Dr. Michael Hayes will be visiting the University of Alabama Political Science Department on Tuesday, October 22nd to give a talk in ten Hoor 346 from 12:00pm-1:15pm.

Talk title: “The Effect of the New Jersey Superintendent Salary Cap on Superintendent Turnover”

Abstract: Starting in 2011, New Jersey set a salary cap for all future superintendent contracts based on student enrollment. This is one of the first state-imposed tax and expenditure limitations (TELs) placed directly on local public managers. The salary cap caused large reductions in base salaries for future superintendent contracts in the majority of NJ school districts. Using a difference-in-difference estimation strategy, the current study estimates the effect of New Jersey Superintendent Salary Cap (NJSSC) on superintendent turnover following the 2010-11 school year. Specifically, I find that an additional $10,000 reduction in base salary due to the NJSSC corresponds to a 4.0 percentage point increase in the likelihood of superintendent turnover for school districts with an expiring contract relative to those school districts without an expiring contract. Additionally, I find no evidence that school districts saved money from imposing this cap, which is primarily due to various strategies implemented by school districts to circumvent this cap.