Report: Newark Schools Superintendent May Get Big Bonus

The superintendent of the Newark Public Schools may receive a performance bonus of up to $50,000  on top of her nearly quarter-million-dollar base salary, according to a report by NJ Spotlight.

Anderson, a state employee, negotiated a contract with the administration of Gov. Chris Christie in 2011. The bonus is tied to the achievement of several performance benchmarks, and last year netted Anderson a $41,000 bonus, after she hit six of seven performance benchmarks.

Anderson this year is being assessed on 18 performance indicators.

“I am pleased with how much we have accomplished but remain humbled by how much there is to do to ensure every student in Newark is in a school that puts them on the path to success,” she told NJ Spotlight.

Anderson’s performance goals last year were to increase by at least three percent the number of high school students achieving at least a “proficient” score on state-administered math or language tests. Another benchmark called for the district to record a drop of at least 2 percent in the number of third through eighth-graders deemed “not proficient” in language arts.  

Her contract expires in 2014 but she must be notified by Sept 1 if the state does not plan to renew it. But state Commissioner of Education Christopher Cerf, while declining to say specifically whether Anderson’s contract will be renewed, did say “I have every expectation that she will continue her great work in Newark for years to come,” NJ Spotlight also reported.