“She’s well worth it”: School board chair defends superintendent’s $17,000 raise

PENTICTON — During a time when school districts across the province are making cuts,  the Okanagan-Skaha School Board recently gave its superintendent a big raise. This decision was made during an in-camera meeting back in December but the Penticton Herald recently learned of the raise this week.

Wendy Hyer, the Superintendent of Schools, has been awarded a 13 per cent raise, bringing her annual salary to $152,471.

Hyer hasn’t responded to interview requests.

However, the school board chair is jumping her defense, saying Hyer chose not to have a pay hike when a wage freeze was lifted for superintendents three years ago.

“She’s well worth it,” says Linda Van Alphen, chairwoman. “‘We’ve got to pay people fair wages. I don’t think anybody could really be upset about that.”

However, some people are certainly expressing shock.

The local teachers union president, Leslea Woodward, says the increase is a lot, especially because it is being given all at once.

“Nobody begrudges anybody for getting fair wage compensation — everybody needs that. But a large amount all at once when we’re needing to cut programs that affect kids, that’s what’s so shocking and questionable,” says Woodward.

The school board is currently considering the 2015-2016 budget, looking to find $1.1 million in savings and proposing to cut special education and behavioural teachers.

“The issue is that it comes at a time when we’re asked to be cutting programs for students,” says Woodward.

In response to the criticism, Van Alphen says there isn’t a good time for this type of decision, but it was necessary.

The 13 per cent raise also means Hyer’s pension will go up.

“I’m sure Wendy Hyer has been a very good superintendent and a hard working teacher all her life,” says Penticton MLA Dan Ashton. “But when the top five years are set, that sets her pension for the rest of her life. It’s an index pension that boards should be considering.”

The board isn’t revealing how individual trustees voted.