School district to pay DeRosa nearly $55,000 for 312 sick days

July 11, 2006

By Pat Litowitz
New Castle News


Retired school administrator Nicholas DeRosa amassed almost a year’s worth of sick time during his 39 years of service.

His good health will cost the New Castle Area School District approximately $55,000.

He’ll also be paid more than $14,000 for unused vacation.

In response to a New Castle News request, district solicitor Charles Sapienza said the former assistant superintendent banked 312 1/2 unused sick days. Under the district’s compensation package, DeRosa will be reimbursed $175 per day for a total of $54,687.50.

When added to the $40,000 awarded to DeRosa upon his retirement and $14,381.76 for unused vacation days, the North Cascade Street resident will be paid $109,069.26 over a three- to five-year period.

DeRosa had 12 vacation days left from the 2005-06 school year when he retired on June 30, according to Joseph Ambrosini, the district’s business manager.

Administrators receive 20 vacation days annually, which cannot be carried over for use in the next year. However, Ambrosini explained, vacation days are earned for the following school year as the person is working.

An administrator must work 160 days in a school year in order to earn 20 days of vacation for the next year, he said.

Therefore, DeRosa, who worked the entire 2005-2006 school year, has 20 days for the 2006-07 year and will be compensated for those also, giving him a total of 32 unused vacation days.

He gets $449.43 for each unused day.

“Maybe it is time that we review (the policy regarding sick days),” school board member Donna Donati said.

DeRosa should not be the impetus for change, Donati said. Rather, the policy’s impact on the district finances and, ultimately, its students must be the reason the compensation is examined.

“People are attaching (the issue) to a personality,” she said. “I don’t think it is really fair. We have other people that have benefited from this.

“We can’t pick on one person. We have to address the whole thing.”

Attempts to contact DeRosa and his attorney, Louis Perrotta, were unsuccessful.

Last month, The News asked the district to provide the number of DeRosa’s unused sick and vacation days. Originally, the district said the information fell under personnel matters and declined to release it.

Citing a state court case involving salary records and Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, News’ attorney James Manolis requested the district reconsider its decision.

In a letter to Manolis dated yesterday, Sapienza questioned if the case — Pennsylvania State University v. State Employees Retirement Board — was applicable. However, he apologized “for not fully understanding your client’s request.”

Saying Manolis had clarified the issue, Sapienza furnished the number of DeRosa’s unused sick days. The school district provided the amount of remaining vacation days.

Board member Philip Conti agreed with Donati that public outcry over DeRosa’s sick day payment should not be directed at him.

“He is only getting what the (former) school board approved for its administrators,” he said.

“I believe that the administrative retirement package is really more than the district can afford. It is probably one of the most generous packages in the state. We are among the poorest districts in the state.”

DeRosa also will receive an annual pension of approximately $100,000. That money will be paid by the Pennsylvania Public School Employees Retirement System, which DeRosa and the district contributed to during his tenure.

“Whether (people) agree with the policy or not has nothing to do with Nicky,” Donati said.