Discussion of Central Office Staff Raises Not on BOE Meeting Agenda

Potential raises for district staff, including one for superintendent Susan Agruso and assistant superintendent Ralph Cartisano, will not be discussed at a board of education special meeting scheduled to be held on graduation day.

Kings Park Board of Education President, Bill Motherway, said the discussion of raises will not be on the agenda and will be tabled for the July meeting. According to Motherway, the agenda will include the finalized Annual Professional Performance Review, known as APPR, which is due by July 1 and was not completed at the last meeting.

“The focus should be on the kids who are graduating,” said Motherway in a phone interview, who added that there would not be an opportunity for public comments.

"There was a difference of opinion amongst the board on the ten individuals we had budgeted in the 2012-2013 budget," said Motherway.

District staff raises were an item of contention at last Tuesday’s board meeting.

“I feel that you are letting people go and cutting programs… we don’t even have an elementary K-5 librarian and you can go ahead and give administrative raises to these people, I think it is unconscionable,” said former board member Sally Pruslow at the Tuesday evening meeting.

Approximately ten or so members of the central office staff, according to Agruso, are eligible for raises and money for them has been included in the budget. Much of that staff is made up of clerks and secretaries, with the average raise ranging from 1.5 percent to 2 percent. Agruso’s proposed raise was 1.7 percent and was not included in the 2012-2013 budget.

According to Agruso, there has been a pay freeze on central office staff since 2009.

“The fact is the people who are on that list have had a frozen salary since 2009.’ said Agruso at Tuesday's meeting.

She referred to teachers and civil service employee union who have received raises due to contractual obligations. Central office staff members are not represented by a union.

“There are no mandated increases for them (central office staff), no step increases for them," said Agruso at Tuesday's meeting. "Since that time we have had teachers in this school district get raises of 8 percent, 5 percent and next year it will be about 3.5 percent on average." Agruso said it was "an issue of fairness."

According to trustee Tom Locascio, there is a July 1 deadline to finalize APPR and that is why the meeting is being held.

"We have to make these deadlines, failure to do so can result in a loss of state aid," said Locascio in a phone conversation with Patch.

Motherway said the meeting, being held at 5:30 p.m. in room 101 of the high school, will be brief and that the issue of raises will be a matter for newly elected board members to consider.

__________________________________________________________________

Let Patch save you time. Get great local stories like this delivered right to your inbox or smartphone everyday, sign up for our free newsletter.