Long Island Superintendent Makes More Than $500,000 A Year

While teachers in various states fight for collective bargaining rights and benefits, Syosset schools superintendent Carole Hankin is fulfilling every stereotype advanced by critics of public teachers. She is pulling in over $500,000 in annual pay and benefits in a compensation package that is $300,000 more than the head of the entire New York City school system.

Hankin’s compensation of $542,000 is to oversee a relatively small school district — covering Woodbury and Syosset communities of Long Island, with approximately 7,000 students in 10 schools.

The good news is that she can ask for a raise this year.

Even the governor and others are up in arms, noting as well that 37 employees in the district make more than $100,000 a year, including an administrative assistant. According to this site, Hankin’s deputy makes roughly $300,000 in base salary followed by a principal making roughly $170,000.

However, some residents have defended Hankin.

As with prior salary scandals (here and here and here), there remains real accountability for those who approved these salaries.

This is a very successful district and Hankin deserves a high salary for her performance. However, this is pretty excessive for a public employee given the disconnect with the salaries of teachers in the district. The worst thing is that this is going to be used by critics to support the claim that public teachers are overpaid and unaccountable — neither of which are true.

Source: NY Post