Interesting piece (See Attached). I don't see Hebron on the list, though.
It does say something about a district when they cut tecahers (who actually affect the students) and yet keep giving administrators raises....
www.wfsb.com/news/25552195/detail.html
Cuts Made To Conn. Schools; Superintendents Enjoy Raises
Some Parents Think Money Should Be Given Back
POSTED: 1:36 pm EDT October 28, 2010
UPDATED: 6:53 pm EDT October 28, 2010
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Connecticut schools are in crisis mode over their budgets. While districts have been cutting jobs left and right, dozens of superintendents have been prospering.
In the past two years, 2,700 Connecticut teachers have lost their jobs, resulting in increased class sizes.
At the same time, more than half the teachers currently working took wage freezes.
But, Eyewitness News wanted to know how the economy is affecting superintendents.
School districts across the state were contacted and it was discovered more than two dozen superintendents took raises this school year.
"They do do a hard job, but it's not near as hard as what the teachers have to go through," said Hartford parent Alma Alihodzic.
In New Haven, 15 teachers' positions were eliminated while the superintendent took a 3 percent raise. He will make $200,000 this year. In Clinton, it took several tries for taxpayers to approve $800,000 worth of school cuts, but the superintendent and assistant superintendent each took 4 percent raises. In Hartford, 92 positions were cut, about 45 were teachers.
"We have about 400 less staff than we did in 2007," said Hartford superintendent Steven Adamowski. "About half of those were teaching positions. Fortunately, those teaching positions were not classroom positions."
In the three years Adamowski has been at the helm of Hartford Public Schools, the staff has consistently shrunk.
Adamowski said it's about prioritizing.
"A lot of our specialist positions have dropped by the wayside," he said. "People who were reading specialists, people working in the arts."
All this while Adamowski has taken a raise every single year. This year, he took a roughly 4 percent raise, bringing him this year to $225,000 while the average first-year teacher in Hartford makes $42,000.
"He should think about the kids first and their education instead of himself," said Alihodzic. "I don't think he should have taken the raise and he should give it back. Give it back to schools and hire more teachers."
But, Adamowski said he is unapologetic. He said he wanted to work in Hartford because he liked the incentive of his raise being tied to his performance.
Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Heather Hegedus asked Adamowski, "You got an $8,000 raise because of the performance. How do you justify taking that raise when you laid off 45 teachers?
Adamowski said, "I don't think, um, I think anyone receiving, um, an increase given the type of performance our district was able to show is certainly justified."
"You don't think if you forgo taking a raise or teachers forgo taking a salary increase," Hegedus started to ask before being cut off by Adamowski.
"I think our answer to that would be different if we were a high paid district in general, OK. So if I were in a Fairfield County district where the superintendent is making $300,000 and the teachers are all in the 80s and 90s, I might feel differently about that."
In another similarly poor and urban school district, New Britian, the superintendent there also took a raise while cutting about 80 positions.
"We have pared down to the bone," said New Britain Superintendent Dr. Doris Kurtz.
Kurtz said she took the raise because it will help boost the retirement money she gets from the city. But this year, she said she's pledged to take six unpaid furlough days to give back the raise she would be getting.
"It's impossible to please all of the stake holders," she said. "There are so many stake holders involved in education. It's such a political, complex job."
Katz said parents have a tendency to scrutinize superintendents' salaries simply because they're public jobs.
"First of all, I don't think it's a lot," Kurtz said. "To deal with all of the myriad of issues that arise in the state and federal demands, it's a very big job. So I don't feel any of us should feel or apologize for what we earn."
Hartford parent Valerie Scalora said, "The kids need it more than they do. If they're making that much money they could take a year without getting a raise and then put it back into the schools."
And the problem isn't going away. Education experts predict next year will be the tightest year yet because federal stimulus funds available this year won't be available anymore.
City/Town Salary: 2009 - 2010 Salary: 2010 - 2011
Avon $198,000 $191,467 - Interim
Bolton $130,000 $130,000
Bristol $190,000 $143,875
Clinton $139,000 $145,000
Clinton (Asst. Superintendent) $126,000 $131,000
Coventry $144,677 $144,677
Danbury $190,842 $194,659
Derby $130,000 $133,900
East Hartford $145,000 $145,000
East Lyme $174,000 $174,000
Ellington $142,317 $142,317
Enfield $153,851 $153,851
Fairfield $255,361 $260,000
Greenwich $230,000 $230,000
Groton $167,475 $167,475
Hartford $217,500 $225,000
Lebanon $124,000 $141,000
Litchfield $140,000 $144,200
Madison $175,000 $175,000
Manchester $150,112 $155,366
Mansfield $142,000 $146,260
Meriden $160,423 $160,808
Middletown $156,000 $156,000
Naugatuck $147,465 $147,465
New Britain $172,074 $176,806
New Canaan $240,000 $250,200
New Haven $194,183 $200,008
Newtown $174,932 $169,932
Norwich $136,409 - Interim $136,409
Old Saybrook $162,664 $165,917
Plainfield $152,791 $74,000 - Interim
Region 1: Cornwall, Kent, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon $142,599 $145,541
Region 5: Bethany, Woodbridge, Orange $134,660 $134,660
RHAM: Regional District 8: Hebron, Andover, Marlborough $139,000 $139,000
Region 10: Harwinton, Burlington $173,785 $178,130
Region 14: Woodbury, Bethlehem $151,043 $155,574
Region 16: Beacon Falls, Prospect $145,143 $149,497
Region 19: Ashford, Mansfield, Willington $141,758 NEGOTIATING
Seymour $156,140 $159,435
Simsbury $181,047 $181,047
Southington $158,738 $163,500
Vernon/Rockville $167,245 - Interim $155,000
Wallingford $165,000 $165,000
Waterbury $149,579 $149,579
Waterford $164,613 $60,000 - Interim
Watertown $142,000 $142,000
West Haven $165,000 $165,000
West Hartford $187,500 $194,000
Westport $276,720 $282,254
Westbrook $154,500 $159,000
Wilton $208,055 $208,055
Windsor $172,300 $172,300
Windsor Locks $189,422 $150,000
Woodstock $127,792 $130,000
