The Roselle Park Board Of Education (BOE) voted to approve the contract of School Superintendent Pedro Garrido at the June 28th BOE meeting for a second three-year term.
The salaries for school superintendents in New Jersey are based on student population and for a period of between three to five years. Mr. Garrido’s base salary is $157,500 which includes the maximum allowed of $155,000 for a school district of between 1,501 to 3,000 students plus an additional $2,500 for superintendents overseeing districts that have a high school. The Roselle Park School District (RPSD) has a little under 2,000 students.
Mr. Garrido’s total contract cost for 2016 of $217,901 includes the following:
| Description | Amount |
|---|---|
| Salary | $157,500 |
| Separation Pay / Vacation / Other | $18,173 |
| Health & Dental Insurance (removing the amount of employee contribution) | $17,853 |
| Maximum Paid For Unused Sick Days | $15,000 |
| Subscription & Dues Reimbursement | $4,500 |
| Professional Development | $3,000 |
| BOE Cellphone (or personal cellphone reimbursement) | $875 |
| Computer (for home use) | $600 |
| Travel & Expense Reimbursement | $400 |
Total Contract Cost | $217,901 |
Although these are the costs associated with the school superintendent’s contract, it may not all be paid out to Mr. Garrido since he might take vacation days, use sick days, have reimbursements that might be below the estimates provided, and be given less than five (5) goals to receive merit pay.
The second and third years of his contract have an additional $23,609 for a total cost of $241,510.
This amount is the merit pay available to school superintendents if they achieve goals given to them by their respective Boards. Superintendent can be given between one and two qualitative goals and between two to three quantitative goals.
Although Mr. Garrido was given three (3) goals – one qualitative and two quantitative – the merit pay associated with those goals, in the amount of $14,427.00, is missing for the first year. It has been stated that this, in effect, 9% decrease in his salary is a form of disciplinary action as a result of the whole Robert Gordon tuition scandal where the relative of the school principal who lived out-of-district went to Robert Gordon without paying tuition, as agreed to in a contract, until an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request discovered that no payments had been made (link). Although, to date, there have been no communications or documents that showed Mr. Garrido was directly involved in the incident, he is the chief administrator of the school district.
Mr. Garrido’s contract is for three school years which started last month, in July, and ends in June of 2019.
A copy of the superintendent’s current and previous contract are available below:
RPSD School Superintendent Contract (2016-2019)
RPSD School Superintendent Contract (2013-2016)