Superintendent Salary (5 minutes)

Transcript (~13 min @ 1:24:45)

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▶ 1:24:45 Margaret Raymond Driscoll: next on our agenda is a discussion of the superintendent's salary so with your indulgence I will provide just a little bit of history you do have a document in your packets with respect to what the salary schedule looks like we are certainly entitled to vary from that schedule but that was designed to give some guidance and suggestion the superintendent is currently at step 3 and if you had as you followed the budget as we've gone along you will see that that number appears in the FY 16 and 17 budgets and we have adhered to that so that means as has been referenced prior in prior discussions that the superintendent took a wage freeze last year so had things gone along it is possible she would have been at the step 4 point right now which is a 3% difference if things went along she would be this year potentially at a step five which would be six percent over the 174 836 amount so that just gives you you know that what those percentages are and what those amounts the differentials you can do the math and see so at this point with your indulgence I'm going to invite the superintendent to indicate to us what her preference is and the committee is certainly welcome to discuss and make a decision that that you wish so superintendent which if you would kindly

▶ 1:26:40 Speaker 3: comment Thank You mr. school as is my practice and I think some people would probably tell me I'm foolish but my practice is to try to reflect what my administrators and my teachers are getting and not to exceed them and my

▶ 1:26:56 Speaker 3: administrators and my teachers are getting in the vicinity of two two and a half you know we made market adjustments to the teachers salary scale so while the polo was one it was more than the cola because we made those market adjustments and I think it came out to about two and a quarter two and a half on some cells and my most of my principals are getting in the vicinity of two again except for those principles that we're making a market adjustment on because their buildings have exceeded 400 and we've had that discussion as a

▶ 1:27:36 Speaker 3: group and I that's how I operate that what to to be in alignment with my staff

▶ 1:27:43 Margaret Raymond Driscoll: so as a point of reference should the superintendent if should you wish to vote 2% I just want to give you an understanding what those numbers are the the amount would be thirty four ninety seven if I've done my math correctly for a total of 178 392 332 or the in that vicinity so it just gives you a sense of perspective as to where that might fall on the on the salary schedule so I'm willing to entertain discussion or emotion on this topic mr. O'Connell

▶ 1:28:18 Speaker 5: madam chair notwithstanding everything that's been said I would like to make a motion that we move the superintendent's salary to step four which by my calculation is above

▶ 1:28:31 Speaker 5: the number slightly above the number uh you just described is there a second on that motion seeing

▶ 1:28:42 Margaret Raymond Driscoll: none is there another motion that the committee would wish to entertain miss casatelli i moved

▶ 1:28:48 Christine Casatelli: to move the superintendent to a two and a half as she had indicated that her staff is getting I'm if you would please indulge me by doing the numbers I'd appreciate it

▶ 1:29:00 Margaret Raymond Driscoll: miss Farrell can we invite you to do the numbers on that it would be a little bit

▶ 1:29:08 Margaret Raymond Driscoll: more than 178 332 and a little bit less than 180 81 correct

▶ 1:29:22 Margaret Raymond Driscoll: miss Farrell has located her device that's okay while she's doing that I

▶ 1:29:37 Christine Casatelli: would just like to add that the superintendent took a freeze last year and I as far from greedy with her request so I'm I'm willing to to make

▶ 1:30:04 Margaret Raymond Driscoll: that motion two and a half percent we we need a first let's get a fact and then I

▶ 1:30:35 Margaret Raymond Driscoll: will invite a second on that motion 179 206 90 so miss Casatelli is your motion to make to increase the superintendent's salary by two and a half percent to that

▶ 1:30:50 Margaret Raymond Driscoll: particular amount correct do I have a second on that motion seeing none is

▶ 1:30:57 Margaret Raymond Driscoll: there another motion that someone would like to make miss McAllister grant I'd

▶ 1:31:01 Speaker 7: like to move to suspend the rule so we can have an open discussion and come to an agreement about a motion together there is a motion on the floor to

▶ 1:31:14 Margaret Raymond Driscoll: suspend the rules there's a motion on the floor so I just want to just second

