Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

Higher education official forfeits $49K raise, senator wants all hikes canceled

  • by Jacqueline Rabe Thomas and Keith M. Phaneuf
  • October 9, 2012
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

The second-highest ranking official in the state’s merged public college system will forego a controversial $49,000 pay raise, the system announced Tuesday morning — one day after The Mirror disclosed the pay increase.

Michael P. Meotti, executive vice president for the Board of Regents for Higher Education, will continue to earn $183,339, forfeiting the 27 percent pay bump to $232,244 he had received effective Oct. 5.

A legislative leader critical of Meotti’s raise called Tuesday for the Board of Regents to disclose and reverse any other raises given to system office staff, regardless of whether it was awarded to reflect additional responsibilities or not.

Meanwhile, the board still had not responded by midday Tuesday to requests — filed Friday by The Mirror — for details on others who received raises, how much they were and who approved them.

As for Meotti’s decision to forego the raise: “We appreciate this action, and have agreed to it,” Lewis J. Robinson, the Board of Regents chairman, and Robert A. Kennedy, the president of the system wrote in a joint statement. “The Board of Regents will be reviewing all other personnel salary adjustments that were made on the basis of additional duties, responsibilities, and roles assigned resulting from the consolidation.”

Top administrators for the board did not return multiple phone calls from The Mirror about Meotti’s raise both Friday and Monday.

A brief statement emailed Monday indicated that the raise was part of a larger reorganization effort. But it also referred to multiple salary adjustments, not just one for Meotti.

Asked Tuesday if any other raises have been foregone, Colleen Flanagan Johnson, a spokeswoman for system, said, “No, I do not believe so.”

Flanagan Johnson also said early Tuesday that she would provide the full details on the raises as quickly as possible.

Robinson said during a brief interview Monday that he didn’t know how pay raises in the central office are approved. Several others on the 15-member board referred all questions to Robinson or Kennedy. Robinson called today for the board to meet at 2:30 p.m., Friday.

Sen. Beth Bye, D-West Hartford, and Rep. Roberta Willis, D-Salisbury, co-chairwomen of the Higher Education Committee, intensified their criticism of the raises Tuesday.

Bye told Capitol reporters that all savings from the reorganization should be redirected to support academic programs, and that even those administrators asked to take on new responsibilities shouldn’t be receiving pay hikes right now.

“The legislative intent was for those savings to go to the campuses,” she said, adding she understood that to be Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s intent as well. “That was his stated goal. It was our stated goal. Whoever was responsible for this was not respecting those goals.”

When asked Monday for the governor’s reaction to Meotti’s raise, Malloy spokesman Andrew Doba said, “The Board of Regents is an independent body, and as such it was their decision to handle the compensation of management in this manner.”

Malloy told WTIC 1080-AM during an event in Plainville this morning that he was not involved in these raises and he does not know who approved them.

“The Regents’ system needs to run itself, but it needs to run itself well and be accountable to the public. And I think this thing is going to turn out OK,” Malloy said. “That is a decision to be made within that system, the Regents system… It needs to be run by the Board of Regents and I think as this thing is playing out it will get to the right result.”

On Meotti’s decision to forfeit the raise, Malloy said, “I think that that’s probably the right thing.”

Bye and Willis continued to press Tuesday for clarification on how the raises were approved, noting they think that pay raises should be a decision for the appointed Board of Regents.

“This still doesn’t address how it happened in the first place,” Willis said Tuesday.

“This is a misstep. I know there were board members that were upset about this and that they should have had a vote,” said Bye. “That is the public oversight we need.”

State law provides that, “The president may employ staff as is deemed necessary, including, but not limited to, temporary assistants and consultants. The board shall establish terms and conditions of employment of its staff, prescribe their duties and fix the compensation of its professional and technical personnel.”

Bye

Bye: ‘Someone gave the raises… The two-to-three days of not responding to the press only makes things worse.’

The appointed board’s bylaws reads, “There shall be an executive staff responsible for the operation of the Board of Regents for Higher Education. The executive staff shall be under the direction of the president of the Board of Regents for Higher Education, who shall be the chief executive officer of the Board of Regents for Higher Education and shall administer, coordinate and supervise the activities of the board in accordance with the policies established by the board. (b) The president may employ staff as is deemed necessary, including, but not limited to, temporary assistants and consultants. The board shall establish terms and conditions of employment of its staff, prescribe their duties and fix the compensation of its professional and technical personnel.”

Bye and Willis added that they have written and contacted the board Tuesday to receive clarification on who approved raises for Meotti and any other system office staff.

“Someone gave the raises… The two-to-three days of not responding to the press only makes things worse,” Bye told reporters in the state Capitol Tuesday. “I think someone should get back quickly to the media.”

Bye would not rule out legislative hearings to learn how these raises were authorized.

