Adam, Tenure is do process. I for one am for it...protecting educators from political patronize. Most bad teachers are never given tenure in the first place. If he was a republican I guess your better with the choice.....

Adam Kraemer: Far more precisely is that Dr. O'Neil ( who was then eligible for retirement) allowed himself to be used as a test case to contest the cap Governor Christie wishes to enforce on school suprintendent's compensation.

By all reports, the Chatham Board of Education was more than pleased with his performance and woyuld have been proud as punch to retain him, and to have paid a increase over his then salary, rather than see him retire.

As usual, you are totally misrepresenting an issue you clearly don't truly understand.

Confused.......teachers have no contract because the district has NO MONEY....but.....they can pay an Interim superintendent and a suspended superintendient ( to not work!!!), plus give Rando and Kenney a raise.

Please, teachers have no contract because their union and the Board are involved in contract negotiations...and continuing to work, get paid and be fully covered with a benefits package is par for the course as negotiations continue.

There's nothing new, starling or unusual here in the slightest.

How did we do worse? What scores? The math for example went up for elementary at least.

I dont have an answer yet, final scores will be released after 8/26/12, parents will get their reports on 9/5/12 or after.

With the interim’s salary and Dr. Cavanna’s, we have passed the $400,000 mark. I guess we will exceed administrative expenditures once again.

eb Harvest:

Are you suggesting that, confonted with what they believe to be adequate cause to dismiss him, the Board of Ed should have taken no action against Dr. Cavanna simpky because of the bureacracy involved and (hopefully temporary) financial implications?

My fervent wish is that, first and foremost, they do what they believe is the right thing in all matters, difficult as it may be.

Confidential ' " A principal making 163k and the superintendent $175k, that is not alot of money. They should be making $250k or more. $175k is not a lot of money, moreover, the Assistant Sup makes more . He deserves much more . Making $175k does not offer the best lifestyle. "Star Ledger July 29,2012 - " Those earning less than $34,300, about 3 million people, took home even smaller average paychecks by decades end." ' The report found thatmore than three-quarters of all the new income generated in New Jeresy during the decade was earned by the top 20% - those earning $132,000 or more " " in 1990, only 19% of New Jerseyans who held a job relied on food stamps . That grew to 30% by 2010 ".Teacher don't determine what " fair compensation " is based on what their employers can pay, test scores, or any other highly relevant information. They use things like County average { There's no County residency requirement }, the cost of living , attracting and retaining "the best and brightest "cherry picking test scores or dismissing them altogether, being demoralized , being underappreciated, not being compensated like " other professionals " which they're not , ANYTHING THAT WORKS IN THEIR FAVOR .A 40 year old West Orange teacher ; $150 an hour, class sizes half of what they used to be, an Aide, lots of free time ,early dismissals, tenure, Summers off, lots of personal days and sick days, microphones,teacher luncheons, teacher appreciation days, "gifts " { bribes } etc.

What I find most interesting about the Governor's capping school superintendent compensation is that it is contraindicated by the basic conservative/Republican philosophy concerning free markets.

What's also interesting is that the heads of various authorites throughout New Jersey continue to draw greater compensation than any school superintendent...while the highest paid state employee remains a football coach!

A quick websearch will reveal some very hefty salaries being paid school supers in the New York metropolitan area and in districts far smaller than West Orange.

I believe the leader of the pack remains Syosset, NY at over $500,000 per year.

I have no problem with the offering of incentive bonuses for goals met or exceeded but, one still must pay market rates in order to atrract a qualified person in the first place...period,,,and anyone thinking otherwise is delusional.

