New T.R. Superintendent to be Paid $208K, Hired for 5 Years

David M. Healy will be hired as superintendent of the Toms River Regional and Seaside Park school districts under a five year contract for a starting salary of $208,000 per year, according to a contract that has now received state approval.

Healy was hired last month by the Toms River Regional Board of Education but has not started work since his contract had to be renegotiated after Ocean County Executive Superintendent of Schools Thomas J. Dowd requested changes. He will now begin his position after the current school year ends.

Under the draft contract, which needs to be re-approved by the Board of Education, Healy will be paid $198,000 per year to lead the regional school district and another $10,000 for his role as superintendent of the Seaside Park district.

Healy's contract begins July 1, 2014 and ends June 30, 2019, with an option for the board to renew through July 1, 2024.

The contract also calls for Healy to be eligible for merit bonuses based on up to five quantitative and qualitative criteria per contract year, subject to approval from the county superintendent. The bonus will be capped at 5 percent of Healy's base salary; separately, the quantitative criteria will be worth a 3.33 percent bonus and the qualitative criteria will be worth a 2.5 percent bonus.

Healy will also be eligible for a $300 monthly car allowance, a cell phone and district computer, plus disability insurance and family health, prescription and dental insurance to which he will contribute a state-mandated percentage of his salary.

The contract calls for the new superintendent to receive 25 vacation days per year and five personal days. A total of 25 vacation days can be carried over from one year to another, however if they are not used the next year they will be lost. The contract also calls for 15 sick days per year. Unused sick time, upon retirement, cannot be cashed out for more than $15,000. Vacation days will be paid at a per-diem rate.

Healy currently serves as superintendent of the Matawan-Aberdeen school district in Monmouth County and, before that, was assistant superintendent in the Middletown Township school district, also in Monmouth County. Healy also previously worked as a teacher with the New Jersey Department of Corrections, a principal for the Monmouth Ocean Education Services Commission and vice principal at Middletown High School North.

He will now lead the state's largest suburban school district, comprised of more than 17,000 students, 2,500 employees and the largest public school bus fleet in New Jersey.