Seitz Contract Lawsuit Dismissed; BOE President Considering Options

The state appellate division decided not to hear the Parsippany Board of Education's lawsuit against the Christie Administration over the contract of School Superintendent LeRoy Seitz.

BOE President Frank Calabria confirmed the news and said the board took up the matter at a confidential session June 13.

The contract—which violates Gov. Chris Christie's $175,000 school administrator salary cap—would raise Seitz's salary from $212,000 to $216,000 this year and to $234,000 by 2015. With the lawsuit's dismissal, the budget line item earmarked to pay the superintendent will eventually run out of money.

"We'll have to see what happens then," Calabria said. "The board would not like to extend more funds on this particular issue. They are adamant on this—they do not want to spend any more taxpayer dollars. We heard what the voters said during the election.

"The board was in closed session, so i can't tell you specifically what occurred. But I will say that we're pursuing avenues we can do without spending money," he said.

The options before the board include continuing the lawsuit, revamping the legal challenge—both of which would involve spending funds—or doing nothing at all and allowing the chips to fall as they may.

Asked if the district could lose Seitz over this, Calabria said he did not know and refused to speculate.

"I would like to look forward to other issues within our district and see what we can do for the future," he said. "The board has to determine what's in the best interest of the children in our school system and what's in the best interest of our community."

The contract became a political football when Christie threatened to block the approval of Parsippany's school budget over the Seitz contract.

Ultimately, the  allocates $204,125 for Seitz's salary, plus another $16,000 in a reserve account that now goes away with the suit's dismissal by the appellate court.