Philly School District gives new titles, bonuses to 2 administrators

The school district has named Cheryl Logan its new Chief Academic Supports Officer, according to an e-mail obtained by the Daily News.

"She has provided crucial support to this office through the summer and fall while still managing her network of schools," wrote Superintendent William R. Hite in the Nov. 4 e-mail to district staff. "I am excited that she is formally stepping into this critical leadership position for our District." She replaces former CASO Donyall Dickey, who left in July.

Logan and Hite worked together in Prince George's County Public Schools in Maryland when he was superintendent. She was named over the summer to head the Autonomy Network, a crucial role in Hite's Action Plan 3.0. Retired administrator Harry Gaffney is temporarily filling in at the Autonomy Network, but a search is on to find a replacement, said district spokeswoman Raven Hill.

In other personnel news, Karen Kolsky, an assistant superintendent who was named interim chief neighborhood networks officer in July, will remain in the job until June 2016, according Hite's staff memo. Kolsky had double duty as chief and as head of Network 6 where she oversaw a number of schools in the Northwest. As chief, she oversees all the networks and their leaders. Now the district will search to fill the Network 6 position and a permanent chief neighborhood networks officer.

And with these titles, come higher salaries for Kolsky and Logan. Effective Oct. 26 — each now earns $165,000 annually, Hill said.

The pay increases come four months after the two administrators were each given $10,000 bonuses, according to salary records obtained by the Daily News. They were compensated for their efforts in overseeing schools that had no assistant superintendent, district spokesman Fernando Gallard said in August. News of the lump-sum payments to Logan and Kolsky have not been previously disclosed publicly.

In 2014-2015, the two assistant superintendents oversaw their respective learning networks of schools, as well as a number of schools in a third network, Gallard said.

The lump-sum payments, as they are known internally at the district, are given out "under rare and exceptional circumstances," Gallard said. "This could happen, for example, when an employee takes on significant additional responsibilities during a discrete period of time."

The salary for the assistant superintendent's job that wasn't filled was $145,000, Gallard noted. "By not filling the role over the course of the year and paying $20,000 in one-time payments, our costs were $125,000 less last year than they would have been had we filled the role," he said.

Kolsky, whose salary increased this summer by $4,300 to $150,000, monitored 43 schools, Gallard said. Logan, who received a $5,000 raise to $150,000, oversaw 44 schools, he added.

"Overseeing half of one network is a real heavy lift. It's extra pay for extra work," Gallard said.

That comment didn't sit well with incensed union officials who say their members have been doing more with less at district schools for years and without bonuses, much less raises.

"All of our employees that are school based have picked up responsibilities and functions way beyond their own job description to accomodate for the lack of resources and lack of support that the district has been negligent in providing," said Arlene Kempin, vice president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.

"And they're not getting compensated for it."

Karl Johnson, assistant leader of District 1201, 32BJ SEIU, said his blue collar members — cleaners, bus drivers, maintenance workers and engineers — "have given back millions to Philly schools."

"Handing out bonuses to the higher-ups while our members sacrifice feels like a slap in the face," Johnson said.