The city school board last night thanked Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Mark Roosevelt for his work and gave him a 7.1 percent raise, boosting his salary to $225,000.

The board voted 6-1 to approve the $15,000 raise.

Mark Brentley Sr. voted against the raise, repeating his concerns about the effectiveness of Mr. Roosevelt's improvement efforts.

Randall Taylor, also a critic of Mr. Roosevelt, did not attend the meeting. Jean Fink voted by phone. One board seat remains empty because of the June 30 resignation of Heather Arnet.

Mr. Roosevelt joined the district in August 2005 at a salary of $165,000, and he's received $15,000 raises each year.

Under his contract, which runs through August 2011, he's entitled to the annual raise if a majority of board members agree that he's met his goals for the school year.

The goals for 2008-09 included improved test scores, increased public confidence in the district and long-range planning for career and technical education and other programs.

The average superintendent's salary statewide is $122,165, according to the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. Mr. Roosevelt is one of the top-paid superintendents in the state; Arlene Ackerman, superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia, has a base salary of $325,000, according to news reports, and, unlike Mr. Roosevelt, also has the opportunity to earn bonuses.