PLAINFIELD — Plainfield School District 202 has approved salary increases for administrators and support staff for next school year.
Unanimous approval of the increases by the district's School Board Monday means 158 administrators and support staff will receive a 2.5 percent salary increase for the 2015-16 school year.
Tom Hernandez, Plainfield School District spokesman, said the board had to take special action to give the raises, which represent an overall cost of $326,144 to the district.
“This is something the board has to do,” Hernandez said, and later added, “We get a raise like everybody.”
Out of the 158 people receiving salary increases, 97 of them are certified administrators, eight are non-certified administrators, 34 are non-union, non-certified support staff and 19 are non-union certified support staff, he said.
Pay for administrators and support staff was frozen in the past, following the economic recession in 2009. Since that year, the school district saved $42 million through operational savings and by cutting about 345 full-time teacher, support and administrative positions.
In July 2009, administrator and non-union support staff salaries were frozen, school officials said. In February 2010, board members directed administrators and non-union support staff to pay a greater share of their health insurance, which led to a pay cut for many employees.
It wasn’t until 2012 when employees received a 2.5 percent raise, but the increase set salaries back to what employees would have received in 2011, school officials said.
Hernandez said teacher salary increases are built into their contract, but there was one year since the recession when their salaries were frozen.
New principal
Board members also named Bob Yanello as the new principal of Plainfield South High School, school officials said. Yanello previously served as the school's athletic director.
David Travis, the previous principal, will move on to become principal of Yorkville High School. He served as principal of Plainfield South since 2010.