Three School Board Members, Superintendent Wanted To Give 22.5% Raises To Administrators

  BY BUDDY NEVINS

 

School Superintendent Robert Runcie’s plan to give three administrators 22.5 percent raises was blocked by five members of the School Board last month.

But three members of the School Board —  Ann Murray, Abby Freedman and Laurie Rich Levinson — thought it was  a good idea and voted in favor of the huge pay hike.

Runcie’s request to enrich his administrators came while the school system has asked voters to approve $800 million in new bonds.

 

 

Robert Runcie

Robert Runcie: Wanted More Money For Administrators

 

 

When told that Runcie wanted 22.5 percent more for the administrators, Member Robin Bartleman complained, “That’s a lot, lot of money…I feel really uncomfortable.”

Teachers and other employees received a 2.5 percent raise.

It was Bartleman, along with Chair Patti Good and members Donna Korn, Heather Brinkworth and Nora Rupert who stopped the raises.

Murray, Freeman and Levinson voted for them.

Roselind Osgood did not attend the meeting.

This was perhaps the first time a Board majority — 5-3 — thwarted Runcie on a major issue.

Murray, Freedman and Levinson, who wanted to grant the raises, are running for re-election. So are Brinkworth and Rupert, who rejected the enormous raise.

Rupert complained that the raise send the message that three handpicked administrators were more valuable to the schools than the bulk of other employees, who are getting only a 2.5 percent increase.

Although the huge pay hikes was the brainchild Runcie, he let his Chief of Staff Jeffrey Moquin present it to the Board. Moquin said the raises were necessary to “make sure we can attract and retain talent.”

Rupert rejected that argument.

“I don’t think we’re losing big powerful positions because of the salary,” she said. “I don’t think they are fleeing for that reason.”

Runcie, who contends his administration is the most transparent in Broward public school’s history, tried to sneak the raises through the Board. He hid them among a list of many employees being hired for the 2014-1015 school year presented to the Board June 24.

Board Chair Patti Good uncovered Runcie’s scheme.

“They were listed among hundreds and hundreds of employees,” Good told the Board.

The three employees Runcie slated to get the raises were:

  • Chief Human Relations Officer Amanda Bailey, who was due to get roughly $129,000.
  • Early Childhood Education Director Lori Canning, who was to receive $87,474.
  • Labor Relations Director Dorothy Davis, who was set to get $111,513.

Benefits are extra.

The top salary for a teacher being hired with a doctorate degree and substantial experience is $57,200, according to the school system’s salary schedule.  The top salary for a teacher already on staff is roughly $72,000.

Bailey, Canning and Davis are currently performing the same jobs, but on a temporary basis and at a lower salary. Runcie now wanted to formally name them to the jobs and give them the pay boost.

Freeman agreed with Runcie. She said that now that the administrators proved they could do the job so they deserved the huge salary increase.

“I understand where you are going with the bump (in salary)….The Superintendent at the end of the day, I don’t think he is looking at allocating our resources irresponsibly,” Freedman said.

The situation with Bailey, Canning and Davis brings up an interesting point.  Runcie has bragged to the business community that Broward has the lowest administrative costs in the state. But is it really?

Numerous sources inside the school system contend that Runcie has filled administrative jobs on a “temporary” basis. This budgetary trick allows them to avoid being counted as administrators.

How Bailey, Canning and Davis will be classified in the future is not known, but one thing is certain: This will be back at the Board again in the future with a new adjusted salary for the three administrators.

 

 



41 Responses to “Three School Board Members, Superintendent Wanted To Give 22.5% Raises To Administrators”

  1. Outspoken says:

    No surprise, these summer meetings often have surprises hidden in agenda items.
    The transparency in Broward is selective, you see what Leadership wants.
    This District has forgotten that they exist exclusively to serve the students.
    Voters, pay attention please

  2. Perspective says:

    Doing things transparently should be priority number one. If these hires were hidden then that is a problem.
    However, I don’t think that the salaries are that out of line for the job titles. The school district has what 23,000+ employees. I challenge you to find any private sector company or other government entity in the country where their HR director, with that many employees, makes a penny less.
    Also, smart of them to try the employees out temporarily in the position before making them permanent. That is good business.

