School Superintendent Loses 20% Pay Raise Amid Strike

The Birmingham school board rescinded the superintendent’s $30,000 pay raise as a teacher strike protesting the raise left most classrooms deserted for a second day in Alabama’s largest city. With the pay raise withdrawn on a 4-0 vote, local Education Assn. President Gwen Sykes said she will recommend teachers return to work today. Supt. Johnny Brown’s raise would have been a 20% increase to $181,000 while teachers and other employees received raises of 1.5% or less. Brown will go back to working under his original contract and pay.