Contract Extension For Toms River Superintendent Under Discussion: Report

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Discussions are underway between the Toms River Regional Board of Education and Schools Superintendent David Healy on a possible contract extension for Healy, despite an ongoing sexual harassment investigation, according to a report.

The Asbury Park Press reported the district confirmed discussions of possible contract modification in rejecting an Open Public Records Act request from the publication, stating, “As per Board Counsel this is a possible modification of the existing contract, discussions are ongoing and confidential. If and when a modified contract is approved, it will be made available to the public.”

Healy's current contract, approved April 2, 2014 at a special meeting of the school board, expires June 30, 2019. The contract approved at that meeting pays Healy $198,000 as a base salary, with the opportunity to earn merit bonuses. A resolution on the agenda for the Aug. 16 school board meeting would approve merit bonuses of $9,900 based on merit goals for the 2016-17 school year.

Healy also is under investigation regarding allegations of sexual harassment, an investigation that became public after copies of a letter from the New Jersey Education Administration to the Toms River school board were distributed to members of the media and others.

Retired Superior Court Judge Vincent R. Grasso is investigating the matter, where a district employee accuses Healy of repeatedly remarking on her legs, asking her if she worked out, comparing her legs to those of another staff member, sometimes commenting in front of other male administrators, according to the letter.

>> READ MORE: Toms River Superintendent Under Investigation On Sexual Harassment Claim

The apparent move to renegotiate Healy's contract comes as school board meetings have become increasingly contentious, with a feud between members Robert Onofrietti and Daniel Leonard spilling onto the stage at the July 27 board meeting. Onofrietti has accused Leonard of harassing him and his family over the past several months, including filing a police report accusing Leonard of sitting outside his home for several hours. Leonard has said he believes residents should know about sheriff's sales and foreclosure actions against Onofrietti.

The issue result in an outburst at the meeting after a Toms River resident raised concerns about the situations and about information being leaked to the media about both issues. As board attorney Stephan R. Leone addressed the comment, Onofrietti interrupted him to say Leonard — who sits next to him on the dais — had just threatened him and called him "a little b----." Leonard later said he had called Onofrietti a "little snitch."

>> READ MORE: Toms River School Board Members' Feud Spills Into Public Meeting

Onofrietti is seeking re-election to the school board this fall, one of eight candidates for three, three-year terms that are up for grabs. Board president Ben Giovine and board vice president Loreen Torrone, whose terms expire this year, are not seeking re-election.

The other five candidates include Ginny Rhine, who served on the board previously and was beaten when she sought re-election in 2015 and also was defeated in her bid last November; Teri Kubiel, wife of Township Councilman Brian Kubiel, and Al Schwartz, Stephen Kaczala, Michele Williams, Tammy Coyle and Michael Horgan, none of whom have held office previously.

Giovine and Torrone were part of the Clean Slate team elected April 2011 in the wake of the arrest of former Superintendent Michael Ritacco in an insurance and bribery scandal that netted Ritacco more than $1 million in bribes. Ritacco is in the fifth year of a 12-year prison sentence. Both won re-election in 2014.

Photo by Karen Wall, Patch Staff