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<\/a><\/p>\nBy John Heinis\/Hudson County View<\/p>\n
The West New York Board of Education (BOE) approved the new contract on August 26th by a vote of 5-0(2), with President Jonathan Castaneda, Vice President Jose Mendoza, as well as Trustees Damarys Gonzalez, Stephanie Gonzalez, Sandra Pfiel, Ana Sanchez, and Doug Velasquez voting.<\/p>\n
A copy of the resolution<\/a>, obtained through an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request, does not indicate who abstained during the vote.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Board shall pay the Superintendent an initial annual salary of $324,563, effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. This annual salary shall be paid to the Superintendent in accordance with the schedule of salary payments in effect for other certified employees and shall be prorated for partial portions of the year,\u201d according to a copy of the contract<\/a>.<\/p>\n In the second year of her contract, she will earn $340,791; in the third year of her contract, she will be compensated $357,830; in the fourth year of her contract, she will receive $375,721; and $394,507 compensation for the fifth and final year of the contract.<\/p>\n That is more than the contract of Jersey City Superintendent of Schools Dr. Norma Fernandez, who had a five-year contract that maxes out at $372,714 approved by a 6-2 vote in July<\/a>.<\/p>\n Jersey City has more than three times as many students enrolled in their public schools than West New York, according to New Jersey Department of Education statistics.<\/p>\n Further, a list published by NJ.com<\/a> last month had Fernandez ranked as the second highest paid public school superintendent in the state.<\/p>\n While the West New York superintendent\u2019s contract was approved nearly two months ago, it was anything but easy to obtain.<\/p>\n This reporter filed an OPRA request for the new superintendent\u2019s contract on September 14th and asked for West New York School Business Administrator Dean Austin to confirm receipt at his earliest convenience.<\/p>\n Subsequent calls and emails to both Austin and Brito Herrera were ignored, both before and after the seven-business-day response deadline had passed.<\/p>\n On September 29th, this reporter sent an email to both school officials, indicating that the deadline had come and gone, warning that a complaint would be filed with the Government Records Council and in Hudson County Superior Court if necessary.<\/p>\n When that still didn\u2019t yield any response, counsel for HCV in the matter, CJ Griffin, a partner and director at law firm Pashman Stein Walder Hayden, P.C., put the school district on notice via an October 20th email.<\/p>\n \u201cThis firm represents Hudson County View (HCV). HCV filed the attached OPRA request on September 14, 2026, seeking a contract that is subject to \u2018immediate access.\u2019 HCV has followed up multiple times by phone and email yet has not received a response,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease take notice that if the request is not fulfilled immediately, HCV will exercise its right to seek a court order compelling its disclosure and ordering the BOE to pay its legal fees. Please be guided accordingly. We hope that you will fulfill the request.\u201d<\/p>\n Finally, Austin responded to the OPRA request on Friday, October 23rd with copies of the aforementioned resolution and contract for Brito Herrera without acknowledging Griffin\u2019s email or explaining the delay.<\/p>\n Brito Herrera did not return multiple inquiries seeking comment on her vision for the district for the next five years, nor did she return an email seeking comment today on why it took the district nearly six weeks to answer HCV\u2019s OPRA request.<\/p>\n Herrera succeeded the late John Fauta as West New York superintendent in May 2015<\/a> and unsuccessfully challenged<\/a> a law signed by then-Gov. Chris Christie (R) that capped schools chiefs at $177,000 annually before the end of that year, both as HCV first reported.<\/p>\n During her tenure as the schools chief, the West New York Public Schools were designated a High Performing School District by the New Jersey Department of Education last year.<\/p>\n \u201cAs we begin this new school year, my vision for the West New York School District remains strong: to advance student achievement, support and empower our educators, strengthen collaboration among our schools and families, embrace innovation, and celebrate the diversity that makes our community unique,\u201d Brito Herrera said in a welcome back message to students and parents last month.<\/p>\n \u201cTogether, we will continue building on our successes while creating new opportunities for every student to learn, grow, and thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n Further, the New Jersey Schools Development Authority (NJSDA) broke ground in June<\/a> on a new $121.8 million middle school at 6400 Broadway. The new classrooms are expected to be ready in September 2028.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n