NJ’s Highest Paid School Administrators: See County Breakdown

NEW JERSEY - More than 3,200 New Jersey administrators made salaries of $150,000 per year or more and five made over $300,000 a year during the 2022-23 school year, according to the latest data from the state Department of Education.

The latest figures represent an increase from 2,556 administrators — including superintendents, principals and assistant principals, curriculum directors and other employees in administrative positions — who made at least $150,000 during the 2021-22 school year, based on Patch analysis. The 20 highest-paid administrators in the state all received a raise that year, data shows.

If you’re a superintendent in the Garden State, you’re in luck: New Jersey superintendents report making roughly $25,000 more than the national average of $156,468, per the School Superintendents Association. That’s in part due to the 2019 elimination of a wage cap put in place by former Gov. Chris Christie, which barred superintendent salaries from rising above $191,584.

School-executive pay has long been a controversial subject in both local school district budgeting and state policy. While administrative salaries are often a flashpoint for criticism in school policy, many districts struggled to maintain experienced superintendents when the position's pay was capped, according to a 2019 analysis from NJ Spotlight.

Some of the state's highest-paid administrators received generous pay increases between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school year. For instance, the state’s highest-paid admin, Leigh Byron of Trenton Stem-To-Civics charter school, received a $84,000 pay bump; Silvia Abbato of Union City School District saw a $38,335 raise over one year.

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Here are New Jersey's highest-paid school administrators, along with their school district and their salaries:

Atlantic County
Kimberly Gruccio, Egg Harbor Township School District: $216,150
Last year’s salary: $196,584
Percent increase: 9.95 percent

Bergen County
Howard Lerner, Bergen County Vocational Technical School District: $319,134
Last year's salary: $296,619
Percent increase: 7.59 percent

Burlington County
Carol Birnbohm, Lenape Regional High School District: $249,580
Last year’s salary: $244,686
Percent increase: 2 percent

Camden County
Henry Poteat, Winslow Township School District: $255,672
Last year’s salary: $248,466
Percent increase: 2.9 percent

Cape May County
Jamie Moscony, Cape May County Technical High School District: $195,000
Last year’s salary: N/A

Cumberland County
Alfonso Llano, Vineland Public School District, $211,150
Last year’s salary: $206,000
Percent increase: 2.5 percent

Essex County
Roger Leon, Newark Public School District: $299,332
Last year's salary: $290,050
Percent increase: 3.2 percent

Gloucester County
Shannon Whalen, Gateway Regional High School District, $202,154
Last year’s salary: $197,140
Percent increase: 2.5 percent

Hudson County
James Doran, Harrison Public School District: $315,705
Last year's salary: $297,082
Percent increase: 6.27 percent

Hunterdon County
Kari McGann, Flemington-Raritan Regional School District: $219,670
Last year’s salary: $215,363
Percent increase: 2 percent

Mercer County

David Aderhold, West Windsor-Plainsboro School District: $262,551
Last year's salary: $256,148
Percent increase: 2.5 percent

Middlesex County
Mark Finkelstein, Educational Services Commission of New Jersey: $327, 312
Last year’s salary: $300,000
Percent increase: 9.1 percent

Monmouth County
Peter Genovese III, Long Branch Public School District: $271,234
Last year's salary: $262,822
Percent increase: 3.2 percent

Morris County
Michael Ben-David, West Morris Regional High School District, $254,383
Last year’s salary: $239,984
Percent increase: 6 percent

Ocean County
Craig Henry, Southern Regional School District: $247,302
Last year’s salary: $240,332
Percent increase: 2.9 percent

Passaic County
Eileen Shafer, Paterson Public School District: $267,900
Last year's salary: $267,900
Percent increase: None

Salem County
Zenaida Cobian, Penns Grove-Carneys Point Regional School District, $165,282
Last year’s salary: $160,816
Percent increase: 2.77 percent

Somerset County
John Ravally, Franklin Township Public School District: $239,888
Last year’s salary: $235,184
Percent increase: 2 percent

Sussex County
William Sabo, Vernon Township School District: $227,500
Last year’s salary: N/A

Union County
Harold Kennedy Jr., Elizabeth Public Schools: $259,010
Last year’s salary: $259,010
Percent increase: None

Warren County
Timothy Mantz, Pohatcong Township School District: $281,694
Last year's salary: $281,694
Percent increase: None

For the full data, see the table below: