SWAMPSCOTT — School Superintendent Pamela Angelakis has been given a two-year contract extension and raise, which bumps her salary up to $163,278.
The School Committee approved the contract extension and 1.5 percent raise on Wednesday night — Angelakis had two years remaining on her original five-year contract, which will now run through the 2020-21 school year. The raise is retroactive to July and is effective immediately.
“I am extremely grateful for the School Committee’s confidence in me,” Angelakis said in a statement. “I’m pleased with the progress we have made and I am anxious to continue working to move the district forward.”
Angelakis, a 27-year veteran of the Swampscott Public Schools, officially became superintendent in February 2014. She previously served as assistant superintendent for more than a year. She was also principal of Stanley Elementary School for eight years and was a teacher before that. She has worked in Swampscott her entire career — she was first hired as an aide at Clarke School in 1990.
Angelakis also received a 1.5 percent raise last fall, bumping her salary at the time up to about $160,865. Two years ago, she received a 2.25 percent raise on her $155,000 former salary.
According to the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, her new salary is below last year’s state average for superintendents, which was a little below $170,000. Nearby, Lynn School Superintendent Dr. Catherine Latham’s salary is budgeted for $207,000 and Saugus School Superintendent David DeRuosi has a budgeted salary of $175,000.
“I think it’s important to note that while it was only a 1.5 percent raise, that is not indicative of the job she did, but rather the conservative financial decisions we’re making in the district,” said Amy O’Connor, school committee chairwoman.
O’Connor said Angelakis has done an outstanding job, which is reflected in her positive recent annual review from the School Committee. She said the raise is consistent with other contracts the committee has signed and is reflective of the current financial situation in the district and town.
O’Connor said the committee also reinstated an annuity for Angelakis that she previously had as assistant superintendent, but was not included when she became superintendent. She said the raise is indicative of the committee feeling positive about the trajectory that the district is on, and that it validates Angelakis’ vision for the district.
Angelakis, a Salem native, lives in Peabody with her daughter, Olivia. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Salem State University in 1989, and has earned her master’s degrees from Columbia University and Salem State.
“I feel fortunate for the opportunities I have had to grow as an educator and advance my career in the same district,” Angelakis said in a statement.
