Of those, the top two made over $500,000. His salary is $324,450, but he receives more than $130,000 in benefits, bringing his total compensation to $455,572. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. As accomplishments, he listed improved graduation rates along with a zero tax-levy increase for six of the past seven years. "They are in general the highest-paid teachers in the United States, which essentially means the world," Empire Center senior fellow E.J. The Savannah was built in 1818. An agreement was reached in April after the Lawrence Teachers Association challenged the district in Nassau County Supreme Court, according to court documents. John Hildebrand is Newsday's senior education writer and has covered school news and policy issues affecting Long Island for more than 40 years. Please enable notifications or using normal browsing mode. A fascinating view opens up over the fully glazed fronts: the Cologne Cathedral, the river Rhine, even the Siebengebirge are in the viewer's field of vision. A total of six teachers in the district had packages ranging from $324,013 to $467,985, state records showed. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Privacy Policy |Terms of service |Subscription terms |Your ad choices |Cookie Settings |California Privacy Rights |About Us |Contact Newsday |Reprints & permissions |Advertise with Newsday |Help. Newsday did the analysis amid calls for higher salaries nationwide for teachers after they worked remotely and in-person through the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Copyright 2023 Newsday. Our mission is to make New York a better Kishore Kuncham, Freeport Public Schools, $393,374, 8. Posted 12:00:00 AM. Join us and Long Live Long Island where we care for Every Patient, Every Time. Where's The Best Place To Sled On Long Island? On June 15, Wantagh residents by a wide margin approved a scaled-down $82.7 million budget with the 1.96% tax increase. "The only way you can do that is with highly trained, highly paid, highly sought-after kids who are considering college now and are just not opting for degrees in education, because it's just not attractive.". She is a founder of Long Islanders for Educational Reform, a regional advocacy group. Your email address will not be published. However, Dr. Kishore Kuncham of the Freeport School District is the highest-compensated superintendent. Michael K. Ginalski, Corning-Painted Post Public Schools, $363,350, Privacy Policy |Terms of service |Subscription terms |Your ad choices |Cookie Settings |California Privacy Rights |About Us |Contact Newsday |Reprints & permissions |Advertise with Newsday |Help. In 108 of those districts, the median or midpoint salary. Statewide, the highest paid NYSTRS member was Joyce Brown, president of the Fashion Institute of Technology, with total pay of $504,022. The state's top earner, Christine O'Malley, who was an art teacher in the Lawrence school district, was paid $766,000 in 2020-21, but that total figure included money from a settlement with the district. The Empire Center is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank "New York's teachers are dedicated to ensuring that our children receive a high-quality public education," said Matthew Hamilton, press secretary for the New York State United Teachers union. Islandwide, earnings for full-time educators average $111,262 annually, according to the Empire Center for Public Policy, a fiscally conservative think tank in Albany. Privacy Policy |Terms of service |Subscription terms |Your ad choices |Cookie Settings |California Privacy Rights |About Us |Contact Newsday |Reprints & permissions |Advertise with Newsday |Help. O'Brien said the high compensation for Long Island educators stems from when the Island was settled for suburbanites. With benefits, her total compensation is $421,499. Our Fine & Performing Arts receive countless accoladesincluding "Best Community for Music Education"and offer a wide variety of programs. Neither O'Malley, nor her attorney, could be reached for comment. "Demands put on educators are increasing every year. Overall school district spending accounts for about two-thirds of property taxes in the region. Empire Center for Public Policy The data analyzed did not include job titles, but added in any part-time work. Andrea Vecchio, a longtime taxpayer advocate in East Islip who also is associated with regional group Long Islanders for Education Reform, said earnings will continue to build up because of a state law that allows workers to receive benefits after a contract runs out and before a new agreement is reached. Donovans high pay, and the pay of others near the top of the list, may be explained by public employee contracts that offer hefty severance payouts to retiring workers for things like unused sick and vacation time a common feature of such contracts on Long Island. After Governor Hochuls budget unveiling this afternoon, Empire Center experts offered their reactions to the latest framework. The Economic Policy Institute, a liberal Washington, D.C., think tank, reported in August that teachers in this state faceda 13.2% gap in weekly wages,compared with earnings for professionals in other fields. The case was marked settled in Nassau County in June. The district required her to return to work in 2017, but she said she could not go back due to environmental conditions, according to the documents. BY RICHARD MUPONDE TEACHERS have rejected the 45% to 50% salary increment that government has offered them, saying it was inadequate as it will result in the lowest paid teacher earning $28 600 . Teacher Salaries in New York State On average, New York State teachers make more than teachers in any other state in the nation: $79,588. For a good administrator or a good teacher, I dont think its possible to put a price tag on their value, she said. "Until that is changed, there is no way we are going to see relief.". The highest paid superintendent is Henry L. Grishman of the Jericho School District who (including salary, benefits and other wages) will make $438,349 this upcoming school year. Top companies for Sales Managers in Long Island, NY Sunrun 3.3 1,431 reviews 37 salaries reported $202,954 per year Titan LED 3.3 12 reviews 14 salaries reported $196,494 per year Mercedes-Benz Group 4.0 8,107 reviews 6 salaries reported $166,463 per year AT&T 3.7 43,411 reviews 97 salaries reported $155,072 per year SunLife LLC 4.8 "We have a lot of high-performing districts on Long Island," she said. New York City's K-12 public schools were not included in the analysis. Unless you think we should just chop cop and teacher salary down to nothing? By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. Teachers 9 salaries are far too high and taxpayers must restrain them. Teachers in public colleges and some charter schools in the state also may be members. Copyright 2023 Newsday. Cartisano, in a phone interview, noted that she had served both as assistant superintendent for business and superintendent in Miller Place. All rights reserved. