Seitz Contract Finally Gets Official Approval

After more than a year of back-and-forth and in the midst of ongoing litigation, the contract for Superintendent of Schools LeRoy Seitz proposed by the Parsippany  has won written approval from the executive county superintendent.

In a letter dated April 12 and obtained through an Open Public Records Act request, Dr. Kathleen Serafino gave the OK to a proposed pact. 

"I have determined that the provisions of the contract are in compliance with [state] regulations." Serafino wrote. "Therefore, I approve the contract for the period of five years, extending from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2015."

According to Interim Board Administrator Mark Resnick, of the Parsippany school district, the contract has yet to be signed by the parties involved.

The , which is in line with the superintendent salary cap suggested by Gov. Chris Christie in 2010 and finally imposed in February 2011. The cap led the board in November 2010 to approve a contract for Seitz in excess of what the governor wanted, which kicked off that continues.

Currently, the situation between Seitz and the Board of Education is clouded because of continuing legal actions surrounding how much the superintendent should be paid for running the school district.

, contending that after the , the previous contract—under which he was paid $212,000—went back into effect.

The board is countersuing for about $38,000 in overpayments the state alleges Seitz received during the time when he was paid in excess of the cap.

BOE President Frank Calabria told Patch in March that the BOE counterclaim was lodged at the direction of the state.

Depositions for the case reportedly took place last month at the Office of Administrative Law in Newark. 

According to a letter from the law firm of Gold, Albanese & Barletti, which is representing the BOE in Seitz's lawsuit, peremptory hearing dates—meaning the dates cannot be changed—are slated for June 18-29.

Neither Seitz, the Board of Education nor the executive county superintendent have responded to comment on the matter because of the ongoing litigation.