School Board Grants Retroactive Raises

Four top administrators in Simi Valley schools received 3% retroactive salary boosts, over the objections of two school board officials.

The Simi Valley Unified School District decided this week to increase the salaries retroactive to July 1995 for three of the four administrators.

Supt. Mary Beth Wolford, who had not had a salary increase in four years, got a boost to $102,485. Susan Parks, Wolford’s top deputy, who was promoted to the position with a raise in September, will now make $87,550 per year. Assistant Supt. Leon Mattingley, who will leave the district in June to assume a new position in Nevada, was given a raise to $84,048 a year.

Assistant Supt. David Kanthak, who started with the district in January, received a raise to $83,945 per year. His raise is retroactive to January.

District middle management personnel, such as principals and assistant principals, received 3% raises earlier this year. The board approved the increases on a 3-2 vote Tuesday night, with supporters saying it was only fair to increase the salaries of top administrators at the same rate as teachers, classified and other management employees.

In addition, the raises would bring the administrators’ salaries in line with other comparable districts, board President Judy Barry said.