Central Bucks School District accused of giving male teachers preferential treatment in hiring

The Central Bucks School District failed to credit female teachers for their education and experience when calculating their pay scale in the same way they did for male teachers, according to legal action recently filed in federal court.
In the proposed collective action, Philadelphia attorney Edward Mazurek said the CBSD violated the Equal Pay Act when it allegedly refused to credit at least two female teachers for the full number of years they spent teaching in other Pennsylvania school districts when deciding their placement on the step scale that determines salaries. A male teacher – identified as “John Doe” – received credit for his previous experience and additional credits for graduate school that were unwarranted.
“The district knowingly and willfully compensated male teachers it employed more favorably than female teachers under the salary schedules,” the complaint said. “The district has even willfully provided male employees, but not to similarly situated female employees, credit for teaching experience and educational credits that they did not have in order to increase their compensation under the salary scales.”
The school district did not respond to a request for comment.
In court documents, “the district has denied any wrongdoing as to how it compensates teachers,” Mazurek said.
But, “that’s just not true,” said the attorney, in a phone interview. “Based on Dawn Marinello and Rebecca Cartee-Haring’s cases, women teachers have not received credit for years of teaching in the district.
Marinello, the proposed lead plaintiff, came to CBSD in 2016 with a master’s degree in education and 14 years of teaching experience in other Pennsylvania districts, according to the complaint. She was placed on the bottom level of the pay scale, however, as though she was a beginning teacher, with a $51,000 salary, advancing a step at a time for each school year. The complaint alleges she should have started at $98,000 a year, given her education and experience.
Cartee-Haring was hired in 2007-2008 with nine years of experience, but the district credited her with four years and started her at the fifth step on the salary schedule, according to the suit.
“John Doe” was hired in 2010-2011 school year and received credit for his 14 years of experience and a master’s degree, plus 30 credits, according to the complaint.

“I hope the district takes this very seriously. I hope they will work with us. They have set a terrible example for female students,” said Mazurek.
While he said he could not calculate what the damages may be for each teacher, he said, “It’s going to be substantial.”
Supervisor Tony Matzura inquired if there was sensitive personal information in the files. Wager replied the township didn’t accept credit cards, so that wouldn’t be an issue. “I don’t know why someone’s Social Security numbers would be in a file. I have not come across any property file where there’s personal information,” he said.
Wager said the township will continue to have access to files while they are being scanned; he anticipated the process would take few months.
Supervisor Chairman Jim Nilsen said the ultimate goal was to go paperless. “We need to require everything that comes into this office to be electronic. You can ask for a hard copy, but when I work Doylestown on south there’s not a permit I apply for that’s not electronic. “
Over the years, various plans have been floated for the files, including hiring an intern to scan them. In the meantime, the filing cabinets became as much as a fixture as the Lassie figurine.
Responding to a public comment, Wager said he had no plans to make board meetings available online. He explained the township saves the meetings so the minutes can be transcribed. After that, the recordings are erased.

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