Summit Teachers Among 10,000 In NJ To Make $99K Or More

SUMMIT, NJ – The Department of Education has released its annual list of teachers and their salaries for 2019 and the list of educators making $100,000 or more — a list that barely had any teachers on it more than a decade ago — has grown in recent years.

Here in Summit that list includes educators with decades of experience. It is also important to note that some of these teachers are supervisors, work on curriculum and coach. It is also worth noting this group is a small fraction of the more than 100,000 people who teach in public and charter schools in this state. But the highest earners also come from all different schools — not just the so-called "wealthy" districts that routinely rank highly on national and state lists for best schools.

This information is public, and the salaries are paid out from taxpayer money which is generally a source of interest. Some districts who have teachers higher up on the salary guide are obligated to use a larger portion of their annual budget to pay it out. The charge of the local school boards is to honor the financial commitments while making capital improvements and staying within the two percent annual tax cap.

Here are the teachers in our district who earn the top salaries, with their school, their school district and, finally, their salaries (the teachers have been divided by their years of experience):

30 to 39 years of experience:

• MARIAN WALKER FURDA, Washington Elementary School, SUMMIT CITY, UNION $114,704
• KATHRYN KNECHT, Jefferson Elementary School, SUMMIT CITY, UNION $113,854
• JANET GIBNEY, Jefferson Elementary School, SUMMIT CITY, UNION $113,854
• JOHN KRATCH, Summit High School, SUMMIT CITY, UNION $113,854
• ADAM FERN, Summit High School, SUMMIT CITY, UNION $107,242

20 to 29 years of experience:

• WILLIAM HOGAN JR, Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School, SUMMIT CITY, $113,854
• MEREDITH JANE WARMINGTON, Washington Elementary School, SUMMIT CITY, $113,354
• WENDY DONAT, Summit High School, SUMMIT CITY, SUMMIT CITY UNION $113,354
• ANNE HAMMOND-ALBERT, Washington Elementary School, SUMMIT CITY, $113,354
• SUANNE ACKERMAN, Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School, SUMMIT CITY, $113,354
• THOMAS SIMMONS, Lincoln-Hubbard Elementary School, SUMMIT CITY, $112,754
• GARY BURNS, Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School, SUMMIT CITY, $112,754
• JUDITH O'DONNELL, Jefferson Elementary School, SUMMIT CITY, $108,242
• DANIEL MILLER, Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School, SUMMIT CITY, $108,242
• SUZANNE SMITH, Jefferson Elementary School, SUMMIT CITY, $108,242
• MARYCLARE POOLE, Brayton Elementary School, SUMMIT CITY, $107,742
• ROSALINA PALAZZO-KOVACH, Lincoln-Hubbard Elementary School, SUMMIT CITY, $107,742
• JOHN ROSS, Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School, SUMMIT CITY, $107,742
• BRUCE FENSKA, Jefferson Elementary School, SUMMIT CITY, $107,742
• PATRICIA WALSH, Summit High School, SUMMIT CITY, $107,742
• NEAL MUNJACK, Summit High School, SUMMIT CITY, $107,742
• STEVEN RAPP, Summit High School, SUMMIT CITY, $107,142
• CHRISTOPHER MILLER, Brayton Elementary School, SUMMIT CITY, $107,142
• JEFFREY FLUHARTY, Jefferson Elementary School, SUMMIT CITY, $107,142
• JOHN SHIPLEY, Summit High School, SUMMIT CITY, $107,142
• LAURA MADDEN, Washington Elementary School, SUMMIT CITY, $106,709
• DANIELLE MCGINLEY, Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School, SUMMIT CITY, $105,859
• ANDREA LAQUERRE, Summit High School, SUMMIT CITY, $105,542
• JENNIFER MITTERKO, Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School, SUMMIT CITY, $103,185
• ALEXANDER BOCCHINO, Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School, SUMMIT CITY, $103,185

10 to 19 years experience:

• ANNA GOMEZ Washington Elementary School SUMMIT CITY UNION $121,719
• CYNTHIA VITALE Summit High School SUMMIT CITY UNION $112,604
• AURORA HERMO Summit High School SUMMIT CITY UNION $112,604
• CYNTHIA RETOTAR Summit High School SUMMIT CITY UNION $112,604
• BARBARA ANN SLEZAK Lincoln-Hubbard Elementary School SUMMIT CITY UNION $112,254
• DENNIS MCLAUGHLIN Brayton Elementary School SUMMIT CITY UNION $112,254
• BRIAN ERICKSON Summit High School SUMMIT CITY UNION $112,004
• JODI FRIEDMAN Summit High School SUMMIT CITY UNION $112,004
• JOANN MENDL Lincoln-Hubbard Elementary School SUMMIT CITY UNION $111,754
• JOHN LIBERATO Summit High School SUMMIT CITY UNION $111,154
• MATTHEW LACHMAN Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School SUMMIT CITY UNION $106,642
• JANET LANGBORGH Franklin Elementary School SUMMIT CITY UNION $106,642
• HEIDI KLEBAUR Washington Elementary School SUMMIT CITY UNION $106,642
• KIMBERLY STEPHENS Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School SUMMIT CITY UNION $106,142
• ANNE POYNER Summit High School SUMMIT CITY UNION $106,142
• JEREMY MORMAN Summit High School SUMMIT CITY UNION $105,542
• LINDA STANZIALE Washington Elementary School SUMMIT CITY UNION $105,542
• LOREN MACTAGGART Summit High School SUMMIT CITY UNION $105,542
• PETER KOPPENAAL Summit High School SUMMIT CITY UNION $105,542
• JOANN MANHARDT Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School SUMMIT CITY UNION $103,535
• ROGER LANG Summit High School SUMMIT CITY UNION $103,035

In 2018-2019, the median salary for teachers totaled $68,985, according to a Patch analysis of salary data for public school districts and charter schools. The increase was about 1.6 percent higher than the previous year. Patch previously reported the complete list, for those looking to see other districts.

The Department of Education has said the department double-checks the data before delivering it to the media.

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