Top Monadnock officials granted raises

June 29--SWANZEY CENTER -- While the school board continues to look for ways to cut spending, a number of top administrators in the Monadnock Regional School District will get raises.

Changes in job responsibilities and bringing salaries in line with staff members' workloads were behind the decision to raise wages, according to meeting minutes from a June 3 nonpublic School Administrative Unit 93 board meeting that were recently made available.

Board members approved a 4 percent boost for Business Administrator Jane E. Fortson, and a 13.5 percent raise for Student Services Director Troy Kennett.

They also approved increases for other staff ranging from 2 to 3 percent.

Fortson currently makes $91,396, while Kennett's salary for the 2013-14 school year is $86,143.

The raises will bring Fortson's salary to $96,000 for the 2014-15 school year and Kennett's to $97,775, according to records from the district's business office.

Salaries for Superintendent Leo P. Corriveau and Assistant Superintendent Karen Craig weren't addressed at the June meeting. Both plan to retire at the end of the 2014-15 school year, and have agreed to work part-time until then. They will each be allowed to work up to 30 hours a week, at <money>$75 an hour for Corriveau and $60 an hour for Craig, according to business office records.

Over the course of a full, 52-week year, the most Corriveau could make would be $117,000, while Craig's maximum pay would be $93,600.

Both are picking up the cost of their insurance because they are working less than 30 hours a week, Fortson said Friday.

Corriveau's current salary is $133,250, and Craig is paid $101,901 a year.

School Administrative Unit 93 provides administrative services for the Monadnock Regional School District, and is essentially the same entity.

Corriveau said last week that he suggested a large salary increase for Kennett because Kennett will take on additional responsibilities, including director of the Monadnock Regional Middle/High School guidance department and the Monadnock SMART program, an alternative-education program for high school students that began this school year.

The increase Fortson received was less than the 7 percent Corriveau had recommended to the board in June.

Corriveau said in the meeting minutes that he based his recommendation on the fact that Fortson had received a good evaluation, knew her job and was able to save the school district money.

Raises are based on job responsibilities, performance evaluations and adjustments to keep salaries in line with other districts, Corriveau said this week.

Savings from the reduction of administrative positions and the redistribution of job duties will pay for the salary increases, he said.

Those reductions include the planned elimination of an assistant principal position at Monadnock Regional Middle/High School, saving $70,000 to $80,000 a year.

The school district will also save $65,621 by having Kennett take on the additional responsibilities, according to information from the business office.

Monadnock's administration has been directed by the school board to bring the district's cost per-pupil down to the state average, Craig has said.

Further, voters at the school district's annual meeting in March passed an advisory warrant article requesting Monadnock decrease the school district's budget so the average cost per pupil would drop by $500 each year for the next five years, or until the cost per student reaches the state average, she said.

Meghan Foley can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1436, or mfoley@keenesentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @MFoleyKS.

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