NJ schools prove money doesn’t fix education

If you ever need a reminder that New Jersey does things in the most complicated and expensive way possible, just look at teacher salaries across the state.

According to an article on patch.com, New data from the New Jersey Department of Education shows a more than $50,000 gap between the highest- and lowest-paying school districts. Same state. Same certifications. Same standardized tests. Very different paychecks.

How NJ is this?

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Canva / Townsquare Media illustration

To illustrate, the article provided the top five highest median teacher salaries in New Jersey for the 2024–25 school year:

1. Northern Valley Regional (Bergen County) – $119,285

2. Pascack Valley Regional (Bergen County) – $116,240

3. Morris Hills Regional (Morris County) – $105,599

4. Lenape Regional (Burlington County) – $104,969

5. Hackensack City (Bergen County) – $104,596

And now the other end of the spectrum. The five lowest median salaries:

1. Bridgeton Public Charter (Cumberland County) – $50,235

2. Ridge and Valley Charter (Warren County) – $51,393

3. Classical Academy Charter of Clifton – $51,750

4. Ethical Community Charter (Hudson County) – $52,756

5. Compass Academy Charter (Cumberland County) – $53,000

Here’s the part that always gets glossed over. We spend more per pupil than almost any state in the country, yet throwing more money at a district does not magically produce higher test scores or better outcomes. We’ve been trying that strategy for decades. If it worked, we’d be done by now.

What we do have is over 600 school districts, with bloated administrations. Each has its own superintendent, administrative staff, contracts, and overhead. That’s where the money goes. Not into classrooms. Not into kids.

You can pay six figures in one district and half that in another and still see the same struggles. Same learning gaps. Same standardized test stress. Same parents, wondering how their property taxes keep going up while results stay flat.

This isn’t a knock on teachers. I’m a huge supporter of teachers. THEY deserve a raise! They work hard everywhere. This is a knock on a system that refuses to streamline, consolidate, or admit that maybe more layers of bureaucracy don’t mean better education.

New Jersey loves to spend money. We’re very good at it. Being smart about it is a whole other thing.