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071296 Dennis' bonus, vacation benefits could be better spent
To the Editor:
I find the letter written by Linda Deitchman last week in The Record-Review somewhat troubling. She believes that our curriculum will be "at the starting gate" because Bedford Central as yet does not have an assistant superintendent of curriculum. I am concerned that Ms. Deitchman believes Dr. Marjorie Castro's wonderful curriculum work will not be carried out by our professional staff ably administered by Dr. Bruce Dennis. Surely, she can-not believe that our curriculum initiatives will be left gathering dust while we continue to search for the best candidate for our children's needs.
I know she is the parent of children in the district and has been involved heavily at West Patent Elementary School and the middle school. I hope she believes that our school system is as adept as a business would be — to implement the services of professional employees (teachers) who helped write the curriculum. After all, who better to monitor and administer the curriculum than the authors who take such pride in their work!
And as always, I will continue to professionally pursue my work as a board member. My goal is to find the finest candidate for the position. This is the second most important position in the district and after a half-hour interview with both of the candidates, I was not ready to advocate either one of them. We had still yet to make a site visit during what seemed to be a hurried process. If after a year, there was a problem with a certain candidate, I realize I would not have done my job properly by rushing my decision and the public would be criticizing our rush to judgment.
My priority is and always will be to provide the best education for children and this curriculum position is key for our students' future successes. I look forward to working with Dr. Dennis and an able committee of parents, teachers and administrators to find just the right person who will be best for our children, who are the true constituents of this school system.
Concerning my negative vote of Dr. Dennis' raise. I had faxed a letter to the board president the afternoon before the vote indicating I could not support the raise. My issue is the cost to the district of that raise. Dr. Dennis made $140,200 as his base in the 1995-96 school year. With a 2% cost of living raise, his base now becomes $143,000. The 3.5% bonus that the five school board members wanted to give him brings his salary to $148,000.
The agreement with the board also allows him to cash in up to six vacation days, at a daily rate of around $600 further pushing his salary to $151,600 should he cash in the days and representing more than a total $10,000 raise!
On top of his compensation, the district provides him with a car, which in the business environment is usually worth $400 a month or $5,000 a year. In addition, Dr. Dennis gets six weeks paid vacation a year, along with a retirement annuity, ample health care that continues to be paid when he retires from the school district, a life insurance policy that costs the district $1,260 a year and a retirement plan. His total salary compensation is more than the mayor of New York and the governor of New York make, and puts him as the highest paid superintendent in northern Westchester and possibly all of the county. In total, his salary and benefits approach the $200,000 mark.
What would I have done with that money if the bonus and vacation money giveback was denied? It's simple — buy books for children at the elementary level, computer programs for the middle and high school or fund special projects for teachers. After all, isn't that what a school board member is supposed to advocate – that the children come first?
Bob Frisch
Bedford
Bedford Central school board member