Public education in New York State saw a notable number of educators earning substantial compensation during the 2024-25 school year, with over 100 professionals statewide making $300,000 or more. The majority of these high earners—64 of 104 were located on Long Island, a trend experts attribute to the region’s elevated cost of living. Combined salaries for 263,868 educators statewide totaled nearly $19.7 billion, with Long Island’s 60,939 workers in Nassau and Suffolk counties receiving $6.4 billion.

Newsday’s annual payroll review—compiled from data provided by the New York State Teachers’ Retirement System through the Freedom of Information Law—revealed striking trends. Educators earning $300,000 or more statewide grew nearly 50% over three years, from 70 in 2022-23 to 92 in 2023-24, and 104 in 2024-25. Long Island mirrored this surge, rising from 44 to 64. Similarly, those earning $200,000–$300,000 increased from 1,399 to 1,984 statewide and from 790 to 1,129 on Long Island, marking growth exceeding 40% over three years.

The top echelon of public-school administrators featured Hank Grishman, recently retired superintendent of Jericho, who led the state’s compensation list with a final-year package of $662,478. Grishman’s pay far exceeded peers such as Patrick Jensen (Southern Cayuga, $403,115), Allison Brown (Roslyn, $391,906), and Francesco Ianni (Oyster Bay-East Norwich, $383,549). Seven of the top ten highest-paid public-school employees hailed from Long Island, including Kathleen Bannon (Copiague, $377,583), Kevin Scanlon (Three Village, $376,761), Michael Nagler (Mineola, $370,542), and Kenneth Bossert (Great Neck, $357,000). Other notable earners outside the region included Amy Creeden (Middletown City, $362,109) and Joseph Ricca (White Plains, $357,744).

Grishman’s compensation sparked controversy, as nearly half—$319,305.54—stemmed from a retirement payout for unused sick and vacation days, in addition to his salary and benefits of $343,172.85. Grishman defended his earnings by citing his 47 years of service, the longest superintendency in New York State, and his role in establishing Jericho’s reputation as one of the nation’s highest-achieving school systems. Jericho High School was ranked 9th in New York State and 108th nationally by U.S. News & World Report, with its elementary and middle schools also in the state’s top 50. He additionally received a Distinguished Service Award from the New York State Council of School Superintendents for mentorship.

The practice of contractual payouts for unused leave, common among school and municipal employees in New York, faces criticism from fiscal experts. Ken Girardin, formerly of the Empire Center for Public Policy and now a research fellow at the Manhattan Institute, described such payouts as financially irresponsible, citing cases like Long Beach borrowing millions to fund high-cost retirements. A 2020 Newsday review estimated obligations for these payouts at $2.1 billion on Long Island and $8.7 billion statewide. Legislative attempts to limit these costs have repeatedly failed, and paradoxically, the State Legislature last year boosted pensions by shortening the salary averaging period for new hires.

Supporters argue that these payouts incentivize good attendance and attract top administrators. Chuck Dedrick, executive director of the New York State Council of School Superintendents, warned that removing payouts could deter qualified candidates, leading to a “disaster.” Grishman also noted that Jericho maintains well-funded reserves to cover retiree payouts for its 700 employees. Critics, however, point out that such generous cash-ins are rare in the private sector, recalling abuses such as a 1992 BOCES superintendent cashing in over $900,000, which sparked statewide protests.

The New York State Teachers’ Retirement System covers administrators, teachers, and other public school professionals. While State University of New York (SUNY) employees are included in the overall system, they were excluded from Newsday’s top 10 list because their salary structures differ from local school districts. For example, Joyce Brown, former president of the Fashion Institute of Technology (SUNY), retired in August 2024 with $782,760, which would have topped the list if included.