School year 2022-23 pay records for more than 370,000 school district employees outside New York City were this morning added to SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s government transparency website.

The data show 75,280 school district employees were paid at least $100,000 last year, compared to 58,631 in 2017-18. A total of 1,451 employees were paid at least $200,000 (2017-18: 606) and 58 were paid over $300,000 (2017-18: 21). The new records total $22.7 billion in pay, up from $20 billion five years prior.

The three highest-paid employees last year each retired from their position:

  • William Floyd UFSD assistant superintendent Janet L. Gilmor collected $622,258. Newsday previously reported details of Gilmor’s compensation, which included separation payouts upon her retirement. 
  • Montauk UFSD superintendent Jack P. Perna, who also retired in 2023, collected $510,415. 
  • Yonkers CSD superintendent Edwin M. Quezada collected $467,014 and was also the highest-paid school employee in the Mid-Hudson region after retiring at the end of the school year. 

The highest-paid school district employees in other regions (some of whose compensation also reflected one-time payments) were: 

  • Daniel W. Mannix, former superintendent, Beekmantown CSD (North Country) – $360,955 (Mannix retired in May 2023)
  • Lesli C. Myers, former superintendent, Rochester CSD (Finger Lakes) – $352,173 (Myers departed in July 2022) 
  • Tonja M. Williams, superintendent, Buffalo CSD (Western NY) – $297,391 
  • Bruce J. Karam, superintendent, Utica CSD (Mohawk Valley) – $277,406 (Karam was terminated in November 2023, outside the period reflected in the data). 
  • Donna J. Desiato, superintendent, East Syracuse-Minoa CSD (Central NY) – $270,698 
  • John M. Wiktorko, superintendent, Windham-Ashland-Jewett CSD (Capital Region) – $265,893 
  • Luvelle C. Brown, superintendent, Ithaca CSD (Southern Tier) – $259,232 

Contracts between school districts and their teachers and superintendents, detailing compensation and other terms and conditions of employment, are also available on SeeThroughNY.

The records reflect pay during the fiscal year ending June 30 for teachers, administrators and other members of the state Teachers’ Retirement System and March 31 for employees belonging to the New York State and Local Retirement System. Pay figures do not reflect the cost of employee benefits such as health coverage and pensions. They do not include school personnel who were paid by the district while also collecting a public pension.

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