District Policies

District Policy

1620- ADMINISTRATIVE EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS

Section: Administration
Date Created: November, 2009
Date Edited: October, 2010

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The Executive County Superintendent shall review and approve for all Superintendents, Deputy Superintendents, Assistant Superintendents, and School Business Administrators in county special services school districts within the County under the supervision of the Executive County Superintendent:

1.     New employment contracts, including contracts that replace expired contracts for existing tenured and non-tenured employees;

2.     Renegotiations, extensions, amendments, or other alterations of the terms of existing employment contracts that have been previously approved by the Executive County Superintendent; and

3.     Provisions for contract extensions where such terms were not included in the original employment contract or are different from the provisions contained in the original approved employment contract.

In counties where there is no Executive County Superintendent or Acting Executive County Superintendent, the Assistant Commissioner for Field Services shall review and approve all above contracts.

The contract review and approval shall take place prior to any required public notice and hearing pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:11-11 and prior to the Board approval and execution of those contracts to ensure compliance with all applicable laws, including but not limited to N.J.S.A. 18A:30-3.5, 18A:30-9, 18A:17-15.1 and 18A:11-12.

The public notice and public hearing required pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:11-11 is applicable to a Board that renegotiates, extends, amends, or otherwise alters the terms of an existing contract with the Superintendent of Schools, Deputy Superintendent, Assistant Superintendents, or School Business Administrator.

Although the public notice and public hearing requirements of N.J.S.A. 18A:11-11 do not apply to new contracts and contracts that replace expired contracts for existing employees in one of these positions, whether tenured or not tenured, the Board may issue a public notice and/or hold a public hearing on new contracts, including new contracts that replace expired contracts for existing tenured and non-tenured employees.

In connection with the Executive County Superintendent’s review of the contract, the Board shall provide the Executive County Superintendent with a detailed statement setting forth the total cost of the contract for each applicable year, including salary, longevity (if applicable), benefits and all other emoluments.

The review and approval shall be consistent with the following additional standards:

1.     Contracts for each class of administrative position shall be comparable with the salary, benefits and other emoluments contained in the contracts of similarly credentialed and experienced administrators in other school districts in the region with similar enrollment, academic achievement levels and challenges, and grade span.

2.     No contract shall include provisions that are inconsistent with the travel requirements pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:11-12 and N.J.A.C. 6A:23A-7 including, but not limited to, the provisions for mileage reimbursement and reimbursement for meals and lodging in New Jersey.  Any contractual provision that is inconsistent with law is superseded by the law.

3.     No contract shall include provisions for the reimbursement or payment of employee contributions that are either required by law or by a contract in effect in the district with other teaching staff members, such as payment of the employee’s State or federal taxes, or of the employee’s contributions to FICA, Medicare, State pensions and annuities (TPAF), life insurance, disability insurance (if offered), and health benefit costs.

4.     No contract shall contain a payment as a condition of separation from service that is deemed by the Executive County Superintendent to be prohibited or excessive in nature.  The payment cannot exceed the lesser of the calculation of three months pay for every year remaining on the contract with pro-ration for partial years, not to exceed twelve months, or the remaining salary amount due under the contract.

5.     No contract shall include benefits that supplement or duplicate benefits that are otherwise available to the employee by operation of law, an existing group plan, or other means; e.g., an annuity or life insurance plan that supplements or duplicates a plan already made available to the employee.  Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, a contract may contain an annuity where those benefits are already contained in the existing contract between the employee and the district.

6.     Contractual provisions regarding accumulation of sick leave and supplemental compensation for accumulated sick leave shall be consistent with N.J.S.A. 18A:30-3.5. 

                                               i.     Supplemental payment for accumulated sick leave shall be payable only at the time of retirement and shall not be paid to the individual’s estate or beneficiaries in the event of the individual’s death prior to retirement.  Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:30-3.2, a new Board of Education contract may include credit of unused sick leave in accordance with the new Board of Education’s policy on sick leave credit for all employees.

7.     Contractual provisions regarding accumulation of unused vacation leave and supplemental compensation for accumulated unused vacation leave shall be consistent with N.J.S.A. 18A:30-9.  Contractual provisions for payments of accumulated vacation leave prior to separation can be included but only for leave accumulated prior to June 8, 2007 and remaining unused at the time of payment.  Supplemental payments for unused vacation leave accrued consistent with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 18A:30-9 after June 8, 2007 as well as unused vacation leave accumulated prior to June 8, 2007 that has not been paid, shall be payable at the time of separation and may be paid to the individual’s estate or beneficiaries in the event of the individual’s death prior to separation.  Days used are recorded under the last in first out (LIFO) method.

8.     Contractual provisions that include a calculation of per diem for twelve month employees shall be based on a two hundred day work year.

9.     No provision for a bonus shall be made except where payment is contingent upon achievement of measurable specific performance objectives expressly contained in a contract approved pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:23A-3.1, where compensation is deemed reasonable relative to the established performance objectives, and achievement of the performance objectives has been documented to the satisfaction of the Board of Education.

10.   No provision for payment at the time of separation or retirement shall be made for work not performed except as otherwise authorized above.

11.   No contract shall include a provision for a monthly allowance except for a reasonable car allowance.  A reasonable car allowance cannot exceed the monthly cost of the average monthly miles traveled for business purposes multiplied by the allowable mileage reimbursement pursuant to applicable law and regulation and NJOMB circulars.  If such allowance is included, the employee cannot be reimbursed for business travel mileage nor assigned permanently a car for official district business.  Any provision of a car for official district business must conform with N.J.A.C. 6A:23A-6.12 and be supported by detailed justification.  No contract can include a provision of a dedicated driver or chauffer.

12.   All Superintendent contracts shall include the required provision pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:17-15.1 which states that in the event the Superintendent’s certificate is revoked, the contract is null and void.

13.   No contract shall include a provision for additional compensation upon the acquisition of a graduate degree unless the graduate degree is conferred by a duly accredited institution of higher education as defined in N.J.A.C. 6A:9-2.1.  No contract shall include a provision for assistance or tuition reimbursement, or for additional compensation for graduate school coursework, unless such coursework culminates in the acquisition of a graduate degree conferred by a duly accredited institution of higher education as defined in N.J.A.C. 6A:9-2.1.

Any actions by the Executive County Superintendent undertaken pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:23-3.1 and this Policy may be appealed to the Commissioner of Education pursuant to the procedures set forth at N.J.A.C. 6A:3.

N.J.A.C. 6A:23A-3.1; 6A:23A-7 et seq.

Adopted:            03 November 2009

Revised:            05 October 2010

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