  3. Juliet Hibbs says:

    Mr.Runcie Just said he had over 31000 employees. Now the abuses that come from this abusive leadership….this is but one example…. where is the transparency? Mr. Runcie started his career in Broward stating he was the new sheriff in town. Transparency is something that is lacking. What about ALL the investigations that have been promised. An example of this is the Video of an Assistant Principal getting physical with a student on Youtube. Hibbsforchange That was supposed to be investigated over two years ago. Shameful, they all know what is going on! It has been exposed again and again at THAT podium, at those very meetings. But Mr. Carland, the school board attorney, tells them all the time, they have no right to question anything Mr Runcie does pertaining to day to day operations. That is students, staff and parents. Where is Mr. Runcie ever accountable. According the to the FDLE Mr. Runcie and Chief Golt investigated themselves. There is NO ONE else! Where is the accountability that Broward was promised….all politics. Sad because it is about what is right for the children and tax payers of Broward

  4. Juliet Hibbs says:

    Buddy and the Broward Beat again to all of you THANK YOU You are the ONLY REAL news being reported in politics

  5. Baby Nan says:

    I told you on another blog that Laurie Levinson is corrupt. She is trying to ride on her mother’s coattail. This time she is going to ride mommy’s coattail right OUT OF office.

    Buddy-

    I want to see how long it takes you before you remove this comment. Are you biased maybe????

    My last comment got removed just because it is telling the truth about Laurie.

  6. Baby Nan says:

    What about teacher raises Laurie? Oh wait, they are not contributing to your campaign. The developers and your show of a husband’s lawyer friends are…..

    BTW: Who is your real husband? SHHHH that will come out later.

  7. Greedy Freedman says:

    You’d have to throw in a 98% raise and a new Lexus before Abby Freedman would even flinch. Some people, like Robin, are public servants who genuinely want to help the public, while others just like the easy public paycheck. I guess it’s true that pigs get fed and hogs get slaughtered.

  8. s only says:

    That salary hike is crazy. Swap out some of those “chiefs” or “superintendents” or “directors” or “officers”of this and that with those ladies, although Canning deserves it.

    Are these positions being added to the org chart?

    I recently looked at the Organizational Chart- filled to the hilt with do-little administrators.
    I say, Put them all at schools sites if they want to learn anything about the schools and students.

  9. Charlotte Greenbarg says:

    Perspective, Broward Schools definitely isn’t private industry. No one gets held accountable for much of anything, and there’s no group of stockholders (public) that can do anything to the Sup’t or the administrators. The board has not acted on so many things, except this, which probably was because of the egg in the face of asking for $800 million in new taxes.

    You think it’s smart. Most people would think it’s smarmy. They weren’t tried out. It was done that way to try to get it through on a long list that maybe few would actually read. They used to do that in Dade all the time.

    Let’s see what happens in November.

  10. Juliet Hibbs says:

    Yes Many high level positions created in the last two years alone

  11. Found it!! says:

    Wow, it took me whole five minutes. It is on page one, in bold, in an amendment. If this is hidden, what is transparent?

    FROM BUDDY:

    Before Patti Good raised the issue with the staff before the meeting, the item was not in an amendment. It was buried among all the other hires. After she complained, the staff put it in a separate amendment.

  12. Murray, Freedman and Levinson gotta go says:

    First Thank you to Buddy Nevins and broward beat because this will not be in s-s. Maybe browardbulldog will cover and MH may run it.

    Second THANK YOU to Patti Good for diligence and vigilance. She is terrific in her efforts to get accountability from runcie and company.

    Now to Murray, Freedman and Levinson,up for re-hiring come November (unless they are in primary come Aug 26). They gotta go. Seriously this is indicative of how the $800,000,000.00 bond money would be spent if they got it – like sailors on shore leave.

    Thankfully nan rich is off the political horizon come august. she needs to get a hobby and no more political aspiration mother-daughter discussions.
    Runcie is a thief. And shenanigans like this with undeserved pay raises.

    Sorry the teachers only got 2.5%.

    Voters can send a message.
    Murray, Freedman and Levinson gotta go

  13. Perspective says:

    Again, which private sector OR government entity pays less with, as the poster above noted, 31000 employees?

  14. ginger says:

    Believe me, this bond that the school board is going to put before the voters will definitely be a “DEAD ISSUE” in November.

  15. Robin Rhea says:

    While I consider huge administrative raises to be unjust, I also believe that accuracy of reporting is vital. The figure quoted as being the highest salary a teacher with a Ph.D. can earn is absolutely incorrect.

    FROM BUDDY:

    The figure comes from the Broward Schools own website here: http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/teacher/employment/ins/salary/new_hire_salary_schedule.html

  16. Mia says:

    Same old ,same old.. Make sure we vote them OUT!!!

