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| In 2011, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie succeeded in tying the pay of school superintendents to enrollment, with a maximum salary aligned with Christie’s pay – $175,000. |
Education Administrators have raped the taxpayers
- K through 12 Administrators are lining their pockets while their schools sink into a lower Hell of illiteracy, drop outs and fired teachers.
- Public college administrators often pull down $400,000 a year plus housing and car "allowances"
With California’s public school system facing economic uncertainties – even with the passage of a tax increase under Proposition 30 – some of the most financially troubled districts have been elevating the payroll for top administrators, a review of district data shows.
In the 2012-13 school year, a record 188 districts – with about 2.6 million students – have landed on a special California Department of Education list designed to sound the alarm on possible financial peril.
California Watch reports that one is the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second-largest district, which has been buried under a cumulative $2.8 billion deficit for the past five years and has eliminated more than 12,000 teaching and staff positions.
Los Angeles Unified pays Superintendent John Deasy $384,948 a year, about five times the salary of the average teacher. Deasy turned down an increase in his base pay, from $275,000 to $330,000, when he became superintendent in 2011, but accepted the raise in 2012.
Since 2009, the district has raised its superintendent’s salary 32 percent.
Also in the financial basement is the South Monterey County Joint Union High School District. Between 2010 and 2012, average teacher pay dropped 13.5 percent, from $86,703 to $75,018.
But after a takeover of the district in 2009, state officials awarded a $24,606 pay boost, also to be paid by the district, to top administrator John Bernard.
The resulting salary of $201,606, which remains in place for new State Administrator Daniel Moirao, is more than the base pay of Tom Torlakson, the state superintendent of public instruction, and Gov. Jerry Brown, who get $143,571 and $165,288, respectively.
A California Watch examination of 40 of the largest districts on the financial watch list revealed that 21 have raised their superintendents’ salaries since 2009. Some of the raises are modest – a small percentage. But others are more dramatic. Among them:
- The Riverside Unified School District – which has made $100 million in cutbacks since 2008-09 – raised Superintendent Richard Miller’s total pay for the current school year from $267,208 to $314,963, including benefits, a boost of 18 percent. Since 2009, the district has raised its superintendent’s salary more than 14 percent.
- The Lynwood Unified School District, which projects a 2012-13 operating deficit of $6.8 million, raised its superintendent’s base pay by about 23 percent, from $200,000 to $245,000, two years ago. Counting benefits, district chief Edward Velasquez makes $287,681.
- The Alvord Unified School District in Riverside has seen the superintendent’s pay and benefits increase from $192,375 in 2009-10 to $249,060 this fiscal year, a boost of nearly 30 percent. Teacher salaries range from $57,136 to $113,460.
Last year, voter approval of a tax increase under Prop. 30 relieved pressure from schools that were facing steep budget cuts. But the initiative, spearheaded by Brown, comes amid a national debate over high salaries for superintendents.
In February 2011, against heavy opposition, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie succeeded in tying the pay of superintendents to enrollment, with a maximum salary aligned with Christie’s pay – $175,000.
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| And the rape of the taxpayer goes on and on and on. |
Districts with more than 10,000 students can apply for a waiver to pay its superintendent slightly more.
“In these hard economic times, superintendent salaries in New Jersey are costing taxpayers more than $100 million per year,” the governor’s office said in announcing the reforms. The state estimated an initial savings of nearly $10 million.
New York is pursuing similar legislation for school district superintendents across the board. Currently, the state caps the salaries, at $166,572, only of those who head the state’s 37 regional education agencies.
No such efforts to cap salaries are under way in California.
For the full article go to California Watch.
Superintendents' salaries increase
| School district | Percent increase | 2009-10 salary | 2012-13 salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Unified** | 32 | $250,000.00 | $330,000.00 |
| Alvord Unified | 29.5 | $192,375.00 | $249,060.00 |
| Garvey | 23.2 | $178,930.00 | $220,382.00 |
| Lynwood Unified** | 22.5 | $200,000.00 | $245,000.00 |
| Desert Sands Unified(c) | 17.2 | $238,905.00 | $279,884.00 |
| Murrieta Valley Unified(a) | 15.3 | $210,374.00 | $242,626.00 |
| Riverside Unified | 14.8 | $274,409.00 | $314,963.00 |
| Walnut Valley Unified | 14.3 | $266,666.00 | $304,773.00 |
| South Monterey County Joint Union High** | 13.6 | $177,492.00 | $201,606.00 |
| Buena Park Elementary | 12.8 | $227,857.00 | $257,119.00 |
| Santa Ana Unified | 12.5 | $295,810.00 | $332,785.00 |
| Centralia Elementary(d) | 10.5 | $179,406.00 | $198,247.00 |
| Folsom Cordova Unified | 9.6 | $246,578.00 | $270,263.00 |
| Fairfield-Suisun Unified(b) | 8.8 | $309,742.00 | $337,116.00 |
| Ramona Unified | 8.1 | $212,608.00 | $229,725.00 |
| Coachella Valley Unified | 7.2 | $234,797.00 | $251,619.00 |
| Paso Robles Joint Unified ** | 6.8 | $161,813.00 | $172,767.00 |
| San Ysidro | 4 | $181,793.00 | $189,113.00 |
| Val Verde Unified | 2.7 | $257,260.00 | $264,225.00 |
| Lake Elsinore Unified | 1.7 | $260,970.00 | $265,330.00 |
| Palm Springs Unified | 1.7 | $258,455.00 | $262,902.00 |
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