From public school teachers to correctional officers to judges, more than 58,000 people received at least one paycheck from the state of Delaware last year.
The total amount of payments, including overtime and other earnings, was almost $2.64 million, according to data requested and analyzed by the News Journal/Delaware Online. State employee salaries represent less than 1% of the state’s total operating budget.
But who won the most and what form did these gains take?
For 11 percent of state employees, at least half of their annual income came from overtime and other bonuses, with Department of Correction and State Police employees earning the most hours on average additional. Not all state employees are eligible for overtime.
State employees earning the most overtime worked for the state police, the Delaware Psychiatric Center and the Department of Corrections, according to the data. All but one of the state employees who earned the most in overtime received higher pay from their overtime hours than from their regular pay.
The Department of Transportation paid its employees the least on average, even though many did not work for the department full time.
THE DATA: Overview of Delaware Government Employee Salary in 2023
Which state agencies pay their employees the most on average, including overtime and other compensation?
-
Department of Education, Office of Equity and Innovation: $139,603
-
Delaware State Housing Authority: $137,528
-
Ministry of Education, Professional Standards Board: $121,146
-
Delaware State Police, Aviation: $120,450
-
Delaware State Police, criminal investigation: $112,007
-
Delaware Department of Technology and Information, Chief Information Officer: $107,516
-
Delaware State Police, Patrol: $106,061
-
Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence charter school: $102,187
-
State Board of Education: $101,398
-
Delaware State Police, Traffic: $99,175
Who received the highest salaries among state employees last year?
-
Mark Brainard, president of Delaware Technical Community College: $342,774
-
Gary Collins, Chief Forensic Pathologist, Forensic Sciences Division: $256,765
-
Jennifer Swartz, Forensic Sciences Division forensic pathologist: $238,613
-
Jennie Vershvovsky, forensic pathologist in the Forensic Sciences Division: $238,613
-
Gerard Gallucci, Medical Director and Designated Institutional Lead for the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Residency Program: $237,274
-
Louis Finelli, Forensic Sciences Division: $234,958
-
Sherry Ann Nykiel, Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance: $226,889
-
Melissa Zebley, Delaware State Police Executive Staff: $225,453
-
Collins Seitz Jr., Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court: $225,175
-
Delaware Supreme Court Justices Karen Valihura and Gary Traynor: $215,254 each
Gov. John Carney made $170,999 last year. He was not entitled to overtime or other remuneration.
Who earned the most overtime last year?
-
Kennedy Mahiga Muriuki, supervisor of recruitment and training of psychiatric nurses at the Delaware Psychiatric Center: $192,412…
