More teachers and administrators make $75,000 or more compared to last year, according to the latest financial statements released by School District 43 (SD43).
The annual SOFI (Statement of Financial Information) for the year 2021/2022 shows more school staff are moving up the pay ladder.
SD43 paid out remuneration totalling $162.5 million to employees earning $75,000 or more during the last school year compared to $156.4 million in 2020/2021.
Remuneration for employees earning $75,000 or less, meanwhile, dropped from $113.3 million in 2020/21 to $109.7 million last year.
The school year ends June 30, and SOFI financial statements are released each year at this time.
And they raised some eyebrows at the most recent school board meeting.
Board chair Michael Thomas noted that the SOFI remuneration used to reflect mostly administrator pay and now includes many teachers.
Some have even criticized the $75,000 threshold as too low, as Coquitlam Coun. Dennis Marsden noted in 2019. At the time, Marsden said the $75,000 salary threshold for having a city employee’s name and pay published in municipal statements of financial information should be raised.
Thomas, a Port Coquitlam trustee, didn't criticize the threshold but did offer his thoughts.
"It seems more and more people are captured in this report," said Thomas.
"The bulk of the people on it, they are actually teachers," he said at a board meeting on Nov. 29.
What top administrators got paid last year
- Patricia Gartland (superintendent): $272,445.97
- $14,986.63 in expenses
- Chris Nicolls (secretary treasurer, retired): $226,456.27
- $537.74 in expenses
- Reno Ciolfi (assist. supt.): $199,645.29
- $2,913.16 in expenses
- Gerald Shong (assist.supt.): $199,645.28
- $2,467.54 in expenses
- Robert Zambrano (assist.supt.): $199,645.10
- $4,949.37 in expenses
- Randy Manhas (exec. dir. HR): $187,278.53
- $4,644.87 in expenses
Meanwhile, the SOFI report shows trustee remuneration stayed roughly the same as the year previous.
In fact, total payout for trustees was down slightly, from $485,636 to $484,272 from the previous year.
Here's what trustees get paid:
Coquitlam
- Jennifer Blatherwick: $53,106.43
- Carol Cahoon: $54,731.17
- Barb Hobson: $53,106.43
- Craig Woods: $53,106.43
Anmore/Belcarra
- Kerri Palmer Isaak: $55,167.54
Port Moody
- Lisa Park: $53,106.43
- Keith Watkins: $51,454.98
Port Coquitlam
- Christine Pollock, $53,106.43
- Michael Thomas (chair): $57,386.32
However, with pandemic restrictions easing, trustees had more expenses at $14,884,89 compared to $3,575,01, with chair Thomas spending the most at $3,592.85.
