NESHANNOCK: Administrators give back part of pay hike

By Debbie Wachter Morris

June 16, 2009 07:38 pm

— Six of seven Neshannock school administrators are donating part of their raises toward a budget without a tax hike.
The board voted 8-1 last night to adopt an unbalanced 2009-10 spending plan that calls for no tax increase, but shows a deficit of $748,931.
The board also granted raises to administrators, who decided to give back a portion to help the district.
The budget shows $16,422,932 in projected expenses and $15,674,001 in anticipated revenues. Property taxes will remain at 13.697 mills.
The budget and finance committee had managed to whittle $119,631 off the proposed expenditures since the budget was introduced last month with an accompanying tax increase, but the reductions were insufficient to balance it.
Tracy Stevenson voted against the spending plan without comment.

GIVING BACK
Although raises were approved for administrators, business office personnel and confidential secretaries, five administrators have agreed to donate $500 each back to the district.
The five received increases of 4 percent. The increases and their new salaries are:
•Kathleen Roppa, assistant superintendent, $4,370, $113,632
•Matthew Heasley, elementary principal, $3,367, $87,531
•Luca Passarelli, high school principal, $3,172, $82,482
•Dr. Tracy McCalla, junior high principal, $2,966, $77,126
•Connie Fiorante, director of pupil services, $2,966, $77,126
The board will conduct a performance review for the superintendent, Dr. Mary Todora, later this summer when she is due for a raise. She said she will donate her entire raise — whatever the amount is — to the district.
Business manager Melissa Morosky is the only administrator not contributing to the budget. She was granted a new contract last night with a 3 percent raise of $1,740, bringing her pay to $59,740 for next school year.
Todora said Morosky was not approached about donating back because she is not part of the academic administrative staff.
“We looked at members of the team who are underpaid and we didn’t ask her to give back,” she said. “I went to the other administrators and said that morally, with the economy as bad as it is, if we could give something back, there are a lot of people in our own families who are hurting financially. We didn’t ask her because she’s really not an administrator.”
Heasley, explaining the reasoning for the give-back, commented, “There’s not a member on this board who doesn’t try to do what they think is best. We’ve talked about this and we think it’s the right thing to do. We all have houses as well.”
He said the donation is being made because of the hard work done by the board. Other administrators at the meeting repeated his sentiments.

TAXPAYERS PROTEST
The board’s initial proposal to raise taxes by 0.336 of a mill or 2.45 percent had triggered protests by taxpayers, who cited the shaky economic climate and the number of residents on fixed incomes.
About 50 people attended last night’s meeting, including several former school board members, to ask the board to hold the line on taxes.
One was Bruce Waldman, who commented, “When I served in your seat, there were (about) 1,300 students in Neshannock and there were five administrative staff and shared secretarial help.”
He pointed out the district now has only 70 more students, but pays seven administrators with added secretarial help and a business administrator, plus costly benefits and retirement programs.
Russell “Hank” Forney, owner of commercial property in the township, has been informing taxpayers via telephone and e-mail about his displeasure with the district’s spending and proposed tax increase.
He criticized the way the board advertised public budget planning and bid opening meetings earlier this month, which were canceled, then convened, although the cancellation was posted on the school’s marquee.
“Whoever authorized that, that is bordering on malfeasance,” he said, “... and you were wanting to spend a lot of money.”
Despite the board’s adoption of an unbalanced budget, Forney said, “I’m not hearing a lot of talk about going in and doing the hard cuts.”
He encouraged the board to look at reducing its “top-heavy” administrative staff.
“No more new taxes,” insisted Steve Shaftic of Buena Vista Way. “We’re going to have money taken out of our taxes for what? Ballfields? What happened to taking money out for education?”
The district is allowed to submit an unbalanced budget to Harrisburg, Todora explained after the meeting. There will be enough money for the year if the district keeps tight controls and underspends in some areas, she said.
The budget has a reserve fund of about $200,000, and the district expects to receive $450,000 in stimulus funds, she said. Those would reduce the deficit to about $50,000.
“Then we would have to watch how we spend money.”
She discounted Forney’s claims that there are too many administrators.
“We didn’t add on any administrators since I’ve been superintendent,” she said.
“The quality of programs we offer every year sets this district apart from other districts. To keep that pace, you need to have these people in place.”

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