FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The interim president at Kentucky State University has asked for a pay cut in order to give raises to 24 employees at the low end of the institution’s pay scale.
The State Journal (https://bit.ly/UGo2Bc) reports the school’s board of regents recently approved the request to pay Raymond Burse $259,744 annually instead of $349,869.
Board of Regents Chairwoman Karen Bearden said the panel had intended to pay Burse the higher amount “in recognition of his skills, talents and ability to make significant contributions to this institution.”
“President Burse has asked the board to pay 24 employees who are currently earning less than $10.25 per hour the amount necessary to bring their salaries to $10.25 per hour and this amount would be reduced from the base pay salary that this board would pay him.”
Burse says he saw the action as necessary since some of the employees were making as little as $7.25 an hour.
“It takes everybody on this campus to do what we need to do to improve it,” Burse said. “I want everybody on the team to be involved and this is one way of showing employees on the lower end of the pay scale that they are important as well.”
Burse said all the employees were deserving of a pay raise.
“They are the people that do the physical labor on this campus on a daily basis. They are the ones that make it look good. I think they deserve to be rewarded,” Burse said. “We live in some very tough times and we want to make certain that they know we, the board and myself, care about them and want to do the very best by them.”
Burse was named as interim president at the Frankfort school in June after former President Mary Sias retired in May.
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Information from: The State Journal, https://www.state-journal.com
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