NJ Governor Corzine On Superintendent Contracts

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May 28, 2008 -- Newark – New Jersey Governor Corzine said today that he has asked State Education Commissioner Lucille Davy to review superintendent contracts for all of the state’s 31 Abbott districts to ensure they comply with state law and reflect an efficient expenditure of funds.

“We have asked each of the Abbott district superintendents to provide their contracts to be reviewed,” said Governor Corzine. “We will have to work our way through this in the context of how many people we have and the priorities we make. We will try to look to the Executive County Superintendents for every contract.”

In April, the State began reviewing negotiated contracts as a result of new regulations issued by the New Jersey Department of Education concerning school district fiscal accountability, efficient spending practices and budgeting procedures. A new Plainfield Superintendent contract has been reviewed and is being rejected for not complying with the new regulations. Some of the questionable provisions of the contract included payment for travel, meals and lodging; relocation expenses; life insurance entitlement and sick leave reimbursement.

“This is in keeping with what the Legislature intended with the CORE Act, which was transparency and accountability for the way in which taxpayer dollars are spent,” Commissioner Davy said.

Last week, Governor Corzine authorized Commissioner Davy to seek an injunction to prevent the Keansburg School District Board of Education from making severance payments under a contract with its outgoing Superintendent of Schools. The State intends to pursue legal action and expects to be in court by the end of the week.

Source: New Jersey Governor