Inequity in Salary Increases (School-side vs. Town-side)

July 19, 2004 email from Town Treasurer Beth Klepeis to Linda Phillips detailing "School Department Merit Pay and Vacation Buyback for Administrators."

Chair, Reading Selectmen 10/23/02 letter and accompanying documentation [.pdf download, 350 KB] - document details the % increase of Reading school employee salaries under the Harutunian administration.

Base pay % increase for the Secretary to the Superintendent, FY 02 to 03: ($39,463 to $46,019) 16.6%

Base pay % increase for the Assoc. Superintendent, FY 02 to 03: ($92,250 to $100, 653) 9.1%

The Superintendent's FY '02 base pay was $119, 966 and his total pay was $129, 381. While his '03 base pay is $124, 164, (a 3.5 increase), his total FY 03 pay (including benefits) has yet to be released (as of January 2003). Under the present administration, School Committee has had a history of failing to release public information in a timely manner (particularly Executive Session activity, whether conducted legally or otherwise) [.pdf document, 120 KB] once the legal reasons for secrecy have passed.

A $7,500 "merit payment" bonus for Harry Harutunian, apparently voted by School Committee in Executive Session in February prior to the RMHS Project Override, was paid in his last check in June 2003. School Committee did NOT conduct a performance review and the executive session minutes / record of this action still have not been released (as of July 14, 2003). This merit payment / bonus is the maximum allowed in Harutunian's 2002 - 2003 contract, "subject to continued good performance as judged by the School Committee."

Harutunian has repeatedly claimed that he does not give merit pay to school employees?? According to his own contract with the Reading Public Schools, Harutunian seems to think it's ok for the Superintendent to receive "merit payment."

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Reading Salaries (as of February 2003)

Reading School Administrator Salaries - HTML, for .pdf click here

Reading Teacher Salaries - HTML, for .pdf click here

Reading Town/School Employee Salaries - HTML, for .pdf click here

Boston Globe Northwest 12/21/03 Superintendent Compensation data. Who is Massachusetts' most overpaid problem school administrator / C.E.O. wannabe? Who actually is underpaid, overworked and underappreciated? Read about school chief salaries, perks and other benefits in the scanned list [.pdf, 194 KB] from the 12/21/03 Globe Northwest article, Hot Market For Superintendents [.pdf, 25.4 KB].