Negotiations Restarted With Future Toms River Superintendent

The state Department of Education has recommended changes to a draft contract signed between the Toms River Regional Board of Education and David M. Healy, who has been appointed as the district's new superintendent.

The recommended changes to the contract has necessitated further negotiations, said Business Administrator William Doering.

"Toms River is a district that doesn’t technically have a salary cap, since we are over 10,000 students," said Doering. "There was an informal agreement regarding parameters with DOE, but with the change in commissioners, it is being looked at again."

The state caps superintendent salaries at $175,000 per year in a tiered system that is dependent on student population. But districts such as Toms River, with more than 10,000 students, can ask the state to waive the cap.

Healy was appointed by the school board March 11, but the contract – the terms of which were not publicly released due to the possibility that negotiations would have to be restarted – had to be approved by the state.

While board members unanimously approved the hiring of Healy, Alex Pavliv and Ginny Rhine both voted against the terms of the draft contract itself.

Doering said district officials are hopeful a new contract will be approved by the state within days.

"We will have to have another public meeting if in the end the contract is changed from the draft originally submitted," he said.