The two highest-ranking women working in the Atlanta district have received big raises and back pay so the school system could avoid potential lawsuits over salary inequity.
The board of education approved pay increases last month to narrow the $44,833 gap in average pay between the women and men who report directly to Superintendent Erroll Davis. Under the agreement, Deputy Superintendent Karen Waldon’s pay rose from $165,003 to $205,000, and Chief Strategy and Development Officer Alexis Kirijan’s salary increased from $148,732 to $190,000. They also received two years of back pay.
Previously, the women had earned about 78 percent of the average salaries of the six men on the senior staff, a figure that mirrors the nationwide gender pay gap.
