Politics & Government
Governor Proposing Salary Cap for School Superintendents
Half Hollow Hills Superintendent Sheldon Karnilow makes more than double Cuomo's proposed cap.
Recently Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that he will propose a bill to place a cap on the salaries of school superintendents across New York State.
Under the proposal, most Suffolk County superintendents would only be able to earn a maximum of $175,000 per year.
"We must wake up to the new economic reality that government must be more efficient and cut the cost of the bureaucracy," Cuomo said. "We must streamline government because raising taxes is not an option. Reducing back-office overhead, administration, consultants and encouraging consolidations are the best targets to find savings."
Find out what's happening in Half Hollow Hillsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The cap would only affect school superintendents and could only be applied after existing contracts expire. However, each individual district would have the voting power to overturn the salary cap and could do so during school budget votes.
Currently more that 33 percent of school superintendents in New York State earn more than $175,000. According to Cuomo's office, this bill has the potential of $150 million in savings.
Find out what's happening in Half Hollow Hillsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Half Hollow Hills Superintendent Sheldon Karnilow, who has announced he is retiring this summer, made $351,946 in 2010.
When asked what the superintendent and board of education thought of the proposed salary cap, Christine Geed, public relations coordinator for the district said: "The Half Hollow Hills School District and its Board of Education will not be commenting on a suggested salary cap as it has not been discussed in the legislature. The district will not state an opinion until the details of a potential cap are more concrete. We do appreciate the opportunity, however, to give the district’s viewpoint."
Assemblyman Andrew Raia (R,I,C-East Northport) wants to take Cuomo's proposal a step further, pushing for a cap on the salaries of all state-government employees.
“It is my understanding that the governor intends to introduce legislation to cap superintendents’ salaries, but I believe we need to do more," Raia said. "Employees of the MTA and other bloated state agencies routinely make well over $179,000 [the governor's salary]."
Cuomo's plan would impose superintendent salary limits as follows:
TIER ENROLLMENT SALARY CAP 1 0 - 250 $125,000 2 251 - 750 $135,000 3 751 - 1,500 $145,000 4 1,501 - 3,000 $155,000 5 3,001 - 6,500 $165,000 6 6,501 +$175,000
Salaries from the chart below are for the 2009-10 school year according to SeeThroughNY.net
Here are the HHH employees who made more than $175,000 in 2010:
First Name Last Name School District Compensation Sheldon Karnilow Half Hollow Hills Central Schools $351,945 Jeffrey Morris Half Hollow Hills Central Schools $306,222 Ellen Robertson Half Hollow Hills Central Schools $299,087 Kelly Fallon Half Hollow Hills Central Schools $232,799 Linda Rudes Half Hollow Hills Central Schools $229,193 Michael DeStio Half Hollow Hills Central Schools $224,216 Alan Blayne Half Hollow Hills Central Schools $220,085 Victor Manuel Half Hollow Hills Central Schools $205,703 Patrick Harrigan Half Hollow Hills Central Schools $205,669 Lawrence Schubert Half Hollow Hills Central Schools $199,281 Mary Rettaliata Half Hollow Hills Central Schools $197,526 Nancy Baral Half Hollow Hills Central Schools $196,107 Lisa Albert Half Hollow Hills Central Schools $195,818 Debra Intorcia Half Hollow Hills Central Schools $191,110 Carol Mychailyszyn Half Hollow Hills Central Schools $188,541 Jeffery Woodberry Half Hollow Hills Central Schools $186,715 Andrew Greene Half Hollow Hills Central Schools $184,134 Donald Brown Half Hollow Hills Central Schools $184,051 Corinne Carriero Half Hollow Hills Central Schools $183,795 Gary Herman Half Hollow Hills Central Schools $182,422 Mel Stern Half Hollow Hills Central Schools $181,717 Milton Strong Half Hollow Hills Central Schools $179,354 Robert D'Agostino Half Hollow Hills Central Schools $177,995 Richard Miranda Half Hollow Hills Central Schools $177,531
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