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. Fuchs, who serves on a regional steering committee of districts' union presidents, said teachers must contend with a lot of things. Many other states trailed far behind for example, with Texas at $60,624 per teacher, Virginia at $59,874 and Florida at $49,469. Figures for median teacher salaries and numbers of professional employees came from separate records kept by the state Education Department. LONG ISLAND, NY 2020 was a difficult year for education, with schools relying on online learning amid the coronavirus pandemic. Another district, Central Islip, hadthe largest number of employees ranked among the top two dozen earners. According to the website SeeThroughNY, 34 public school employees, many of them superintendents, on Long Island made over $300,000 last year. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, a federal agency, calculates that living costs in the New York metropolitan area, which includes Long Island, run 25.7% more on average. The state's third- and fourth-highest-paid educators were Kenji Fukaya, a mathematician at SUNY Stony Brook, with earnings of $486,963.83, and Charlene Murphy, of the Central Islip school district, with $474,026.66. Fuchs said raises in Wantagh were comparable to those in other systems. Wantagh had a state tax levy cap of -0.61%, which meant the district would have had to reduce its spending to stay below the cap, the district said. Subscription terms | $59,042. Salaries of education professionalsrepresent the biggest single cost item for public school systems, which accounts for more than 60% of property taxes in Nassau and Suffolk counties. New York City Teachers Retirement System Adds More $200K Retirees, New School Pensions Top $90K Downstate, Over $74K Statewide, State Budget Proposal Doubles Down on Reckless Spending, Empire Center Says, Empire Center Experts React to the 2023 State of the State, Math Proficiency Plummets on Statewide Exams, Latest Data Show, School Districts Must Cover Majority of Bus Electrification Costs. The Central Islip district featured prominently in the list of highest-paid educators, as it has previously. Donovan made the same pay in 2019 as 2020 and was ranked as the ninth-most paid educator at the time. In a statement, Lawrence Superintendent Ann Pedersen said, The retirement system data includes Ms. OMalleys 2020-21 contractual salary and benefits, as well as earnings stemming from a court-ordered stipulation.. All but Wool worked at Central Islip Union Free School District in Suffolk County, Long Island a school with six of the ten highest-paid NYSTRS members on its payroll. Andrea Vecchio, a longtime taxpayer advocate in East Islip who also is associated with regional group Long Islanders for Education Reform, said earnings will continue to build up because of a state law that allows workers to receive benefits after a contract runs out and before a new agreement is reached. He noted that state testing last spring of students in grades 3-8showed"mediocre" results for example, with just over 40% of Island students scoring proficient or better in math. Asked to comment on teachers pay levels on Long Island, Matt Hamilton, a spokesman for New York State United Teachers, said the states educators "are dedicated to ensuring that our children receive a high-quality public education.". Central Islip Superintendent Sharon Dungee was not available for comment, district spokeswoman Barbara LaMonica said. The district in northern Brookhaven Town enrolls about 2,450 students and operates on a$76.5 million annual budget. U.S. News & World Report last year ranked 19 public high schools on Long Island among the top 1,000 in the country. As a result, teachers in this region receive salaries commensurate with the cost of living, as do professionals in other fields.". Peter Warren, director of research for the Empire Center, noted in an interview that the Island ranks high in compensation even in a state where average teacher remuneration is the highest in the country. "Let's just talk about cost of living on Long Island cost of living is high," said Perry Fuchs, president of the teachers union in Plainedge and a science teacher in that district. Nearly two-thirds of educators statewide who earned more than $300,000 during the 2020-21 school year were public school employees from Long Island, a Newsday analysis of payroll records from the New York State Teachers Retirement System shows. . Copyright 2023 Newsday. Average pay for NYSTRS members was highest in the mid-Hudson ($92,194) and on Long Island ($92,174). Killer Of Woman Found Near Dumpster Arrested: Nassau Police, Garden City High School Fencers Compete At Junior Olympics, Hofstra Athletics Names 2023 Hall Of Fame Inductees, Long Island Pols Hold Public Meeting Against Hochul Housing Plan: PM, NYC Man Injured Woman In Crash While Driving Stolen Car: Police, Easter Bunny Appearances At Long Island Malls: Info, The Best Pizza On Long Island, As Chosen By Patch Readers. Nearly 250,000 teachers and administrators statewide, excluding in New York City, were paid $15,852,056,522.93 during the 2016-2017 school year, according to data reported to the New York State Teachers Retirement System obtained under the state's Freedom of Information Act. In addition, many superintendents and other top administrators are awarded extra dollars in the form of tax-deferred annuities andother benefits. Box 7113 Here are links to comparable data for teachers and administrators for 2015-2016 and 2014-2015. "This past year has shown like no other just how dedicated New York's teachers are to ensuring that our children receive a high-quality education," Matt Hamilton, spokesman for the New York State United Teachers union, said in a statement to Newsday.