▶ 1:31:19 Speaker 8: second second mayor Dolan the chair have a recommendation per conversation

▶ 1:31:23 Speaker 9: regarding what number she would like to see the superintendent has the employee

▶ 1:31:39 Margaret Raymond Driscoll: correct I do not have a recommendation I want to be consistent with what the will

▶ 1:31:46 Speaker 8: of the committee is mrs. McAllister grand so there was a market adjustment

▶ 1:31:48 Speaker 7: for some principals based on the size of their schools I'm wondering if a market adjustment for the superintendent based on the size of the district is appropriate it's one of my questions for the group mr. Selm with all due respect

▶ 1:32:07 Speaker 2: to the amount of work that superintendent does and with great appreciation of the work that she does with the increasing demands on our district I see an increase of $8,000 or even $6,000 to be half a para and so I'm

▶ 1:32:38 Speaker 2: struggling with a raise not on merit on merit I would gladly push for a raise

▶ 1:32:45 Speaker 2: but based on financial need within the city or the schools more accurately I

▶ 1:33:00 Christine Casatelli: really struggle with this idea miss Cassitale having been here through four superintendent searches I can say that each superintendent search we have leapfrogged the number so I think when you have a good employee you want to keep that good employee in place and avoid the disruption that comes with someone brand new new to your district when when you have a successful track record I encourage us to to keep the success going I just as how

▶ 1:33:39 Margaret Raymond Driscoll: uncomfortable this is yeah and then if with the committee's indulgence let's

▶ 1:33:46 Jessica Dugan: make a motion so I appreciate that it's uncomfortable thank you and I I tend towards following the steps as was explained in the beginning so to me having our our leadership paid in line with their experience is very important and I think I would move towards something in line with what mr. O'Connell

▶ 1:34:14 Speaker 9: had motioned mayor Dolan I'm gonna make a motion with 2.5% for the following reason I didn't second it thanks now that I there's several things the superintendent has said that's important one is it is important as we've dealt with in the city that department heads regardless of who they are are somewhat in line in terms of the percentages with their staff as we dig as we begin very difficult collective bargaining the superintendent to her credit has been has been particularly sensitive as has everyone on the city side of which all department heads receive a 2% increase right that that that is the reality in which we live in in this community and the superintendent has agreed to be unified with the city department heads as a whole not formally but informally to create a unified non-union scale that is generally in line with our neighbors generally but in line with the abilities of this community to reach the needs of all its students and its citizens i think to understand that the superintendent does not get steps which is a four percent increase steps are a four percent increase in the Union and the teachers Union right that the two point five percent increase is is an appropriate increase at this time as would be in collective bargaining in 2019 so I'd make that motion do I have a

▶ 1:35:50 Margaret Raymond Driscoll: second do I have a second second second by miss Castelli discussion was doing

▶ 1:35:54 Jessica Dugan: the steps would put her in line with her experience though is that correct

▶ 1:36:02 Speaker 3: step forward well I'm in my six year it's okay you're step forward

▶ 1:36:06 Jessica Dugan: accommodate the last year not taking an increase and from the calculation it was a couple hundred dollars off so I'm a little bit it's not that much different than a 2.5 but it would keep us in line with what is a guideline for us moving forward I feel comfortable supporting 2.5 but so to me it's a little bit of

▶ 1:36:34 Speaker 3: semantics just when we agreed six years ago five years ago whenever it was because we never had any guidance for administrators either and when we agreed back then to adopt the city's grid pattern for administrators as well one of the things that we talked about and the mayor talked about in this room is it's a guideline it's not a guarantee and in my own experience with my principals in the previous years sometimes somebody's people got a little bit more than others depending on what their achievements had been during that year and if there were no achievements they got probably a cost of living raise if there were a lot of achievements they got the full step so it's a guideline it's not like I said a guarantee and we apply that to the principles as well

▶ 1:37:28 Margaret Raymond Driscoll: further discussion on the motion seeing on the motion on the floor is for two

▶ 1:37:37 Margaret Raymond Driscoll: and a half percent all in favor opposed abstentions seeing none that motion carries six in favor one opposed and no abstention mr. South okay I didn't see