Holmdel district salaries OK'd despite dissent
BOE split on 4 percent raises for school administrators
BY ERIN O. STATTEL Staff Writer
After a somewhat contentious Board of Education meeting last week, the administration of the school district will see a 4 percent pay raise in their salaries.

Salaries for Superintendent Barbara Duncan, Assistant Superintendent Mary Beth Currie and Business Administrator/ Board Secretary Michael Petrizzo, among other employees, were raised by 4 percent after discussion and dissention among the members of the Board of Education.

"With the economy like it is now and with the pay raises suggested, the Board of Education is living in fairyland and has no relation to the real world, because in the real world, people are losing their jobs and their homes, and to have this board come out and throw taxpayers' money around like this is reprehensible," said resident Bill Allingham, who has been outspoken about the school district's spending.

"If you are still in negotiations with the teachers, you are asking for teachers to demand pay raises as well. In these economic times, this is sheer stupidity."

According to information provided by the June 24 Board of Education meeting agenda, Duncan's salary for 2009-10 will be $212,556, but according to discussion at the meeting, the board is contractually required to adhere to a pay raise schedule for her salary.

Currie, who serves as assistant superintendent and oversees the district's curriculum and instruction, will receive a salary of $150,552, and Petrizzo will receive $155,641 for the 2009-10 school year.

For the 2008-09 school year, Duncan received a salary of $203,208, Petrizzo received $149,655, and Currie received $144,762.

"Holmdel has some of the lowest administrative costs in the state," Noel Whitman said during the public comment portion. "We have seen a tremendous change in the district since the previous superintendent. Four percent is appropriate for a low-cost, high-performance district if we don't want to lose talent."

Not everyone in attendance felt similarly.

"Because our expenses are low, the expectation of the community is to keep taxes low," said former township Committeeman Alan Bateman. "The people who work for me did not get raises this year, last year or the year before. This recession hit three years ago. Please take that into consideration."

The majority of Board of Education members had different opinions.

"We have a strong administrative team, and the board considered both sides of this argument in executive session," board President Ray Tai said when he addressed the board and the residents in attendance. "I support the 4 percent raises because their contributions to this district have been a tremendous impact on our school system. We are not blind to the economic situation, and we always make an effort to cut where we can without hurting education."

Tai also pointed out that administrators would not make more if the economy was in better shape.

"For the administration, this is a tough year, but when the economy is good, are we going to give them 14 percent? No," he said. "When I was at Lucent, I got a 14 percent pay increase one very good year. The education industry does not work that way, because they will still only get 4 percent in a good year."

Holmdel Township Republican Party Chairman Tom Scarano asked Tai how the board came to the figure of 4 percent if it was not contractually spelled out.

"This board negotiated with individuals who don't have raises built into their contracts," Tai said.

Board of Education member Ana Vander Woude said that she could not support the 4 percent increase.

"I do not support it, and this is not a reproach to my fellow board members, but we are in a tremendous, difficult recession," she said. "We asked [district-wide] to tighten the belt under the pretense that the money was not there to give out. We asked for donations from parents for classroom supplies under the premise that the money was not there to give out. April 21, our citizens voted no on our school budget and told us that the money was not there to give out."

Vander Woude cited the example of Chatham Township, where an administrator took a 2 percent increase in salary instead of 4 percent.

"The issue is not to undervalue our staff or single anyone out tonight, and it would be regrettable if anyone would consider employment elsewhere," she continued. "If the true goal of the board is parity, the true action should be to create parity with our community, which is struggling right now."

Board of Education member Jim Shelton suggested tabling the actions for a future meeting so the board could reconsider its options.

All his motions to table each resolution failed during the respective roll calls, even with the added presence of absent board members Gerald Burke and Chiung-Yin Cheung Liu, who voted via Petrizzo's and Duncan's cell phones after the public comment portion.

Residents voiced concerns over board members coming into the conversation midway via speakerphone.

"It is allowed," clarified board attorney Martin Barger, of Reussille, Mausner, Carotenuto, Barger & Steel, Red Bank. "It is like coming in late to a meeting."

Both members phoned in at approximately 9:10 p.m.B oard member Mike Collins said he, too, could not support a 4 percent increase. "The bottom line is that things have to happen the way they do, and these are the first salaries to come across the board," he said. "I am not on board with the 4 percent raise because I do not think the money is there to give out." Board of Education

Vice President Barbara Garrity said that she did not want to create resentments or discord within the district's administration.

"What concerns me is part of what makes this district run well is the sense of community among the ranks of our administrators, and I am concerned with treating like employees in unlike ways," she said. "I don't want to do piecemeal with people who have similar duties that affect morale in the district, so I am in support of the 4 percent raise."

The resolution setting Duncan's contract passed with eight supporting votes and Shelton's abstention, which is due to the fact, he said prior to the discussion, that his wife is a teacher in the district, which presents a conflict of interest on certain voting matters.

A motion to table the resolution concerning Petrizzo's salary failed, but the motion to approve the resolution passed by a 6-3 vote, with Vander Woude, Collins and Shelton casting the dissenting votes.

Similarly, a motion to table the resolution to set Currie's salary failed, but the motion to approve the resolution passed by a 6-2 vote, with Shelton abstaining from the vote.

Shelton said that since his motions to table the previous resolutions failed, he would not move to table the resolution affixing salaries for non-affiliated administrators. That resolution passed by a 6-3 vote with Vander Woude, Collins and Shelton again casting the opposing votes.

Included in the resolution affixing salaries for non-affiliated administrators for 2009-10 are: William Balicki, director of plant, operations and maintenance, at a salary of $109,787; Anthony Gattini, director of technology, at a salary for of $118,181; Cynthia Kuperman, assistant to the director of plant, operations and maintenance, at a salary of $77,458; Steven Lelivelt, network engineer, at a salary of $83,928; Peter Mikos, assistant business administrator and assistant board secretary, at a salary of $99,564; and Mandie Peart, human resources manager, at a salary of $86,320.