Erie School Board resurrects raises

Aug. 07--Salary increases for some Erie School District employees might soon be back on the table. Separate resolutions to change the titles and salaries of three administrators likely will be on the Erie School Board's agenda when it meets Aug. 13.

The School Board also will consider whether to increase the salaries of some nonbargaining employees and some district and school administrators.

Superintendent Jay Badams had recommended $1,000 increases for a total of 167 employees in those groups in June, but both the amount of the increase and the number of employees to receive them, if approved, could change by the time the board votes.

The title and salary changes for the three administrators -- Angela Kownacki, Richard Vitale and David Haft -- reflect additional duties they took on after the December resignation of Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Roland Taylor, Badams said.

The increases as proposed in June total $13,143, with an average increase of $4,381.

Matthew Cummings, the district's director of communications, also was slated to receive a new title and a salary increase, with board approval, but that resolution has been pulled from the agenda. Cummings on Wednesday said only that it was removed at Cummings' request.

Badams said he recommended the increases for the nonbargaining groups and the other district and school administrators because those groups spend more on health insurance and have taken wage freezes in the past, among other reasons. In many cases, the proposed increases won't cover increased health care costs, Badams said.

Both groups are not covered by union contracts and separately negotiate their salaries annually as part of the budget process.

"For most taxpayers, the thought of any salary increase for public employees is anathema," Badams said. "But we're working with human beings that participate in the economy. My hope is that we can at least keep them even."

Badams said a 1 percent increase for all employees except teachers, who are separately negotiating their contract now, is included in the 2014-15 budget. Any increases beyond what is built in could be paid for through a contingency line item in the budget for the superintendent's office, he said.

The contingency line item currently stands at about $200,000, Badams said. That money has been used to cover unexpected staffing needs, such as the hiring of a teacher to keep class sizes at a manageable level if enrollment increases, he said.

Badams said he feels comfortable using the contingency funding to cover the increases.

The School Board tabled any action on the increases at its last meeting in June as it waited for a final state budget. The group will meet again at 6 p.m. on Aug. 13 at East High School, 1001 Atkins St.

ERICA ERWIN can be reached at 870-1846 or by e-mail. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNerwin.

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