Here's How Much School Administrators Make In Mendham, Chester: New Data

MENDHAM/CHESTER, NJ — It's becoming more common for superintendents, principals, and educational administrators state-wide to earn more than $160,000, including in Mendham and Chester, according to data from the New Jersey Department of Education.

Patch pulled salary data that includes superintendents, principals and assistant principals, curriculum directors and other employees in administrative positions within New Jersey schools.

Data from the State Taxpayer’s Guide to Education Spending includes median administrator salaries for all of New Jersey’s public school districts, including charter and vocational schools.

Statewide, the median administrator's salary was $137,219 in 2022–23, up from $133,209 in 2021–22, with a ratio of 140.3 students per administrator in '22–23.

There are 85 districts and charter schools, out of more than 660 statewide, whose median administrative salaries were $150,000 or more for 2022–23, according to the data.

The median income for district administrators in the Mendham Township School District was $155,800, which is an increase from $151,258 the previous year. In the Borough, school administrators earned an average of $144,771, an increase from $140,828.

In Chester, the median income for district administrators was the highest of all three, with administrators earning $162,832, an increase from $158,089 the previous year.

In the regional high school district, the median income for district administrators was $147,039, which is a decrease from $151,908 the previous year.

Here are the top earners in Mendham and Chester, along with their current or most recent position and most recent salary. All data comes from the New Jersey Department of Education:

1. Salvatore M. Constantino: Superintendent, $232,085
2. Mitzi Morillo: Superintendent, $230,625
3. Christina Van Woert: Superintendent, $230,928
4. Patrick Ciccone: Mendham Township Middle School Principal, $220,885
5. Steve Ryan: West Morris Mendham High School Principal, $203,000
6. Edward Braun: Assistant Superintendent at West Morris Regional High School District, $174,445
7. Melissa Fair: Dickerson Elementary School Principal, $172,757
8. Tanya Dawson: Chester Township School District Board of Education Business Administrator, $165,584
9. Julianne Kotcho: Mendham Township Elementary School Principal, $159,430
10. Andrew White: Black River Middle School Principal, $156,874
11. Michele Stanton: Bragg Elementary School Principal, $153,853
12. Aimee Toth: Mountain View School Principal, $152,438

In comparison, teachers in the West Morris Regional High School District made a median annual salary of about $84,110 during the 2022–23 budget year. Teachers in Mendham Township earned $76,330, and those in the borough earned only $70,010. Teachers in the Chester school district earned $74,960 per year.