Board moves discussion of raises for unaligned staff into executive session after heated exchange

The Collingswood Public School District board voted to move discussion of personnel item 13.21 into executive session after an extended exchange about pay increases for unaligned, nonunion staff.

The publicly posted personnel packet lists multiple unaligned positions and summer listings. During committee-of-the-whole discussion, several trustees and public commenters pressed for clarity about large percentage increases shown in the packet for some unaligned roles, and whether savings from eliminated positions were being redistributed. Because the matters touch on personnel deliberations, the board moved to executive session to continue the conversation in private.

A board member asked to table item 13.21 and to take up salaries and role delineation in closed session; the motion was seconded and the board approved moving into executive session at the end of the public meeting. The board called the vote and proceeded to adjourn the public portion before the closed session.

Robin Hogan, president of the Collingswood Education Association, spoke during public comment and warned that the district has lost 29 positions and said many employees are doing more work; she said that while raises may be warranted, the optics of cuts alongside double-digit raises for some unaligned roles warrants clear public explanation. "Everyone deserves pay raises," Hogan said, but she asked the board to be prepared to justify the percentages shown in the packet.

Administrators and several trustees argued that detailed deliberations about staffing, role trade-offs and compensation guidance were appropriate for executive session to protect personnel privacy while the board refines recommendations. The district moved to executive session at the meeting's close and did not take a public vote on item 13.21 that evening.