$150K-Plus Salaries For South Brunswick Superintendent, School Admins

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — School administrators in New Jersey are among the highest-paid in the country and it comes as no surprise they make upwards of $150,000.

The state Department of Education recently released data that showed over 3,200 administrators made $150,000 or more during the 2022-23 school year — an increase after 2,556 did so the year prior.

This also includes 12 members from the South Brunswick School district.

Patch pulled salary data that includes superintendents, principals and assistant principals, curriculum directors and other employees in administrative positions within New Jersey schools.

Superintendent Scott Feder recently had his contract renewed for another five years by the district. The Superintendent has been a strong advocate for students, publicly speaking against state budget cuts. Feder also testified before state committees against the S2 funding system and advocated for the removal of the 2 percent cap on taxes.

Here are the top earners in South Brunswick school administration, along with their current or most recent position and most recent salary. All data comes from the New Jersey Department of Education:

• Scott Feder, Superintendent, $248,323
• Kimberly Maloy-White, Asst. Superintendent for Human Resources, $192,573
• David E. Pawlowski, School Business Admin/Board Secretary, $189,071
• Peter Varela, Principal SBHS, $186,765
• Evelyn Mamman, Asst. Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, $177,500
• Suzanne Luck-Born, Assistant Superintendent, $166,967
• Jodi Mahoney, Principal Greenbrook Elementary School, $163,780
• Sharon Nagy Johnson, Director of Technology, $158,631
• Raphael Morales, Director of Student Services, $157,935
• Kimberly Bynoe, Principal Crossroads North Middle School, $153,742
• Bonnie Capes, Principal Crossroads South Middle School, $152,882
• Sondra Hinson, Asst. Principal Crossroads South Middle School, $152,559

Why Are School Administrator Salaries Rising?

Back in 2011, then-Gov. Chris Christie implemented a $175,000 cap for superintendents. The Christie administration raised the maximum base pay for superintendents to $191,584 in 2017.

Then in 2019, Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law that eliminated the cap for superintendent salaries but set guidelines for school-executive contracts to limit or standardize bonuses and other perks.

School executive pay has long been a controversial subject in both local school district budgeting and state policy. While administrative salaries are often a flashpoint for criticism in school policy, many districts struggled to maintain experienced superintendents when the position's pay was capped, according to a 2019 analysis from NJ Spotlight.

Superintendents, principals and other school leaders throughout the nation have faced intense scrutiny for COVID-19 management and from politically charged movements to overhaul or eliminate certain subjects and topics from the curriculum. But those obstacles have also fallen to teachers and other rank-and-file school employees. And New Jersey has faced a shortage of teaching candidates that preceded the pandemic.

While talking about salaries, there are a few things one should take note of - the cost of living in New Jersey is quite high and South Brunswick is among the best-performing school districts in the state.

(With reporting from Michelle Rotuno-Johnson, Patch Staff)

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