Two school officials get pay hikes

Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2004 | 10:49 a.m.

Clark County Schools Superintendent Carlos Garcia has approved substantial raises for the deputy superintendent of instruction and a senior attorney, a move he said was intended to bring "parity" to the pay scale for the district's top administrators.

News of the raises comes after the district negotiated four-year agreements with all three bargaining groups -- representing teachers, administrators and support employees -- with 2 percent salary increases for each of the next two years.

Earlier this month Garcia approved raises for Agustin Orci, deputy superintendent of instruction, and Bill Hoffman, senior legal counsel. Orci received a 10 percent pay increase, bringing his salary to $132,424. Hoffman received a 10.3 percent pay hike, bringing his annual salary to $123,426.

News of the raises galled union leaders and at least one member of the Clark County School Board.

"It's hard to be asked to tighten your belt and do without and then see people who are above you in the administration getting big raises," said Mary Ella Holloway, president of the Clark County Education Association, which represents the majority of the district's 15,000 teachers. "Even a 2 percent raise on what (Hoffman and Orci) are already making would be a lot of money to the average teacher."

Garcia said he approved the increases to bring Orci and Hoffman's salaries closer in line with that of Walt Rulffes, deputy superintendent of operations. Rulffes received a large raise three years ago when the district learned he was considering other job offers, Garcia said.

When the Clark County Association of School Administrators voted this summer to reclassify certain positions and increase pay scales based on job complexity, it seemed the appropriate time to raise Orci and Hoffman's pay, Garcia said.

"For several years we've been slowly bringing the other salaries up," Garcia said.

Clark County School Board President Susan Brager-Wellman said she knew the pay hikes were in the works and supported the increases.

"These are people who are doing admirable jobs and that other districts would like to hire," Brager-Wellman said. "It makes all the sense in the world that we would want to retain these people."

But while Brager-Wellman knew, at least a few other board members did not. Board member Shirley Barber said she was "furious" when she learned of the raises.

"This sends the wrong message to every single person involved in this district," Barber said. "(The School Board) is supposed to know when these things are going on so we can have oversight. We keep telling people we have no money to spare and now we do this. It's wrong."

Barber said she believed the raises -- and the fact that the full board was not informed at the same time -- violated district regulations. She planned to call for a special meeting of the board to discuss the situation.

School district regulations allow the superintendent to reclassify certain positions and pay scales, Hoffman said Monday. The superintendent's salary, and that of the deputy superintendent of operations, are set by the School Board, Hoffman said.

Garcia, who received a positive evaluation from the School Board last week, will receive the same 2 percent pay increase negotiated by the administrators' union. Rulffes said he will also receive the same 2 percent increase.