  17. One Who Knows says:

    Thank you for writing this, however Runcie & his buddies (Amanda Baily & Dorothy Davis)have been playing games for a while. Take a look into [name removed]. They played games with where she was “located” since January. They then backdated her location to January in order to cover her tracks. In the mean time she had not put a foot into her position. [Name removed] took sick time then was approved to take from the Sick-Bank (had a doctors note she was extremely ill)yet she was feeling just fine to campaign for [office at] the BTU! In the mean time her very first Sick-Bank day [name removed] was video taped presenting to the BTU Stewards and stood by a couple of tables passing out her fliers. Later she was seen going to school with President Sharon Glickman and to other monthly Steward Meetings throughout the county to campaign ALL WHILE ON Sick-Bank leave. Now I wonder why Broward Schools needs more money from the county. Maybe if they stop paying people for not working . . .

    FROM BUDDY:

    I edited this comment to remove the name of the person mentioned.

  18. Pembroke Pines Vice Mayir Jay Schwartz says:

    Every child deserves an effective education. This money deserves to be in the classroom. Kids before administration.

  19. LMAO says:

    It really just a set up, precursor , so task assigned/acting Chief of Staff, Jeff Moffat, can raise his salary.$30,000 to approximately $180,000!

    Mr. Runcie get a grip before it’s too late!

  20. Frustrated Teacher says:

    I’m a teacher that was surplussed at the end of last school year. I had some of the highest scores in my department. These proposed bumps could have retained real educators.

  21. BCPS Ranks Lowest in Admin Costs in FL says:

    BCPS Ranks Lowest in the State for Administrative Costs

    Thursday, May 29, 2014

    Results Reflect Commitment to Efficiency in District Operations

    Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) is proud to have the lowest administrative costs in the state, according to a new report released by the Florida Department of Education. The report reflects data for all of Florida’s 67 school districts for the 2012/13 school year.

    In addition to having the lowest administrative costs among all Florida school districts, BCPS administrative costs are also significantly below the state average and reflect a decrease in the District’s administrative costs compared to 2011/12 and 2010/11.

    Among the District’s overall cost-saving efforts:

    Streamlining of processes and District operations to increase efficiencies.
    Relocation of District departments from the Sawgrass Technology Park to offices located on various District-owned properties.
    Redesign of the District’s healthcare plans to better manage and contain rising healthcare costs by moving to a self-insured model, competitively bidding contracts to reduce administrative costs, and encouraging greater use of lower-cost generic drugs.

    “Our District is focused on ensuring we are good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” said Superintendent Robert W. Runcie. “As part of our strategic goal for continuous improvement, we are working hard to increase administrative efficiencies, reduce costs and invest savings back into our classrooms.”

  22. Un-believable says:

    And……..This is why no one should or will vote for the bond issue. Same s&%!, different sup.

    Runcie must’ve learned his tricks from former former sup Till. He was very good at sneaking things in without notice, too.

  23. Plain Language says:

    The timing of it just goes to show how much these people live in their own private Idaho.

  24. Facts says:

    The previous person in the position of chief of human resources was Gracie Diaz. She received $145k in annual compensation so why is anyone balking paying her replacement $125k? That is a net savings of $20k.
    I am sorry to disagree but I see that as a good thing.

  25. Tom Johnson says:

    In a former administration, we had a full time “Wage and Salary” administrator who continually examined wage and salary comparisons between Broward and other employers. We wanted to be fair, but also competitive. I assume that tis was done. If not what standards were used?

  26. LMAO says:

    Fact is:

    Gracie Diaz is still making $145,000!

    Where’s the savings?

  27. Baby Nan says:

    Vote Murray and Levinson OUT. We do not need corruption and racism on the School Board.

  28. Propaganda Backfired says:

    Guess who has egg all over their faces right now? THE BTU AND THE UNION!

    The BTU and the Union endorsed Laurie without even giving her opponent an interview because Laurie’s “mommy” said so!

    Still happy you made that decision BTU? What about you UNION?

    It’s called backfire!

    P.S. Note to BTU and the UNION it pays to be fair. #thatisall

  29. tom james says:

    Duncie is a corrupt broadie brought in by his buddy Obama to break up the district and set up charters and vouchers.

  30. Juliet Hibbs says:

    Facts,
    Then why were they hidden?? Why is the NEXT Police Chief asking about me at the last school board meeting. Asking who I was and where I was assigned. I am in the process of retiring. I CANT be hunted again. I refuse to be quite! This is about the students. They DONT get what they need! If teachers and bus drivers are being abused, then that DOES impact students. look at all the people that have been pleading for help, from all over the district. It all effects the students. And if our students are not safe, then they CANT be educated to a higher level. Maslow’s hierarchy….they cant process to a deeper understanding because they are worried about all that is going on! There is NO equity!

