New Kensington-Arnold School District extended its contracts with Superintendent John Pallone and two other administrators.

The extensions for Pallone and athletic Director William Colosimo come two years ahead of the end of their current contracts. The extension for Jeff McVey, director of administrative services, is one year early.

The three-year extensions for Pallone and Colosimo run through June 30, 2024. McVey’s five-year extension takes him through to June 30, 2025.

School board President Bob Pallone said the extensions were not related to the upcoming school board election, in which six seats on the nine-member board are up and majority control could change.

Bob Pallone said the board held off approving the extensions until a new contract was secured with the district’s teachers union, which the school board and union both approved last week.

“We wanted to get the teachers happy, settled and in a good place and then go from there,” he said. “The last thing we wanted to do was give an extension on a contract while the teachers didn’t have one.”

Bob Pallone abstained from voting on John Pallone’s contract extension because the men are brothers. Members Ellyse Williams, Chelsea Stone and Rob Fusia were absent. The remaining board members, Eric Doutt, Kristin O’Sullivan, Kathleen Clarke, Scott Bussard and Wayne Perry, voted in favor of the extension.

John Pallone, Colosimo and McVey each will receive 2.5 percent pay increases in each year of their extended agreements.

John Pallone will be paid about $125,719 for the 2019-20 school year. It will increase to $128,817 for 2020-21.

New Kensington-Arnold hired John Pallone, a lawyer, former state representative and district graduate, as superintendent in September 2012. His contract was last extended in July 2016, for five years.

His initial pay was $90,000 for the first six months, and then rose to about $110,000 in April 2013.

He received no increase in pay for the 2014-15 school year. It then increased 2.3% in 2015-16, 4% for 2016-17, and 2.5% for 2017-18 and 2018-19. Since being hired, his salary has increased by almost $36,000, or 40%.

John Pallone notes that his pay is less than the state average of $142,964, and the Kiski-Valley average of $139,552. He also opts out of receiving health insurance through the school district, which he gets as a former state lawmaker and which he says saves the district money.

“I don’t do this job for the money or to get rich,” he said. “I do this job because of my passion for helping people and for the district and the community.”

Colosimo’s current salary is about $40,932. It will rise to $41,956 for 2020-21. In addition to athletic director, Colosimo also serves as the district’s assistant director of building and grounds, for which he receives an additional $10,000 stipend, John Pallone said.

The district currently does not have a building and grounds director. The position was eliminated.

McVey will be paid about $108,796 in 2019-20. His salary will increase to $111,516 in 2020-21.

John Pallone said that, like him, Colosimo and McVey are “passionate about this area and this community, and helping these students and helping this district.

“I couldn’t be more proud to tell you I work with those two gentlemen,” he said.

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