Board OKs $5K ‘Security Enhancement’ Bonus for Schools Chief

The Washington Township Board of Education approved a $5,161.50 bonus for superintendent Jeff Mohre this week after he met a year long goal to enhance security measures in the district.

The goal, if achieved, rewarded Mohre with a 3.33-percent bonus of his $155,000 annual salary per his five-year contract, which was approved by the board in the summer of 2013.

As listed in the contract, Quantitative Merit Goal #2 stated:

“To enhance security surveillance across the school district by 50-percent via the realization of an augmented and coordinated security infrastructure and revised school safety and security plan as per NJAC 6A.”

Hundreds of thousands of dollars has been set aside for school security upgrades throughout the district over the past two budget cycles, which will include new video surveillance systems and welcome vestibules for visitors prior to entering each building.

Mohre's salary of $155,000 is the maximum allowed by New Jersey law for the size of school district he oversees. School board-approved bonuses do not fall within the base salary guidelines under the law. 

Two separate safety incidents spurred lockdowns at different school buildings in the 2013-14 school year, both of which resulted in the need for police investigations.

The first took place in April when a Long Valley Middle School student, waiting for the bus one morning, had a cell phone in hand, which was perceived as a gun by a passing motorist. The motorist alerted a bus driver, who then called authorities, spurring a 30-minute lockdown at the school. No charges were pressed in the misunderstanding.

As the school year came to a close, three bullets were found along the sidewalk between Flocktown and Kossmann school buildings as students arrived at school. An investigation revealed a student had the bullets in a backpack, which had a hole in it. The bullets fell from the bag and caught the attention of a passing student. No charges were pressed in that incident, either.