SAYING that the previous compensation plan is unsustainable, the Board of Education on Friday approved a new annual salary schedule that will result in a “minimal increase” in the total personnel cost for the Public School System’s central office employees.
Due to a lack of local revenue caused by the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, PSS was not able to fill many of the key positions in its central office in the last school year. As a result, the remaining employees ended up performing tasks involving the positions that had to remain vacant due to a lack of funds.
Despite multi-tasking, the 46 central office employees did not get a pay raise. Instead, they were given a “flat rate.” The associate commissioners, for example, received $90,000 per annum, instead of $113,343; the senior directors, $87,000 instead of $113,000; the key management directors, $77,000 instead of $102,000; directors, $67,000 instead of $93,000; program managers, $59,000 instead of $84,000; and coordinators, $50,000 instead of $58,000.
Their salaries are paid by a combination of local and federal funds.
In a board meeting on Friday, PSS Finance Director Arlynn Lizama presented a cost impact analysis on the proposal to lift the current “flat rate.”
Lizama said adopting the previous compensation plan will increase the central office’s personnel cost by over $1 million — to $4.6 million from $3.5 million.
Lizama told the board, “We know that this range is not sustainable. Our budget cannot accommodate this range.”
The other option, which was approved by BOE, will increase the personnel cost of the central office by $378,042 only. Under this proposal, the associate commissioner will receive $115,000 per annum; the senior directors, $95,000; key management directors, $85,000; directors, $76,000; program managers, $65,000 and coordinators, $54,000.
The increase in the associate commissioner’s salary is due to the additional tasks that used to be performed by the now vacant positions.
In an interview after the board meeting, Education Commissioner Alfred B. Ada said the new salary schedule will be implemented in the new school year.
He said PSS will not fill the vacancies, which means that the central office employees will have to continue “multi-tasking.”
Ada said with the new salary schedule, PSS is still saving money because it doesn’t have to hire new personnel for the central office.
He added that the savings will allow PSS to hire 11 bilingual (Chamorro/Carolinian) teachers.
Board of Education Chairman Andrew Orsini, center background, gestures as he speaks during a BOE meeting Friday on Capital Hill.
Photo by Emmanuel T. Erediano
