Toms River School Board OKs Raises For 4 Administrators

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The Toms River Regional Board of Education approved new contracts for four administrators on Tuesday night that included raises for the four — a move that has drawn criticism amid budget cuts prompted by state aid cuts.

The contracts — for business administrator William Doering and assistant superintendents Debra McKenna, Marc Natanagara, and James Ricotta — increase their salaries by a total of $21,000.

The vote had been postponed in May after residents objected to the raises, which come as the district is facing layoffs and more severe cuts next year under S2, the state law pushed by Sen. Stephen Sweeney, that is cutting aid to Toms River and a number of districts that Sweeney insists are overfunded.

Toms River is losing $2.78 million for the 2019-2020 budget year, despite having one of the lowest per-pupil costs in the state. The most recent figures from the state Department of Education's Taxpayer's Guide to Education Spending show Toms River's budgetary cost per student at $13,264 (the figure does not include transportation costs) and the district ranks 561 out of 650; the list includes every district and charter school. Among school districts its size, Toms River ranks eighth lowest out of 98 and its administrative costs.

Board members Ginny Rhine and Anna Polozzo voted no on the contracts, with Rhine saying it was solely in response to the salary increases. Board president Joe Nardini abstained from voting on the contracts for Natanagara and Ricotta because a family member reports to them, and Mike Horgan abstained on McKenna's contract for the same reason.

Afterward, resident Bridget Maillard criticized the decision to approve the raises.

"We're having programs cut, supplies cut, activities, we're having coaches cut," she said. "I don't think it's right."

The initial cuts were estimated at 77 staff positions, but retirements have reduced that number to 31, superintendent David Healy said.

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