“It is completely unconscionable… I don’t think you can legislate common sense,” she said.

Asked if the board approved the raises, Flanagan Johnson said, “Let me double-check on that.”

Bye called Meotti’s decision to forego his 27 percent raise “appropriate in these times.”

Willis responded, “What about the other raises?”

The co-chairwomen said Monday that, given the sacrifices students, state employees and others have made in recent years, none of the savings from the Board of Regents’ consolidation should have been redirected into raises.

Bye said she was “outraged” by Meotti’s raise.

Most state employees are in the second year of a two-year wage freeze ordered by the concessions agreement negotiated by Malloy and state worker union leaders. All but two bargaining units accepted the freeze, thereby exempting them from layoffs through the 2014-15 fiscal year.

The consolidation, according to the board, reduced overall costs this fiscal year by $5.5 million. And Robinson and Kennedy’s statement Tuesday again trumpeted those savings.

An apology to the community college presidents

The board also expressed regret Tuesday over misunderstandings tied to recent news that 12 community college presidents are being offered an “expedite[d]” dismissal from their post. Policy requires that college presidents who have been with the system for more than three years be given a 12-month notice, with pay, if they will no longer run the school. Policy also allows for an “accelerated” payment of that 12 months’ pay.

“It’s important to us to apologize for any miscommunication that has occurred between the Board of Regents’ central office and the community college presidents,” the statement read.

“In trying to provide any community college presidents who do not support our change agenda a way in which to depart amicably, it was instead mistaken for a buyout or, worse, a push-out. That was never the intention, and for that, we apologize.”

Bye was also critical of the communication on the future of the presidents.

“It was really mishandled,” she said.

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jacqueline Rabe Thomas and Keith M. Phaneuf

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
One step Connecticut can take to address our maternal mortality crisis
by Myechia Minter-Jordan, MD

Uncertainty. Fear. Worry. These are just a few of the thoughts and emotions that run through the minds of almost every expecting parent. And for many expecting Black parents, those feelings can be more acute. That’s because for far too many, having a child is a life and death struggle.

Connecticut lawmakers on aid in dying: two decades of delay, deferral, obstruction
by Paul Bluestein, MD

Very soon, members of the Connecticut House and Senate will be voting on HB6425, - the Medical Aid in Dying bill. More than 20 years ago, Oregon implemented its Death with Dignity Act. Since then, Washington, Vermont, California, Montana, Colorado, Maine, Washington DC, Hawaii and most recently New Mexico have passed legislation authorizing medical aid in dying for terminally ill adults. But not Connecticut.

The intersection of race, class and gender in America’s childcare system: The class edition
by Georgia Goldburn

When Michelle Obama declared that she wanted to become “Mom in Chief,” she spoke to a sentiment shared by many women, i.e. the desire to be the primary caregiver of their young children in their early years. Not unexpectedly, Mrs. Obama was derided for making that choice, highlighting how society stands ready to indict women […]

A 71-year-old white woman has a request of the police
by Maggie Goodwin

Please officer, begin to look at every traffic stop and nonviolent police intervention as one where you will meet me, a white-haired 71-year-old retired social worker.

A progressive income tax to re-align Connecticut’s moral compass
by Ezra Kaprov

Redistribution of wealth and property is a fundamental and missing pillar of the hope for multi-racial democracy in the United States.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion One step Connecticut can take to address our maternal mortality crisis
by Myechia Minter-Jordan, MD

Uncertainty. Fear. Worry. These are just a few of the thoughts and emotions that run through the minds of almost every expecting parent. And for many expecting Black parents, those feelings can be more acute. That’s because for far too many, having a child is a life and death struggle.

Opinion Connecticut lawmakers on aid in dying: two decades of delay, deferral, obstruction
by Paul Bluestein, MD

Very soon, members of the Connecticut House and Senate will be voting on HB6425, - the Medical Aid in Dying bill. More than 20 years ago, Oregon implemented its Death with Dignity Act. Since then, Washington, Vermont, California, Montana, Colorado, Maine, Washington DC, Hawaii and most recently New Mexico have passed legislation authorizing medical aid in dying for terminally ill adults. But not Connecticut.

Opinion The intersection of race, class and gender in America’s childcare system: The class edition
by Georgia Goldburn

When Michelle Obama declared that she wanted to become “Mom in Chief,” she spoke to a sentiment shared by many women, i.e. the desire to be the primary caregiver of their young children in their early years. Not unexpectedly, Mrs. Obama was derided for making that choice, highlighting how society stands ready to indict women […]

Opinion A progressive income tax to re-align Connecticut’s moral compass
by Ezra Kaprov

Redistribution of wealth and property is a fundamental and missing pillar of the hope for multi-racial democracy in the United States.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO