Schools super defends 13.9% salary increase Bosco will earn $188K when contract takes effect July 1 BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer Simon Bosco OLD BRIDGE - Superintendent of Schools Simon Bosco is not a part of the 9- to-5 grind. He says his workday begins around 7 a.m., when he arrives at the administration building at Old BridgeHigh School. Though the building is not yet officially open at that time, Bosco gets an early jump on reading and responding to about 45 e-mails that have accumulated from the end of the previous day. Also, he said, he likes to be on campus when school opens for the day. The rest of the superintendent's day typically consists of two or threemeetings, numerous phone calls, administrative decisions dealing with 15 schools, along with visits to the schools, among other duties. Around 4 p.m., after the schools have all been dismissed for the day, Bosco calls it a day. Nights are another story. Two or three evenings a week, Bosco attends meetings or school events. On some weekends, school functions bring him back to his work turf, he noted. Juggling a hectic schedule is not the hardest part of being chief school administrator for the third-largest district in Middlesex County, according to Bosco. "The biggest challenge of the job is trying to balance the needs of the district versus the requirements of the state, versus the expectations of the taxpayer, because at times they are coincidental, but at times they are antithetical to one another," Bosco said. While the role of superintendent is demanding, some candidates for the Board of Education took issue with the 13.9-percent salary increase Bosco is slated to receive under his 2008-09 contract, negotiated in February. When the increase takes effect July 1, Bosco will receive a salary of $188,000 for the year. Frank Weber was among several Board ofEducation candidateswho voiced concerns that the increasewas excessive.Weberwent on to win a term in theApril 15 election. "I think it's really out of step with what's happening in other districts,"Weber said before being sworn in as a board member. Data from Bosco and school district spokeswoman Lori Luicci saysWeber's claim about the salary being out of step is correct, but in a different way. She said Bosco's salary falls short when compared to superintendents in similar districts. East Brunswick, South Brunswick and Perth Amboy are otherMiddlesex County districts with enrollment numbers comparable to those of Old Bridge. Their superintendents will be paid $185,000, $188,478 and $196,245, respectively, for the 2007-08 school year, according to Luicci. Bosco's current salary of $165,000 is $20,312 less than this year's county average for districts with 4,000 or more students, Luicci said. "I didn't hear anyone yelling and screaming that I was $20,000 underpaid," Bosco said, adding, "I don't expect anyone in the general population to shed a tear because I'm making 165." At the same time, Bosco said he feels he should be equitably compensated for the position he fills. "My thoughts are, I've given 37 years of my professional life to Old Bridge, and I would hope or expect to be paid on par with colleagues under similar circumstances," Bosco said. "There are very few of us who have risen through the ranks where they spent most of their professional life. There are a fewof uswho have dedicated ourselves to one particular district." Many superintendents move from one district to another for higher pay, Bosco said. At the end of his stint as assistant superintendent during the 2005-06 school year, Bosco's salary was $138,544. After his promotion to superintendent, Bosco received a salary of$155,000, which was $15,660 less than his predecessor, Nicole Okun. Okun received annual raises during her tenure as superintendent, according to Luicci. They totaled 13.85 percent, 4.07 percent, 4.07 percent, and 6 percent, respectively. If Okun held onto her position, receiving 4.07 percent increases each year, her projected income for the 2008-09 school year would have been $195,872. She retired inMarch 2006. After receiving no increase for the 2006- 07 school year, Bosco said he was the first Old Bridge superintendent to agree to a wage freeze as a new superintendent. This year, he received a 6.45-percent increase, or $10,000. His newcontract runs through 2012. For the 2009-10 school year, Bosco will get a 9- percent increase, bringing his salary to $205,000; for 2010-11, a 6.3-percent increase will bring it to $218,000; for 2011-12, a 5.5- percent increase will give him a salary of $230,000. According to Bosco,more than 100 school districts throughout the state are only able to secure temporary superintendents. The reason, Bosco said, is in part the scrutiny and criticismthat come along with the position. Bosco's salary for this year ranks 16th out of 25 superintendents' salaries in the county. Four of the nine superintendents who make less than Bosco are new to the school districts and to the position as a whole, according to Luicci. In addition,Bosco is one of 11 county superintendentswho hold doctoral degrees. Many other districts offer benefits to superintendents above their base salaries, according to Luicci. Automobile stipends, pension contributions and annuities are among the perks some chief administrators enjoy. Bosco said he receives none of those, adding that he pays his own health benefits and supplies his own cell phone, onwhich he makes an abundance of work-related calls. While Bosco said he does not begrudge the fact that he does not receive certain benefits, he also feels the opposition to his pay increase is unfounded. The opposition, however, was largely based on some candidates' assertions that the district hasmore pressing needs than an increase in the superintendent's salary, and that taxes should have been decreased for residents this year in light of the increased state aid. "Those people who want to be critical of someone, nomatterwhat, are going to find a reason to criticize the person," Bosco said. "I do my best for the children of Old Bridge. That's my top priority."