DeKalb school workers protest superintendent's raise

By Megan Matteucci

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Shouting in unison Monday night, more than 250 DeKalb County school workers protested their superintendent’s $15,000 pay raise.

Teachers, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, custodians and a few students yelled "Shame on the board!" as the school system held its regular meeting.

Inside, Superintendent Crawford Lewis and all but one of the board members remained quiet about the disgruntlement.

Lewis declined comment and the board vice chairwoman Zepora Roberts said she didn’t have anything to say about the protest or the superintendent’s raise. Roberts said the board would issue a statement, but she declined to say when.

That answer wasn't good enough for bus driver Michelle Favors, who marched for about two hours.

“We’re not going to give up until they hear our voice,” said Favors, a single mom. “We just want some fairness.”

Last week, the board voted to raise Lewis’ pay from $240,000 to $255,000. The board also extended his contract until January 2013.

Favors and other employees said they were upset that Lewis not only received a raise, but an increase in his tax-sheltered annuity and expense account. The superintendent’s increase in salary and perks came after teachers were required to take a furlough day and lost contributions to their tax-sheltered annuity.

The loss in wages for teachers and bus drivers also came with an increase in work, namely bigger class sizes and longer bus routes, said David Schutten, president of the Organization of DeKalb Educators.

Board member Don McChesney, the only board member to publicly address the workers’ concerns, said he understood the dissension but insisted that people had to understand that the cuts were the result of the economy.

“In my 35 years [as a teacher], I lost salary at least three times here in DeKalb,” McChesney said. “This is not an unusual phenomenon. Whenever the state budget goes into crisis, this happens. This happens all the time.”

In addition to the teacher furloughs, some bus drivers said they lost money when the board reshuffled the way it assigned field trips to drivers.

“We had drivers that were getting most of the field trips,” McChesney said. “The school system leveled out the playing field to share those field trips. Some drivers came down and some came up.”

For Favors, the change meant her annual salary dropped from $18,000 to $15,000.

“His expense account is more than I make in a year, and that doesn’t even include his car,” said Favors, whose bus shift begins at 5:45 a.m.

In addition to the raise, Lewis’ monthly expense account went from $1,000 to $2,500.

Eunice Foster, a Redan High School cook, was outraged that the superintendent’s raise was more than her annual salary -- $12,000.

“I didn’t get raise,” said Foster, who carried a sign that read "We're not rookies anymore either," adding,  “I cook for 1,500 kids and I don’t get retirement or health insurance.”

Henderson Middle School math teacher Akida Yates said he understands the board needs to limit spending because of the economy, but his expenses went up just as much as the superintendent’s.

“I’m trying to stand up for the rights of the taxpayers,” Yates said. f “My expenses went up but I didn’t get a cost of living raise. It doesn’t make sense.”

As the board members attempted to drive off, the protesters again shouted “Shame on the board!” and surrounded their cars.

Deytia Corley, a sixth-grader at Stephenson Middle School in Stone Mountain, tried to shout the loudest. She protested with her mom, a school employee, for about two hours.

“I came out here to get rid of Crawford Lewis so we can have better schools and our parents can have better pay,” the 11-year-old said.

Last week, about 8,000 school employees came to work dressed in black to protest Lewis’ raise. They intend to wear black again every Thursday this month and are asking taxpayers to show their support by joining them in dressing in that color, Schutten said.

WHAT SUPERINTENDENTS MAKE

DeKalb Superintendent Crawford Lewis

• Salary: $255,000

• Contract: Expires Jan. 3, 2013

• Perks: $2,500 monthly expense account, a car, $1,250 monthly contribution to tax-sheltered annuity

Atlanta Superintendent Beverly Hall

• Salary: $273,156

• Contract: Expires June 30, 2011

• Perks: She is entitled to a performance bonus each year based on student performance on standardized tests. Her additional compensation can be up to 30 percent of her base salary.

Clayton Superintendent Edmond Heatley

• Salary: $250,000

• Contract: Expires May 2012

• Perks: $800 monthly car allowance

Fulton Superintendent Cindy Loe

• Salary: $225,208

• Contract: Expires June 2012

• Perks: $9,600 annual car allowance, $12,000 annual expense account and 401(k) contributions*

*Her salary can increase only when teachers get a raise. Her contract was extended in November, but she did not get a raise.

Gwinnett Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks

• Salary: $262,030

• Contract: Expires June 30, 2011

• Perks: Not available

Cobb County schools did not respond to a request by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.