Toms River School Officials Still Waiting On Superintendent Contract Approval

Toms River Regional school district officials are still waiting on a contract agreed upon by the Board of Education and prospective Superintendent David M. Healy to be approved by the state.

While the board approved the terms of the contract in a 7-2 vote Tuesday night, details have not been released to the public or the media. An Open Public Records Act request filed by Patch seeking access to the contract on Thursday was denied due to the district's position that the contract, until approved by the state Department of Education, is a draft and subject to further negotiations if it is not approved.

Business Administrator Bill Doering said the district was hoping to have the contract approved and in hand as quickly as possible.

An administrative assistant at the office of Thomas Dowd, Interim Executive Ocean County Superintendent of schools, told a Patch reporter on Thursday afternoon that Dowd still had "a couple questions" to ask district officials with regard to the contract.

In some cases, such as when Brick Township appointed a superintendent in 2012, certain details of the contract – in Brick's case, the proposed salary and contract length – were made public immediately. But while not confirmed by officials, Toms River's contract could be more complicated due to the district's size.

Districts with more than 10,000 students may apply for state permission to waive the $175,000 superintendent salary cap. Toms River is the state's largest suburban school district with more than 17,000 students.

Healy was appointed and introduced to the public at a special Board of Education meeting held Tuesday night. While board members unanimously voted to appoint Healy, two members – Ginny Rhine and Alex Pavliv – voted against the terms of the contract.

Healy earns $167,500 plus incentive pay and a $200 per month car allowance where he currently works as superintendent in the Matawan-Aberdeen school district in Monmouth County.