A searchable online database of earnings for 373,971 employees of New York State school districts outside New York City was posted today at www.SeeThroughNY.net, the transparency website sponsored by the Empire Center for Public Policy.
The newly updated database includes pay for teachers, administrators and others, as reported for the 12 month-period ending June 30, 2011 to the New York State Teachers Retirement System (NYSTRS members). It also includes pay for other school employees, such as custodians, aides and bus drivers, for the 12 month-period ending March 31, 2011, as reported to the New York State Employees Retirement System (NYSLRS members).
According to the data, the highest paid school employee (outside New York City) was Carole Hankin, who was paid $506,382. Hankin is the superintendent of the Syosset School District on Long Island. (New York City school salaries will be updated shortly.)
Scarsdale School District had the highest average educator pay for the second consecutive year at $116,162, up from last year’s $111,991. Scarsdale was followed by Jericho, Byram Hills and Edgemont, all of which reported average educator salaries above $95,000. The averages in many cases are depressed by the inclusion on the list of numerous substitute teachers and part-timers whose reported salaries came to only a few thousand dollars per year.
Long Island schools had the highest average pay by region at $73,417. The Mohawk Valley had the lowest average pay at $36,893.
Lists of the 100 highest-paid school employees, 50 highest average paid districts and a chart of average pay by region (all excluding New York City) are available here.
SeeThroughNY allows the public to examine government expenditures on the Internet. In addition to salary data for school district, it includes payrolls for New York State and New York City government, counties, municipalities and public authorities throughout the state. Also posted are public employee pension data, state legislator office expenditures, pork barrel “member item” spending, and a benchmarking feature for comparing local government and school district spending. The site was launched July 31, 2008.
The Albany-based Empire Center is a non-partisan, independent think tank.
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