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By CHRIS JOHNSON chrisj@leader.net
Sunday, January 30, 2000 Page: 3A
NANTICOKE – Despite salary caps set more than a year ago, several Luzerne
County Community College administrators are paid well above the national
standard for their positions.
In some cases, administrators make nearly twice the median for the same
positions at other two-year colleges.
Those findings are based on a comparison of this year’s administrative
salaries at LCCC to the median salaries for college administrators reported by
the Chronicle of Higher Education.
College Spokesman Tom McHugh said if some employees have better-than-market
salaries, it’s because of raises they’ve accumulated.
“That has a tendency to happen when you’ve been at a place for a long
time,” McHugh said.
John Sammon, director of counseling/academic advising, earns $80,367. The
national median for his post is $47,248. Bookstore director Veronica Witt
makes $61,367 a year, compared to the $34,065 national standard; and Kathleen
Goeringer, director of printing and publications is paid $53,515, compared to
$41,317.
McHugh said Sammon and Witt have been at the school for about 30 years.
Beverly Smith, president of the college’s support staff union, had a
similar explanation for the spread between the salaries of some secretaries at
the school.
Secretaries Louise Durako, Theodora Janosov and Bonnie Yanick all earn more
than $43,000 a year. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor, the
average salary for secretaries in the Hazleton/Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area is
$20,350.
Newer secretaries at LCCC make $15,000 a year or less.
“Some people, through their years of service here, have gotten higher
salaries,” Smith said.
At $103,836 a year, President Jon Larson is the school’s top wage earner.
Larson also has three direct assistants: Laura Katrenicz, $40,269; Paula
Labenski, $34,420; and part-timer Frank Labaty, $6.79 an hour.
“It’s not unusual in any kind of organization that the chief executive has
several people in the office,” McHugh said.
Under Larson’s guidance, the Board of Trustees in September 1998 approved a
new pay scale for administrators that caps salaries.
The levels of compensation range from vice president of academic affairs –
who is ranked in the highest category, “12” – to the housekeeping
administrator, whose job falls into category “1.”
The salary for level 1 ranges from $19,000 to $25,650, based on experience
and performance. The salaries for the highest level, range from the minimum
$72,881 to $98,389.
Other top administrative earners include Sammon; John Wills, vice
president/academic affairs, $79,963; Ann Williams, vice president/economic and
community development, $77,078; and Thomas Leary, vice president/student
development, $77,078.
Call Johnson at 829-7226.