Where Does Millburn Superintendent Fall Among Highest Paid In NJ?

MILLBURN, NJ — Educators provide the tools for generations of youngsters to move forward in life, and those who are also school administrators must do so with years of experience and education under their belts.

As with private corporations, their salaries increase with more years and training.

But some are earning more than $200,000 per year after retirement, particularly since Gov. Phil Murphy removed the cap on their salaries in 2019 that Gov. Chris Christie had placed in 2011.

A recently released list of highly paid superintendents and administrators in the state showed that among those at the top, the highest paid, Frank Gargiulo in Hudson County, earned $300,000 during the past school year, even while retired.

Two other New Jersey administrators — not necessarily of large districts — are also earning $300,000.

In 2011, then-Gov. Chris Christie implemented a $175,000 cap for superintendents. The administration raised their maximum base pay to $191,584 in 2017. But Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law in 2019 that eliminates the cap for superintendent salaries. He did set guidelines for school-executive contracts to limit or standardize bonuses and other perks.

Some of the state's highest-paid superintendents — especially those in more affluent districts — received generous pay increases in the past year, according to analysis from NJ Advance Media.

The salary for the superintendent of the 700-student Demarest district increased almost 50 percent, from $153,967 to $228,477. Millburn's superintendent went from a salary of $167,500 to $228,477, according to NJ Advance Media's report.

Millburn's superintendent, Dr. Christine Burton, came in at number 30 on a list compiled recently of 2,556 administrators and principals in New Jersey.

Elsewhere in Essex County, Livingston Superintendent of Schools Matthew Block came in at number 47 among highest paid. Salvatore Goncalves of Bloomfield came in at 55.

Millburn has a demanding clientele and recent successes. U.S. News and World Report put Millburn High School in the top 20 schools out of all 445 New Jersey high schools this year, and in the top 500 out of more than 17,800 schools in the country.

Millburn had among the most National Merit Scholarship finalists of public, non magnet schools in the state.

Superintendent Burton earned a salary of $244,684, according to the list compiled by Patch. Other Millburn administrators ended up further down on the list.

The list is here: $150K-Plus Salaries For 2,556 NJ Superintendents, Principals

Patch editor Josh Bakan contributed writing and reporting to this story.