Schools Chief Gets No Raise But More Vacation Time

Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson will receive no salary raise this year but will see a bump of two additional weeks of vacation and a return of furlough days that teachers similarly received in their contract, the Board of Education ruled after emerging from executive session at the end of a Tuesday night Municipal Center meeting.

The education board issued the decision following a nearly three-hour executive session. Executive sessions are held behind closed doors, without members of the public present, and usually done when matters concerning personnel are discussed.

Board members also approved a 1-percent salary raise for assistant superintendent Linda Gejda, as well as a return of furlough days for her. Teachers and administrators were furloughed during the 2009-10 year as a cost-savings measure but those days were returned to teachers as part of contract negotiations.

The board deferred any decisions regarding business director Ron Bienkowski.

Finally, the board was scheduled to discuss non-union salaries, according to its agenda, but it did not make any decisions regarding that matter following executive session. Board member Kathy Fetchick, however, asked that a discussion regarding the procedures for salary increases for non-union employees be added to the next board meeting.

The issue is in connection with Robinson's decision to approve a 3-percent salary increase for non-union members who work in the school district's central office. The move raised questions on whether she should be authorized to do that and under what circumstances.

While the board was unanimous in its vote to renew Robinson's contract with no increase in salary, without any performance stipend and a return of furlough days, members  were divided in approving six weeks of vacation for Robinson and the 1-percent raise for Gejda.

Fetchick and Debbie Leidlein voted against both matters while the other five, chairman Lillian Bittman and board members David Nanavaty, Richard Gaines, Bill Hart and Chris Lagana were in favor.

Members did not issue any public comments on the matter following their vote.

Robinson said in an interview that she was pleased with the outcome.

"The performance evaluation was really very good," she said, adding she had not expected to receive a salary increase. "I had intended if I got a raise, I was going to give it back."

At the same time, Robinson said she specifically asked for the addition of two weeks of vacation for a total of six weeks.

"I requested that," she said. "It was a point."

Robinson, whose annual salary is about $170,000, said she believed she had been unfairly "attacked" with regards to her compensation during the year. She also said teachers and administrators will leave if they did not believe they were being valued for their work.

"People have to know that there's a marketplace," she said. "The issue is this can't keep going on year after year."