New Contract Set For Toms River Schools Superintendent

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The Toms River Regional Board of Education is set to approve a new contract for Superintendent Michael Citta.

The contract vote was scheduled for a special meeting on Wednesday but that meeting was canceled about 4 p.m. on Wednesday, because the board lacked a quorum, a district spokesman said. A new date was not announced.

The new contract, the terms of which have been approved by the state Department of Education, is for five years beginning with this school year, 2025-26.

Citta was promoted to superintendent in May 2022 after a contentious hiring process that included allegations of attempted political influence, including by then-councilman Daniel Rodrick, that led to a stalemate among the board on approving a new district chief and the search starting over.

Citta's initial contract was for four years, with 2 percent raises, and he was slated to earn $228,159.72 for the 2025-26 school year.

The new contract is for five years and gives him a raise to $275,000 for 2025-26 retroactive to July 1, with the following increases for the remaining years:

• 2026-27: A 2.5 percent raise to $281,875;
• 2027-28: A 3.0 percent raise to $290,331.25;
• 2028-29: A 3.0 percent raise to $299,041.19;
• 2029-30: A 3.0 percent raise to $308,012.43.

Citta's contract also provides him with 12 sick days, 25 vacation days, 5 personal days and a flat $400 per month car allowance for driving around the district. He does not receive mileage.