Superintendent highest-paid school district employee
DANBURY — The superintendent tops the list of highestpaid school employees in the district, with 178 staff members taking home six figures.
Superintendent Sal Pascarella will earn nearly $245,000 in the 2020-21 fiscal year, while Kevin Walston, assistant superintendent, will receive nearly $189,000, according to human resources data obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media. The first teacher on the list is in the 53rd spot.
Pascarella, who was hired in 2006 and announced his retirement this week, said he and Walston have enjoyed working in Danbury and watching students
grow. He plans to retire at the end of the school year.
“For us to be a part of that, it’s not about the salary but rather the joy to witness these wonderful educators, and staff mentoring and teaching these youngsters in becoming contributing citizens,” Pascarella said in an email. “Danbury is a special place and we are fortunate to be part of that family and legacy.”
Salaries are up to the school board, not the city, Mayor Joe Cavo said.
“Our function on the city side is to allocate the money to them through the budget and how they allocate it to their employees is totally a function of their department, not ours,” he said.
The superintendent recommends salary increases for each bargaining unit, with raises limited to 3 percent or under, said Gladys Cooper, chairwoman of the school board. The board then negotiates and considers what it can afford, what other towns pay and the need to retain employees.
“They can go to New York and get more,” Cooper said.
Raises are not granted every year. Pascarella once went a few years without one, Cooper said.
“He didn’t cry about it,” she said. “He said he preferred his staff to get raises first.”
Pascarella saw a small raise — about $28 — from his earnings in 2019, while Walston earned nearly $5,000 more.
“We both have a passion and dedication to work and lead in an urban school system,” Pascarella said.
“Danbury is very special school system and community and there are countless anecdotes of individuals who dedicate themselves to giving our diverse student population a pathway and opportunity to a successful and meaningful education.”
Pascarella has a doctoral degree and was superintendent in Old Saybrook.
The first teacher on the list is Lammia Agoora, a math teacher at Rogers Park Middle Schoolm who has a doctorate. She was one of 46 teachers from around the country to be selected in November as a recipient of the California Casualty Award for Teaching Excellence, according to the Connecticut Education Association. She earned $109,408, plus more than $8,000 in longevity annuity, in 2020-21.
Teachers’ salaries are based on their level of degrees and certifications, as well as the number of years they have worked, the teacher’s union has said. The president of the union could not be reached for comment last week.
Most of the educators who earned six figures were administrators, supervisors and specialists, rather than teachers.
The lowest full-time paid employees were two interpreters/tutors earning almost $32,800 each.
Cooper said she is not sure what salaries and raises will look like next fiscal year, especially as the coronavirus pandemic hurts some residents’ pockets. The board will vote on a budget proposal this week.
But Cooper said the staff members work hard and deserve to be compensated.
“There’s no way I would want to walk in their steps every day,” she said.
The pandemic may have made parents more appreciative of educators, she said.
“Some of the parents that have children home that are doing distance learning, they understand what a teacher goes through every day,” Cooper said.