Why Should Unions Give Back When Admin Takes?

Dear Editor:

The recent raises awarded to administrative staff at Carmel Central School District are outrageous and disappointing.

“Keeping the CCSD administrative team together” is an admirable goal but not a priority in these economic hard times. The District should not be strong-armed into giving raises under the pretense that the administrators may leave for greener pastures.

If the administrators believe they are underpaid, they should explore other districts that have the ability to pay them more. It is hard to sympathize with people who make $150,000 to $220,000 a year when taxpayers are being asked to hand over more to the government, and while more jobs are lost every day.

The school board stated that the administrators are on the “lower end” of the pay scale, and that the salaries are market driven. However, according to Seethroughny. net, in 2009, Carmel Superintendent Dr. Ryan was the 2nd highestpaid Superintendent in Putnam, at $221,399 per year. Only Brewster’s was higher, at $227,260. Other administrators in the Carmel CSD are also competitively paid. And let us not forget their generous benefits and pension packages.

I attended a majority of the school board budget meetings. Members of the public requested acrossthe board salary freezes at every meeting; the Board said they were negotiating with the collective bargaining units to do so. Yet to date, every bargaining unit, along with the administrators, have received raises. It’s irresponsible.

We were told repeatedly that union contracts are enforceable by law, and that raises would be given even if the budget was voted down. We weren’t told that generous raises would also be granted to the individuals who are supposed to lead our district—the ones negotiating new contracts with the unions, the ones who are supposed to be asking the unions to give back. Why should the unions give back when the Administration takes? What credibility does the Administration have with the unions? What trustworthiness have they shown to the people who elected them?

Some complain that the administrative team works all year round and that teachers do not, and that administrators do not have contracts, steps and lanes and other perks the teachers have. Some schools around our country are experimenting with an alternative (i.e., extended) school year. I challenge our school board to join them. I also challenge the school board to change the current teacher’s contract to eliminate the costly perks altogether, or else establish a system that awards teacher perks based on merit and real results.

The public was led to believe the sky was falling: If we didn’t pass the budget, our schools would be unrecognizable. We were not told that administrative raises were buried in the budget. In light of the difficult, if not dire, fiscal situation we face, granting these administrative raises is extremely irresponsible, at best. We lost good teachers and suffered program cuts in this budget process. Next year looks to be even more challenging. These raises were in poor judgment and plain wrong.

Brenda Tracy Carmel