HILLSBOROUGH: District superintendent received $22k in merit bonuses

By Andrew Martins, Managing Editor
School Superintendent Jorden Schiff will receive a more than $22,000 merit bonus for meeting most of his goals for the 2015-16 school year.
The Board of Education approved the bonus at its July 25 meeting.
According to the Hillsborough School District budget, Dr. Schiff earns an annual salary of $177,500, which is the maximum under state law for a district of more than 6,500 students. The approved bonus accounts for a 12.7 percent increase.
District officials said Dr. Schiff achieved four of the five goals, while only partially completing the fifth.
Custodial overtime pay continued to be a consideration for the superintendent, who sought to reduce the expenditure by $55,000 or more. The goal reflected a similar reduction during the 2014-15 school year of at least $40,000.
Along with further implementing a flex schedule for the Building and Grounds Department, Dr. Schiff worked to increase the hourly rate for custodial substitutes from $9.35 to $13.50. The increase was approved by the Board of Education on Jan. 25. Officials hoped the increase would attract more substitutes, which would in turn reduce the amount of overtime hours needed by district staff.
The cuts in custodial overtime resulted in a 3.33 percent bonus for Dr. Schiff.
The superintendent also received a 2.5 percent bonus after the district successfully established four additional courses with Raritan Valley Community College for the 2016-17 school year. The courses will give Hillsborough High School students an opportunity to earn both high school and college credits at the same time.
He also gained a 3.33 percent bonus after the district achieved a 3.50 or higher in its Student Growth Objectives, which are teacher-set goals for student growth and achievement.
An additional 2.5 percent bonus was given to Dr. Schiff for successfully holding three “instructional rounds” aimed at helping the district’s teachers improve their effectiveness as instructors.
A reduced bonus of 1.11 percent was awarded for the partial completion of a goal to increase the language arts performance of students in grades 5 and 6. Dr. Schiff had wanted to see a 4 percent increase by the end of the 2015-16 school year, but students in those grades only saw an increase between 1 and 2 percent.