Nashua Principals Approved by Board of Education

In Nashua, the three principals finally received what they had long been waiting for, an approval that would allow them to start their positions during the month of July. They received the approval earlier this week but there were some setbacks that did occur when it came down to the starting salary that they would receive. The Board of Education chose to approve the hiring of Michael Harrington to be the principal at Fairgrounds Elementary, Jennifer Oate Scarpati to be the principal of Amherst Street Elementary, and Lynne Joseph to be the principal of Pennichuck Middle. The starting salaries for both Harrington and Scarpati will be $87,500 but Joseph will be earning a bit more, starting at a salary of $94,000.

The Superintendent of the Board of Education, Mark Conrad, said Joseph received a higher salary than the other two new principals because she had already worked as the interim principal for Pennichuck throughout this school year, taking the position to fill in for Paul Asbell who, unfortunately, suffered from a stroke. Because of this, she has a bit more experience and is well-deserving of the salary she will receive. One Board member, Sandra Ziehm, did agree that Joseph deserved to earn more, especially since she has more experience. However, she and another member, Dennis Ryder, did not feel that the other two starting salaries were fair. She felt that Harrington and Scarpati should be earning less because with such high salaries, they believe there is no money left for the classrooms. Ziehm believes that the school board cannot afford these types of salaries.

However, Ziehm and Ryder were the only two who felt that way, as the vote for these starting salaries was at 6-2. The vote for Joseph’s salary had passed with no problem with a unanimous vote of 8-0. Ryder says that he has no problem with the two new principals and has nothing against them but things that these salaries are simply too high, too much of an increase, especially when budget cuts are still taking place. One Board member, Elizabeth Van Twuyver, says she voted in favor for each of the salaries but does wonder how the starting salaries could begin with such high amounts. She thinks it is important that the Board start thinking of how much they can pay and spend.

Conrad made it known that the principals were the one who were receiving less of a raise in their salaries than the teachers. He also pointed out the salaries received in the Nashua area are, in particular, a bit higher than the average for the state. He says that it is still not as high as some other areas and that the Board is not just increasing salaries at a fast pace. Some Board members agreed with Conrad and pointed out that it is important for students to have a principal who takes responsibility for all children in the school, as well as overlooking the teachers and ensuring that everything is up to par. This is a great responsibility to have and therefore, these principals deserve the decent salary.