Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 6, 1990 TAG: 9007060440
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By MARGARET CAMLIN
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Deputy Superintendent Curtis Gray's salary jumped 16.2 percent and Assistant Superintendent Steve Staples' salary increased by 13.9 percent.
Gray's salary rose from $52,894 to $61,493. Staples' salary increased from $50,136 to $57,123.
Superintendent Harold Dodge said Thursday he recommended the raises primarily because of the relatively high salary required to attract a new assistant superintendent for personnel. The School Board approved the raises last month.
This year's school budget includes 5.1 percent average increases for teachers, 7.2 percent raises for principals and assistant principals, and 6 percent raises for administrative and supervisory personnel.
The new assistant superintendent, John A. Martin, will replace Jill Graybeal, who retired last month. Martin will be paid $58,209. Graybeal's salary was $50,478.
"I couldn't have a new assistant making more than a deputy who's been here for 30 years," Dodge said, referring to Gray.
Dodge said it would have been impossible to recruit for the assistant superintendent position without offering a salary higher than the pay for Gray and Staples.
Even so, Martin's salary will be $1,086 higher than Staples'.
Dodge said the School Board has directed him to revise the entire salary scale for administrators. "The base is too low. I can't recruit, and I can't get qualified people," he said.
Dodge said he tried to recruit an executive assistant for planning and research to replace Claire Cole, who left the school system last year for a job that paid $10,000 more.
There was almost no response to the advertisement, Dodge said. "The reason was, the pay was too low." The vacant position is now frozen, he said.
Teachers have gotten steady pay increases for the past four years, and it's important to significantly raise salaries for school administrators, Dodge said.
Board Chairman Marty Childress said he has no problem with giving Staples and Gray higher-than-usual salary increases.
"Curtis and Steve have done an outstanding job, Curtis in particular," Childress said. Childress expressed concern that the school system could lose Staples if he decides to pursue a superintendent's job. "I hope we can hold on to him for a while," Childress said.
by CNB