  31. Outspoken says:

    Note to all:

    As Chair Good said at the meeting, as disturbed as she is with the raise amount, she was really concerned with the “way it was presented.” That is, buried in an agenda item mixed in with hundreds of other position changes.

    = Transparency ?? Not

  32. the truth hurts says:

    @facts
    it is the way it was attempted
    buying the increases, no full disclosure,
    indicative of how the bond $$ would be squandered if the voters gave it to runcie and company

    NO BOND Money

  33. Baby Nan says:

    Like I said before, VOTE CORRUPTION AND RACISM out! Laurie and Ann need to go.

  34. PandaBear says:

    “…the raises were necessary to make sure we can attract and retain talent.” Ha, ha, ha, lol, lol, roflmaaaaaaoooo!!!!!! Wanna know a secret? Administrators at either the Crystal Palace or at the schools are appointed by how many ahzzes they’ve kissed on this earth. Not one knows what’s going on! What talent does Runciee want to attract? Ahzzz kissers? Hahahahaha!!! Many competent, licensed, and excellent candidates will never climb the ladder simply because they’re unwilling to buy knee pads. Hahahaha. He’s beautiful! He’s so funny! He made my day!

  35. Propaganda Backfired says:

    Guess Buddy didn’t like the truth about how Laurie received the endorsement from BTU and the UNION. Why did you decide to take it down?

    Biased anyone????

    Listen BTU and the Union have egg on their faces right now.

    They endorsed Laurie without giving her opponent an interview just because her mommy said so. Yeah I know mommy is going to call Buddy and tell him to remove this post again. Oh well….so is Broward politics.

    Good thing it is up to the voters.

    FROM BUDDY:

    I have no idea what you are writing about. Your comment was posted.

  36. Lamberti is a Criminal says:

    How about a PRR for the entire budget, to include salaries, benefits, hidden deferred comp payments, and whether any position is FT or temp. Then do a line by line forensic analysis. THAT IS TRANSPARENT. Wonder why Lamberti or Howard the Hypocrite never did that? I wish that was aFinal Jeopardy answer. Even Stevie Wonder would get that one right.

  37. Try putting the money towards education says:

    Don’t you think it’s time to put the money towards educating our children? I am so tired of the lack of concern regarding education and providing for our children. All the school board does is steal the money and gives raises to those who DONT teach, then they publish articles about what a good job they are doing. Soon we will be reading an article about what cut’s are being made in the schools because there isn’t enough money. Aren’t schools for teaching and the school board to make sure it get done? Get with the program or get out, please!!!!

  38. City Activist Robert Walsh says:

    Can you believe this crap. Raise huh, but yet they want us to fork over 800mill to by these kids new computers. Get this, becuase the computers the students are learning on are ten (10) yrs. old. Too bad. This school bd. loves to spend money except they are forgetting its our money. Vote no on the loot(800mill)people….

  39. Just the facts says:

    Budy the teacher salary that you quote is for a first year teacher. Not one with 20 years experience. The fact is that 58% of the highest paid(top 10%) employees within the district are TEACHERS check it out its public record. And they only work 10 months compared to 12 for the others. There is nothing wrong with them making that money but let’s stop acting like only administrators are all getting paid all of the district’s money.

    FROM BUDDY:

    As your comment indicates, the sentence wasn’t written clearly enough. I have modified it.

    The only reason that teachers comprise 58 percent of the highest paid employees is that teachers are the largest bloc of employees….by far.

    Bottom line is that teachers deal directly with children, which is the function of the district. Administrators seldom enter a classroom.

    And again, charter get along quite well with a streamlined administrative structure.

  40. Tom Becks says:

    The point is obviously that there are two standards, one for bus drivers and teachers and another for administrators.

  41. Becky Blackwood says:

    The question is = are these temporary positions or permanent ones? In other words, have the positions been added to the organizational chart. A Human Relations Chief is not the same thing as a Human Resources Director.

    I can vouch for Dorothy Davis. I do not know the other two individuals. I met Dorothy when she was in Human Resources in the early 2000’s. She was a fair individual, who relied on facts not fiction and conscientiously did her job. She reported information regarding me factually, even though there was pressure by administrators above her to be untruthful. Today, considering she was an employee of the District before I met her, I would imagine if she is qualified for this new position, at least 14 years later, the salary for the position she is presently working in temporarily would not be a raise. It would be for the increased responsibility and should be a promotion.

    As to the other two, the same criteria should have been identified to the Board by the staff, if they, too, qualified for the same reasons.