READING, Pa.- It’s safe to say that the Reading school district is a financial mess.

The Education Law Center at Rutgers University recently called the district one of the most economically disadvantaged school districts in the nation.

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The National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers union, wrote that “Reading’s problems go far beyond shabby facilities, with leaky pipes and cracked tiles and classroom trailers that have been in service for more than a decade.

“Far worse is how few Reading students have access to academic and counseling supports that are shown to counter the effects of deep poverty.”

A group of taxpayers recently sued the Reading school district, “alleging that so-called ghost teachers have been paid more than $500,000, essentially to skip teaching classes and instead work full time for the local teachers’ union, the Reading Education Association (REA).”

Ironically, the REA is a subgroup of the National Education Association, the union that so loudly protests the lack of resources available to Reading students.

Last May, the Reading school board approved a 2017-18 budget that included a $3.6 million budget deficit.

Considering all of those financial problems, one might assume that the school district’s payroll must be relatively modest. After all, if there’s not enough money to fix leaky school pipes, there certainly isn’t enough for bloated salaries and benefits.

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But that’s not the case, at least at the top.

In fiscal 2016-17, 73 Reading school administrators were paid a total of $6,138,552.43 in base salary, for an average of $84,089.76.

Those same employees received $3,357,030.70 worth of benefits, for an astounding average of $45,986.72 per employee.

That means the total average compensation for a Reading school administrator in 2016-17 was at least $130,076.48.

That’s pretty good pay for people whose employer is running a huge budget deficit.

The top district employees made out really well.

Superintendent Khalid Mumin made a base salary of $203,958.29, plus benefits worth a staggering $92,369.93, for a total compensation package of $296,328.22.

Assistant Superintendent Christopher Celmer made a salary of $154,825.97 and benefits worth $55,204.20, for a total of $210,030.17.

Chief Financial Officer Wayne Gehris made a salary of $139,729.59 and received benefits worth $68,246.02, for a total of $207,975.61.

Human Resources Director Karen Gokay made a salary of $134,278.14, plus benefits worth $66,402.74, for a total of $200,680.88.

So the Reading school district may be hurting financially, and students may lack crucial “academic and counseling supports,” but school administrators are doing quite well.

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