Pelham board raises admin cell-phone reimbursement to $100 and adds $600/month RSA-1 benefit for doctoral administrators

The Pelham Board of Education approved two compensation-related changes for administrators at its Jan. 12 meeting: an increase in the administrator cell-phone reimbursement to $100 per month and an addition to the salary schedule providing a $600 per month contribution to RSA-1 for administrators with doctorate degrees.

During discussion Speaker 3 said the current $25-per-month reimbursement was outdated and had not been changed since 2014, and noted administrators now use personal phones significantly for work. Board members asked how many administrators would be affected; staff estimated "less than 30" for the cell-phone reimbursement and said five administrators currently hold doctorates and would qualify for the RSA-1 contribution. Board members characterized the changes as modest benefits intended to help recruit and retain administrators.

Both policy changes were approved by voice vote. The board directed Human Resources and Finance to update policy documentation and payroll coding to reflect the new reimbursement and the RSA-1 contribution; staff listed tasks to implement the changes in the coming weeks.

Board members did not provide a district-wide budgetary total for the measures during the meeting; staff noted the changes "don't really cost us a whole lot" but recommended routine payroll and budget updates to incorporate the new benefits.