YONKERS, N.Y. With salaries remaining stagnant the past five years, now is the time to boost the earnings of several central office administrators in the Yonkers schools, the superintendent says.
Bernard Pierorazio strongly recommended the board of education approve a pay increase for the 32 employees last week, a hike that would be the groups first since 2007.
If approved by the board, the average raise would amount to 3.75 percent, or about $3,800 for each of the administrators. The raise would be retroactive to July 1, the beginning of the fiscal year, and would cost the district a total of $121,304, according to a Yonkers schools' spokeswoman.
Pierorazio said it was a nominal price to pay for the work central office administrators do.
Understand, these individuals have the same needs that everyone has, yet they've never been remiss in their responsibilities, he said. Theyve continued to work hard on a daily basis for the last five years with no additional compensation.
The recommendation came on the heels of an announcement in which the superintendent said the district may have to ask the city for up to $600,000 to hire additional teachers as they look to deal with rising student enrollment.
While the superintendent said he recognized the current financial constraints on the district, it was important to bring central office salaries up to par with the rest of the staff.
Even to this day, its difficult to entice building-level principals and even teachers and principals to come to the central office because the salaries lag so far behind, Pierorazio said.
The board agreed to review the recommendation; its president, Paresh Patel, said he was in favor of the salary hike.
It does become more clear as to why we should take this necessary step and I do support the proposal, he said.
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