"At the same time city schools are poised to suffer mid-year budget cuts, the Department of Education is awarding $12 million in pay raises over the next two years to non-union department employees, Chancellor Joel Klein announced this afternoon.
Central office employees have gone two years without raises and are getting less than the city set aside for them. Under the original plan, they would have received two four percent pay raises over two years, at a cost of $30 million total. DOE officials said today the $18 million savings would be used to soften budget cuts’ blow to schools.
In a memo this afternoon, Klein told employees they deserve raises, but following significant budget cuts to schools and the layoffs of hundreds of other central employees and school-based staff, he could not justify granting the full four percent raise.
“[A]t a time when the Department and our schools will have no choice but to make further large reductions, I cannot in good conscience fully fund raises, especially for people who are already earning substantial salaries,” Klein wrote. “We are in this together, and our schools in particular must be spared to the extent realistically possible.”"
In a memo this afternoon, Klein told employees they deserve raises, but following significant budget cuts to schools and the layoffs of hundreds of other central employees and school-based staff, he could not justify granting the full four percent raise.
“[A]t a time when the Department and our schools will have no choice but to make further large reductions, I cannot in good conscience fully fund raises, especially for people who are already earning substantial salaries,” Klein wrote. “We are in this together, and our schools in particular must be spared to the extent realistically possible.”"