District 13 board approves raises for two administrators

The District 13 Board of Education voted 4-2 on Nov. 25 to raise the salaries of two upper-level administrators.

The board approved a raise of 2 percent, or $3,639, for the district’s assistant superintendent of business, Meredith Brosnan, bringing her salary to $185,602 from $181,963. The same percentage increase was granted for the assistant superintendent of special services, Lisa Sells-Asch. That bumps her salary up $3,459, from $172,902 to $176,361.

Trustees William Stris and Patricia Farrell voted against the measure. Stris read a statement explaining his vote.

“I vote no because this raise represents a higher raise and higher base than has been previously established,” the statement said. “I believe this establishes a dangerous precedent for the future.”

Board President Joseph DiSibio said the trustees had considered a wide range of conditions when deciding on the raises. “These raises were part of their scheduled salary structure, though there was not a specific amount they were scheduled to receive,” DeSibio said. “When the board decides how much the raise will be, we look at a number of factors. We look at their previous job history, how long they have worked for us, and in what positions. We look at performance reviews from the superintendent and other staff members, and we look at various economic factors.”

The raises were the only resolutions of the 24 the board voted on that were not approved unanimously. Stris said he voiced his complaints at the meeting in order to ensure that a minority voice would be heard.

“I always read a statement explaining my no vote,” said Stris, who has voted against similar raises in the past. “I want to make sure it’s clear why I disagreed with this decision and give a voice to that disagreement. That way, anyone can look in the public records and see why I dissented, in this case because the higher raise sets a precedent.”