humanly possible"; we're all still waiting for that one. I have a feeling this review will rank even further down on his to-do list.
By the way, NJ superintendents: if you think limiting pay results in brain drain, what do you think Christie's assault on benefits, pensions, and pay has done to the teaching corps?
So, he might reconsider the cap at the same time as he reconsiders the SFRA. His 5 year decreases to school funding will be staggering -- what district will be able to afford paying a competitive salary to a superintendent?
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