What Professions Do You Feel Are Most Deserving of Pay Raises?

The issue of pay raises—of lack thereof—has been in the local news a lot lately, at least as it pertains to public figures.

Last Monday, Fort Lee Superintendent of Schools Bandlow announced that he, along with other top school administrators, would decline salary increases next year in order to ease some of the financial burden on the district brought about by a particularly challenging budget cycle.

"I am going to personally take a salary freeze next year and forgo the increase that was in my contract," Bandlow said. "This budget is going to be challenging. We are now looking at a very difficult year, because we are under a very restrictive cap, a 2 percent cap, which will also make it necessary to make some serious reductions."

Other administrators expected to decline a pay increase are assistant superintendent Steven Engravalle and business administrator Cheryl Balletto, neither one of whom are contractually guaranteed pay raises.

Later the same week, The United Republican Club of Fort Lee announced it would file an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request for Fort Lee Police Chief Thomas Ripoli’s salary for 2009 and 2010, believing that the Fort Lee Mayor and Council’s proposed pay raise for the police department’s top official may be excessive.

In January the governing body approved the raise to more than $202,000 annually, with a second “yes” vote still required, but the Republican group believes that increase may be in excess of 25 percent, depending on how much Ripoli was paid in 2010, a figure they hope to learn by filing the OPRA. In 2009 Ripoli made $162,826.

Now we want to know what you think. Do you believe the local school officials were right to decline pay raises, whether or not they were contractually guaranteed, especially when facing a challenging budget year? And do you think Fort Lee’s Chief of Police deserves to have his pay go up nearly $38,000 in two years? More importantly, what professions do you believe are deserving of better pay, either because of the importance of the work they do, the amount of money they are typically paid or both?

Join in the discussion. Let us know what you think. Tell us in the comments.