City Council approves administrators’ contract to raise top-step pay; board to absorb under-$200,000 annual cost

The West Haven City Council on Sept. 9 approved and ratified a written contract between the West Haven Board of Education and the West Haven Administrators Association that runs from Sept. 1, 2026, to Oct. 31, 2029, after a presentation and questions from council members.

Counsel to the Board of Education Floyd Dugas, who said he was chief negotiator, described the pay changes as a three-year settlement that places a larger increase on the top step — "we're putting 4% on the very top step, and anybody else will only receive a 2% general wage increase" — while holding the administrators' cost-share for health care at 21.5% in the first year and raising it by 0.5 percentage points in each of the second and third years. Dugas told the council the added cost to the board budget would be "less than $200,000 each of the years in question." A councilmember’s spreadsheet presented during debate summed the contract’s fiscal impact at about $560,200 over the life of the agreement.

The contract addresses what negotiators described as a long-standing gap between West Haven administrators’ salaries and those of comparable districts. Dugas told the council the bargaining team found pay for comparable positions was roughly 10%–16% higher elsewhere and described the settlement as a step toward closing that gap.

Mayor Dorinda Borer, speaking during the meeting, framed the top-step increase as a retention measure: "This is very similar to 11 o 3 where we put the higher percentage at the top step because once you reach the top step, there's nowhere for you to go. And that is more of a retention mechanism." Council members asked about downstream costs: officials said health-insurance increases would affect budgets regardless of this contract and that the reported $192,000 jump in next year’s total administrator salary would be the direct budgetary impact to plan for.

Council members debated procedural and budget questions before a roll-call vote. The motion to approve and ratify the contract was moved by Councilman Gary Donovan and seconded by Councilman Brian Locks. The roll call recorded unanimous approval from council members present and the motion carried.

The council noted some contract provisions addressed in discussion: a $300 lump-sum conference expense, a $3,000 doctorate supplement for qualified administrators, and a change to life-insurance calculation (from a flat $120,000 to an amount tied to salary). Board of Education counsel and representatives said these provisions have been in prior contracts or would affect only a small number of employees.

The council and administration said the Board of Education will include the contract costs in its budget request to the mayor, and the mayor’s office and finance director will assess the net effect when preparing the city’s overall budget.

Votes at a glance: The council’s roll call on the contract recorded all members present voting to approve; no recorded no votes or abstentions.

The board and city officials said the contract is intended to improve retention and recruitment of administrators; the city will monitor insurance and other fixed costs as the new contract takes effect.