Greenwich Schools Superintendent, Administrators Forego Raises

GREENWICH, CT — Greenwich Schools Superintendent Toni Jones and several unnamed members of the school district administration will forego raises for next year in an effort to help cut costs due to the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus, she announced.

The expected savings from the decision will total about $40,000, and follows a similar move announced earlier this week by Stamford Schools Superintendent Tamu Lucero and administrators in that city.

"We are exploring every possible solution to address the reductions in our budget. Our hope is to have as minimal an impact on the classroom as possible," Jones said in a statement sent to Patch. "For the Superintendent and Cabinet salaries that will not receive their annual increase, that savings amounts to roughly $40,000. It's customary for senior leadership to step up and do what we can in turbulent times, and the savings is equivalent to a part-time teacher or teacher assistant. Every penny is going to make a difference in keeping people employed. People are our greatest expense, and our greatest asset. I think our staff have earned their wings over these past seven weeks of distance learning, we need them."

Greenwich Public Schools, like other districts throughout Connecticut, could face a budget crunch next year due to the coronavirus, which resulted in the closure of schools for the rest of the current year.

Jones is in her first year as superintendent in Greenwich, and is being paid a base salary of about $237,000.