The Roselle Park Board Of Education (BOE) approved an amendment to School Superintendent Pedro Garrido’s contract at the August 22nd BOE meeting.
The superintendent’s contract – which is for three school years – just started its second year in July. Previously, Mr. Garrido’s salary was $157,500 a year. That was increased to $165,000. This is a 4.76%.
On May 24th of this year, without much notice to the public, the salary cap for school superintendents was increased from a 2010 state-imposed cap. In Roselle Park, the maximum a school superintendent could be paid was $157,500. That limit was increased to a maximum of $169,689 with a 2% increase every year. Based on that calculation, Mr. Garrido’s salary at the last year of his contract will be $168,3000.
As a point of reference, former Roselle Park School District (RPSD) School Superintendent Patrick Spagnoletti, when he retired in 2013, had a salary of $200,225.
What was removed from the contract was the superintendent’s merit pay for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 school years. The contract allowed merit pay for up to five goals met – three quantitative and two qualitative. A possible total increase of 15% pay could be awarded to the superintendent with 3.33% increase for each quantitative goal 2.5% for each qualitative goal met. Recently, the superintendent was given three (3) goals – one qualitative and two quantitative – to be met. This would be a possible total increase of 8.33%.
The addendum to the superintendent’s contract increasing his base pay is 57% of what would have been his highest possible merit pay.
Mr. Garrido had merit goals given to him by the BOE but the associated merit pay for the 2016-17 school year was $0 (link).
A factor in replacing merit pay with an increase in salary is that merit pay is not pensionable, which means it will not be included in an employee’s pension amount. There has been speculation that Mr. Garrido might retire when his contract expires in June of 2019.
A copy of the addendum is available below:
Download RPSD School Superintendent Addendum (August 22, 2017)