Berkeley School Superintendent To Make More Than Chris Christie

by Patricia A. Miller

Berkeley Township Schools Superintendent James Roselli will soon be making more than Gov. Chris Christie for presiding over four elementary schools in the K-6 district.

Ocean County Superintendent of Schools Thomas Dowd approved Roselli’s merit increases in a June 11 letter to Roselli.

“I have determined that the provisions of this contract are in compliance with current regulations,” Dowd wrote. “Therefore, I approve this contract for the period form July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2019.”

Roselli’s salary by the end of the year will total $178,250, more than the governor of New Jersey makes. Not included in that amount are the cost of his benefits, which brings the total package to roughly $218,000 this year, board member James Fulcomer said.

Fulcomer was the only board member to vote no on Roselli’s new contract at the meeting. Roselli was not even in the middle of his first five-year contract when the board went ahead and decided to give him a new one.

Dowd apparently approved the contract before the June 11 date on the letter, and before the board approved it at the June 17 Board of Education meeting.

Fulcomer questioned why the new contract was even needed, since Roselli was given a five-year contract when he first took over in 2012.

“He cut a five-year deal,” Fulcomer said. “When you cut a five-year deal, a man honors that deal.”

Roselli will also no longer serve as acting director of special services, according to the new contract. That means the district will have to hire someone for that position, along with benefits, Fulcomer said

“He’s determined to do less for more money,” Fulcomer said of Roselli. “It’s absolutely wrong and it’s absolutely wrong for the board to go along with it. Someone has to speak the truth.”

The raises come courtesy of “merit bonuses” allowed by the state Department of Education.

“The merit bonus will be based upon his achievement of quantitative merit criteria and/or qualitative criteria,” according to the contract. “The board and superintendent can select up to three quantitative criteria and up to two qualitative criteria per contract year,” the contract states.

Ironically, Roselli suggested the board replace his contract and institute the merit increases, Fulcomer said.

The superintendent will receive an additional 3.33 percent of his base salary for each quantitative bonus approved by the board, and 2.5 percent for each qualitative criteria, according to the contract.

Roselli was appointed in 2012, after a two-year search for a replacement superintendent, at a salary of $148,000. His previous contract called for him to serve as acting director of Special Services, with no additional compensation. His current salary is $150,000.

Roselli’s maximum salary under the old contract was $155,000 - the state cap for superintendents in K-6 districts - which he would have reached in 2017, the last year of the old contract. of the state cap for superintendents in K-6 districts.

The new contract calls for a $5,000 salary increase and $23,500 in merit increases. State law allows school boards to award merit bonuses to exceed the cap.

By contrast, Central Regional Superintendent Triantafillos Parlapanides is in the middle of a five-year contract with his salary capped at $154,000 per year. Parlapanides had offered to do the Berkeley superintendent job for free several years ago, but the board never interviewed him.

The new contract also jacks up Roselli’s vacation days, from 20 to 25 per year. He also gets 15 sick days, four personal days and all holidays on the school calendar.

Fulcomer said he first saw the contract about 15 minutes before the board reconvened after an executive session, and only saw it because he requested a copy.

“It’s very obvious they did not want at least some board members to know exactly what was in the contract before they voted on it,” Fulcomer said.

Superintendent positions in K-6 districts are not needed, said Fulcomer. He has long been a proponent of shared services with the Central Regional School District, unlike many other past and present board members.

“It’s a totally unnecessary job,” he said. “It should be taken over by the regional superintendent.”

The next Berkeley Township Board of Education meeting is slated for 6:30 pm. on Aug. 19 at the Berkeley Township Elementary School at 10 Emory Avenue in Bayville.