The average salaries for New Jersey’s full-time school superintendents increased to $193,671 during the most recent school year.
That puts the average pay above the former salary cap of $191,584 for the first time since the cap was eliminated, an NJ Advance Media analysis of the Department of Education’s annual Certificated Staff Database found.
The new average salary of $193,671 is a 3.26% increase from the previous year’s full-time average salary of $187,571. (Search the look-up tool below for your district.)
The former superintendent salary cap was in effect between 2011 and 2019. Gov. Phil Murphy did away with the cap following complaints that it was difficult to attract and retain leaders without the ability to pay them more. Limits on bonuses and supersized retirement payouts remain.
The majority of superintendents work on a full-time basis with just 61 in part-time roles. The average salary for a part-time superintendent is $145,581. Most part-time superintendents hold additional roles in the district, like principals or supervisors, that bring their total employment status to full-time.
New Jersey’s average salary is well above the national average of $165,799, according to the School Superintendents Association.
A note about the data: Salary data included in the Certificated Staff Database is self reported by the districts to the state. Some superintendents may have moved districts or left the role since the data was submitted. Part-time superintendents who hold an additional job or jobs in the same district that add up to full-time employment are marked with an asterisk. Superintendents who work for more than one district are marked with a carat.
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Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieKausch.
