Instructional leaders, techs get raises

Enterprise file photo — Melissa Hale-Spencer

Lin Severance, shown here at a recent awards ceremony, is Guilderland's assistant superintendent for human resources. She helps negotiate contracts for the district and said of salaries in the new contract for instructional administrators, "Our starting rate is lower than most districts and other districts make greater improvements in salaries commensurate with experience."

GUILDERLAND — The school board here has recently ratified two contracts with small units.

The district’s nine instructional administrators will receive 1.5-percent raises in each year of their three-year contract, which runs from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2015.

The seven technology and communications workers also have a three-year contract, running from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2015. In the first year, they will receive a 2-percent raise; in the second and third years, they will receive 1-percent raises.

The information in this article was supplied to The Enterprise by e-mail from Guilderland’s assistant superintendent for human resources, Lin Severance, who worked with Neil Sanders, the assistant superintendent for business, to negotiate the contracts.

The Instructional Administrators’ Association includes district-wide leaders who oversee art; music; world languages; and physical education, health, and athletics. It also includes administrators at the high school for math and science and for English, social studies, and reading; at the middle school for math, science, and technology and for English, social studies, reading, and the library; and at the elementary level for coordinating programs and staff development.

Their experience ranges from three years to over 27 years.

In the first year of the contract, the lowest paid association member earned $76,500 annually and the highest paid member earned $107,634. In the last year, the top salary will be $112,550 and the lowest will be $81,284.

The contract establishes a minimum starting salary of $80,000 for incoming administrators.

Most Guilderland employees pay 20 percent of their health-insurance cost and the district pays the other 80 percent. Effective with the close of business on June 30, 2015, the instructional administrators will contribute 22 percent.

Severance said it is “very difficult” to compare the salaries at Guilderland with other districts because duties and work days vary widely.

“Our starting rate is lower than most districts,” she said, “and other districts make greater improvements in salaries commensurate with experience.”

Tech contract

The new three-year contract for technology and communication workers covers three employees: five computer technicians; one network and systems technician, a new title, replacing a technician; and one television production assistant.

Salaries in the first year of the contract range from $45,727 to $55,648. In the third year of the contract, they will range from $46,646 to $56,766.

The technicians have from eight to 16 years of experience.

The salaries, Severance said, are “competitive with other districts.”

Other changes in the contract, she said, involved clarifying language and editing obsolete language.

Also, for new hires, Severance said, there is a decreased number of sick-leave days, personal-leave days, and vacation-day entitlement with a maximum accrual and payout upon separation.

Finally, the probationary period was increased to 52 weeks.

At the Dec. 10 meeting, where the school board, by a vote of 8 to 0, approved the agreement, Superintendent Marie Wiles thanked the negotiating team for many months of work and thanked the unit members, too, saying they “arrived in a good place.”

Wiles concluded, “Perseverance pays off.”

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