Adam How high ? The Star Ledger ; Three million New Jerseyans earn less than $34,300, and they took home even smaller average paychecks by decades end . More than three quarters of all the new income generated in New Jersey during the decade was earned by the top 20% households,earning $132,000 or more { a.k.a., a 40 something WO teacher who coaches and mentors. Summer employment ? Moonlighting ? $$$$ } Adam, Can you make a correlation between people making less than $34,300 taking home smaller average paychecks over the past decade, and government salaries and benefits rising significantly over that same time period ? In 1990, only 19% of New Jerseyans who held a job relied on food stamps .That number grew to 30% by 2010. And you state that we must have a contract which is fair to the taxayers but doesn't improverish our teachers ?? The Educrats are throwing everything into their argument :We need to pay more to attract the best and brightest, they come early and stay late , they go above and beyond, not having a contract is demoralizing them , they're not appreciated, ,comparisons with other districts are unfair, test scores don't accurately measure student achievement { I really love that one } One struggles on 100k, 2 struggle on 200k etc. Everything is in the mix ,EXCEPT the lack of their EMPLOYERS ability to pay more . This economy calls for pay cuts and givebacks . I'm convinced the Educrats wouldn't change their tune if unemployment were 50%. THEY DON'T CARE.

Adam We often hear this lament from teachers and their supporters : " We live in a part of the country where the cost of living is very high. People who make 100k are struggling too. Now, let us keep in mind the shop - worn cliche, " Just because you choose to be a teacher, that doesn't mean you have to take a vow of poverty " Lots and lots of teachers retire every year , and many remain in New Jersey . How ? They're struggling on their salaries, but they're retiring on significantly less. But this is even more bizarre ; Many teachers who have recently retired entered into their retirements by this route : " Member over 55 has chosen to take early retirement " These people aren't being forced to take a vow of poverty, they're opting for it .

Alan Sanders:

Commack appears to be number 1 on the list of 100 higest paid NY State supers but, his total compensation included unsued sick/vacation time of $300,000, so yes, Syosset's super is the leader of the pack:

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/education&id=7778676

http://www.lohud.com/article/20101109/NEWS01/11080374/Demand-quality-school-superintendents-fuels-high-salaries

Alan Sanders:

By the way, each of the New York State districts on the top 100 list compensate their suprintendents at a significantly higher level than West Orange is paying Dr. Cavanna.

Alan Sanders:

As I said previously, I have no problem with the offering of incentive bonuses for goals met or exceeded but, one still must pay market rates in order to atrract a qualified person in the first place...period...and anyone thinking otherwise is delusional.

Frankly, all in, I really don't think the Chief Operating Officer of an enterprise responsible for 1,000 employees spread over 11 facilities, overseing a $140 Million yearly budget and serving 7,000 customers a day is overpaid at an annual salary of $225,000 per year...and that would be true whether it were a private industry or a school system.

Correction; It's not the top 205 households earning $123,000 or more. It should read the top 20% of households earning $132,000 or more.

Alan Saunders:

Unfortunately, the paradigm has truly shifted with Governor Christie capping superintendent's pay at $175K, so we're entering a brave new world here.

Dr. O'Neill is on a list of qualified "interim superintendents" and is essentially being paid a per diem equal to this new cap when annualized.

While Chatham's democgraphic is different from West Orange, it too has experienced significant growth over the last decade.

Dr. Cavanna was hired by the Board utilizing both a paid consultant and a community committee that interviewed applicants.

Sometimes, no matter how much due diligence you do, the gears jus don't mesh.

wohopeful There are three million people in NJ making less than $34,300 and bringing home smaller average paychecks than a decade ago. More than three quarters of all the new income generated In New Jersey during the decade was earned by the top 20% : people earning $132,000 or more. In 1990, only 19% of New Jerseyans who held a job relied on food stamps .That grew to 30% in 2010. I'm sure you've read the letters posted on this site . Do you think a certain group of letter writers cares about the things I've written about the economy ? Has even one of them criticized the School Board for allowing teachers to provide the equivalent of 14 days less instructional time at the High School than the State average ? Do you understand that the days of live and let live are long over ? It's not enough to bleed people dry for garbage, They take away their employers jobs every chance they get .But they not only want people's money and love and respect, they also want to crush and humiliate people. Alot of what I've witnessed first hand is pure sadism. Live and let die is the new order of the day .Look at the facts I've provided here, yet their untenable rhetoric continues unabated, and ever more strident. What more proof do you need ?