Minimizing the achievement gap and getting schools to perform better are priorities throughout the country and in the Garden State. New Jersey Association of School Administration Executive Director Richard Bozza says while there isn’t a short-term solution, he believes the state can turn figures around. He sat down with NJ Today Managing Editor Mike Schneider to discuss education issues, including the salary cap for school superintendents. Bozza says the cap may limit districts’ abilities to attract the most talented and desirable candidates.

Bozza said he is happy that the state is taking steps to help the lowest performing schools. “I think it is a move that’s long overdue and it’s one that’s calculated I think in a more precise way than any intervention before,” he said. While Bozza said there won’t be a short-term solution to the issues, he’s encouraged by the action that is taking place.

He said the achievement gap has to do with poverty. “We see the lowest achievement in the urban areas where the kids have the least advantages and the most issues to overcome and so we’ve got the same issue right here in New Jersey,” he said. “And I think the hurdle that’s going to be the most difficult to overcome is how can we get the communities to change their perspective about schooling and the support for their kids and do the things that need to do to really step that up.”

To achieve the goals, Bozza said personnel has to be addressed. “It’s often been said if you want better results, get better prepared people. So in this case we are certainly looking at how do we prepare teachers, how do we evaluate teachers, what do we hold the principal accountable for, what do we know about research? So we’re going to force all of those factors into the forefront with timelines of measurement along the way so it won’t just be we’ll start the school year and hope at the end that we’ve got some results,” he said.

He added that the state has agreed to providing reports approximately every seven weeks with established goals that he thinks will keep people’s focus and give communities an opportunity to engage in the agenda.

Bozza said he believes New Jersey is at risk for losing its best educators, however, because of the $175,000 salary cap instituted for superintendents. He said going forward, he believes at least half of the state’s superintendents will consider leaving New Jersey. “People who are at the end of their contract can do something else, who can go into retirement, are saying that’s a better option for me because these really aren’t salary caps for most people. This is a pay cut of significant standards for these folks,” he said.

Bozza said it’s frustrating talking to young school leaders who question even entering into superintendency. “They’ll look at me and say, ‘Richie, I’ve got kids. They’re going to go to college. I’m going to be at the same salary for the rest of my life and people around me can earn more, assistants and principals and others?’ As a policy it’s a real disincentive I think to get the most talented people into the position of chief education officer,” he said.

Teachers are concerned about their futures more than ever, Bozza said. He suggested that instead of pointing out the worst teachers and “badmouthing” them, districts should focus on improving all teachers. He said while the focus should be on improvement, there are political motivators that are also at play.

“It’s clearly for political purposes. If we sat and analyzed the cap policy again whether you live in North Jersey or South Jersey there’s certainly very different standards of living,” Bozza said. “We’re not encouraging, for example, a policy for leadership that says we want talented people to go to the most difficult places, where the greatest challenges are, because there’s no incentive in terms of financial rewards or in any kind of work where you have others around you earning more even though you’re responsible.”

Bozza said officials need to use common sense when thinking about superintendent salary caps.

“To help students in the lowest achieving schools, we’ve got to use some rational thought here,” he said. “We’ve got to say, ‘Do we want the general to be somebody who’s really dedicated and talented who can gather people to the purpose at hand?'”

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