Custodians are cleaning up on overtime in Newton Public Schools, with nearly a quarter earning at least $20,000 in extra hours last year as the district became embroiled in a stifling contract dispute between teachers and the School Committee. A Herald analysis into Newton’s payroll for the 2023 calendar year revealed that 21 of the 89 custodians employed in the district made at least $20,000 in overtime pay, a statistic one financial watchdog called “appalling.” The review also found that 13 custodians used the extra pay to skyrocket their salaries to over $100,000 — with the highest raking i ..read more

Below is last year’s total payroll for Newton, including overtime and “other” that account for raises to police. Go to the “Your Tax Dollars at Work” main page for more payrolls. To search on this database, click the magnifying glass icon (at right) and enter names and more. Use the scroll bar at the bottom to move the data over to the right to sort by highest to lowest. Send any tips or questions to joed@bostonherald.com ..read more

The office of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu reported the fewest department members and highest number of employees earning $100,000 or more since 2019, according to a five-year analysis conducted by the Herald. Data from the city of Boston’s annual payroll report listed 66 employees in the mayor’s office in 2023, a decrease from 75 in 2022. The highest number of department employees reported in the analysis was 80 in 2021. The 18 department employees earning at least $100,000 in total gross pay for the year increased from the 15 in 2022. The lowest number of such employees was 10 in 2021. Last year ..read more

Here is a Herald payroll analysis of the Boston mayor’s office payroll. Go to the “Your Tax Dollars at Work” main page for the city’s 2023 payroll and more. Related Articles Local News | Boston city payroll for 2023: Your Tax Dollars at Work To search on this database, click the magnifying glass icon (at right) and enter names and more. Use the scroll bar at the bottom to move the data over to the right to sort by highest to lowest ..read more

The percentage of Boston’s city workers pulling down $100,000 or more has jumped by 14% year-over-year, according to a Herald payroll analysis. That eye-popping tally includes four police officers who took home $400,000-plus and 65 other city employees who eclipsed $300,000 — mostly police and firefighters, with a wiring inspector rising in the lofty ranks. In total, 10,409 employees claimed $100,000 or more in 2023, slightly more than 40% of the entire city payroll. “It’s shocking. People go into law enforcement for all the right reasons, but making $400,000 is not one of them,” said Mike McC ..read more

Here is the 2023 payroll for the City of Boston, including overtime. Go here for the “Your Tax Dollars at Work” database home for more. To search on this database, click the magnifying glass icon (at right) and enter names and more. Use the scroll bar at the bottom to move the data over to the right to sort by highest to lowest. Send any tips or questions to joed@bostonherald.com. Follow the Watchdog newsletter for related coverage ..read more

Below is the 2023 Massachusetts State Police payroll. It includes those who earned from $400,000+ on down. Go to the “Your Tax Dollars at Work” main page for more as the Herald keeps adding to this project. To search on this database, click the magnifying glass icon (at right) and enter names and more. Use the scroll bar at the bottom to move the data over to the right to sort by highest to lowest. Send any tips or questions to joed@bostonherald.com. Follow the Watchdog newsletter for related coverage ..read more

Below is the Massachusetts Department of Correction payroll for 2023, with overtime and buyouts. Go to the main “Your Tax Dollars at Work” homepage for more. To search on this database, click the magnifying glass icon (at right) and enter names and more. Use the scroll bar at the bottom to move the data over to the right to sort by highest to lowest. Send any tips or questions to joed@bostonherald.com. Follow the Watchdog newsletter for related coverage ..read more

Just think of the possibilities. That was the mission of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s so-called “Office of Possibilities” when it was established a year ago under then-Secretary Gina Fiandaca.  And it still is now, even as the two-person operation has been rebranded with the more mundane, and perhaps less imaginative name, “The Lab @MassDOT.” The two employees at “The Lab” make a combined $310,579 a year and are tasked with serving as a testing ground for “promising ideas,” the agency said. The office was renamed after Fiandaca’s departure because “a lab is where exper ..read more

Below is the complete 2023 payroll for MassDOT, the state’s transportation department. It’s part of the Herald’s “Your Tax Dollars at Work” report. Go to the tax dollars main page here. To search on this database, click the magnifying glass icon (at right) and enter names and more. Use the scroll bar at the bottom to move the data over to the right to sort by highest to lowest. Send any tips or questions to joed@bostonherald.com. Follow the Watchdog newsletter for related coverage ..read more