Morale across Central Okanagan Public Schools was dealt a setback by the revealing of salary increases for top administrative staff last week, says the president of the Central Okanagan Teachers’ Association.
Speaking to school trustees at the board of education meeting Wednesday (Sept. 27), Susan Bauhart said the reaction to the release of the financial compensation disclosures in today’s economic climate generated “tremendous reaction.”
Bauhart said it’s important the trustees realize how this came across to the public, in particular other employee groups.
“I am not really referring to teachers here but to our other colleagues,” Bauhart said.
The documents revealed that Central Okanagan Public Schools superintendent/CEO Kevin Kaardal will receive a salary of $277,472, with other compensation benefits raising that to $322,959 as of the 2022-23 fiscal year. That amounts to a 14.5 per cent performance-based salary increase.
Salary packages and raises for the other four top ranking school district administrative executives were also revealed in the documents: Terry-Lee Beaudry, deputy superintendent ($250,770, 7.39 per cent increase); Delta Carmichael, secretary treasurer/CFO ($250,425, 9.53 per cent); Alan Lalonde, assistant superintendent (230,684, 6.39 per cent); and Jon Rever, (239,227, five per cent).
The compensation packages were ratified by the school board June 22, and are set by the B.C. Public School Employers Association (BCPSEA) under the exempt staff compensation management plan.
The salary increases, says the school district report, were a reflection of the need to pay executives at a level to be competitive “with the relevant external (labour) market.”
Bauhart said the extent of the salary increases doesn’t reflect well on the school district, adding trustees must have realized the blowback it would create, which she reiterated has been significant.
Trustee Wayne Broughton, chair of the school district finance committee, acknowledged he wouldn’t have been surprised at the negative reaction when initially seeing the numbers.
Broughton said the salary increases were not generated at the discretion of the board, but by th BCPSEA.
“The Board of Education is solely responsible for the establishment and maintenance of compensation levels for the position of Superintendent of Schools/CEO,” states the report.
“As elected school trustees, the board is accountable to its public and therefore ensures that it adheres to proper human resources practices including statutory requirements with respect to executive and exempt staff compensation.
“Proposed compensation adjustments for all other executive and exempt positions in the district must be reviewed and approved by BCPSEA prior to implementation.”
Bauhart said she was puzzled by the range of different salary percentages increases, and Carmichael responded the different percentages are reflective of different salary levels.
Teri Whitlock, president of CUPE local 3523 school district operations staff, also voiced her frustration at how competitive compensation comparisons were applied to the executive staff, but similar requests for fair wage compensation for her union members during contract negotiations was refused.
“We are facing shortages of staff across the school district but we were never given the same consideration,” Whitlock said.
There was no comment from other school board trustees on the matter.