Administrative pay index reviewed
By EMILY SCOTT, For The Weirton Daily Times
POSTED: August 19, 2008
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“This has been a controversial issue for quite some time,” said Board President Jerry Durante.
Durante added that he has researched the pay index to see if anything could be done to equalize the pay scales in the county. He said when the state passes a raise, all school employees are typically given the same raise. The administrative pay index, however, takes that raise and multiplies it by a factor that is determined by the employee’s administrative position and the number of years they have worked for the schools.
The pay index was first approved by the school board in 1991 and has been in effect ever since.
Durante said the state has not given a raise for several years but did so this year, placing an additional financial obligation on a school district that has suffered a difficult year financially and struggled to stay solvent.
“There’s no way to control some of the increases that occur,” said Durante. “The Board of Education simply passes along what they must legally pass along. We are bound by the law, and the Board of Education will follow that law.”
Durante said there may or may not be a way to alter the pay index, adding there only option would be to investigate all the legal methods to bring it back under the control of the current board.
Durante emphasized that regardless of what happens with the pay index, the board has no plans to decrease any employee’s salary.
“I don’t know anybody in education in Hancock County who is overpaid,” he said.
The motion passed Monday stipulated that Smith return to the board with recommendations by Jan. 1, 2009.
The board also honored 24 retiring employees, including 20 professionals and four service personnel, who have worked a combined 783 years of service.
“I’m sure these retirees have seen many changes in education during their tenure. ... They’ve probably seen it all,” said Smith. “We can never really tell what influence these people have had. ... They brought enthusiasm to the schools. ... They really are sorely going to be missed. I hope they take some pleasant memories with them when they retire.”
“It’s an honor for me to have you here tonight,” said Durante, who asked the retirees to stop and think about how many students they have encountered over the years and the role they have played in their lives.
The board also heard an update on security upgrades being done at Oak Glen High School, Weir High School, and the John D. Rockefeller IV Career Center from Operations Director Mark Dziatkowicz. While the construction was expected to be completed before the new school year, which begins Aug. 26, Dziatkowicz said they are still waiting on the delivery of new doors at all three schools.
Smith said that once the doors are delivered, it will take 10 days for the upgrades to be completed, adding that the contractors will be working on afternoons and weekends to complete the work.
“They will have the least amount of interruptions when school starts as possible,” Smith said.
(Scott can be contacted at escott@reviewonline.com)
