Do local school execs earn too much?
Who in California has an annual salary comparable to President Obama? If you guessed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, you’d be wrong. Linda Katehi, incoming chancellor at UC Davis makes the same amount as Obama, taking home an annual salary of $400,000. As state officials issue IOUs, order additional furlough days in the midst of a budget meltdown, many are questioning the seemingly ever-escalating government salaries, particularly in public education, which makes up a significant portion of the state budget. Although local school districts and universities have yet to learn how the state’s finances will ultimately affect their budgets and students in the upcoming school year, Sierra College President Leo Chavez takes home $223,968, a salary that is scheduled to jump 5 percent next year. Many would argue that his and other Placer County school executives’ salaries are unfair, especially given the current budget crisis. Chavez disagrees. “How do you define fair? In relation to my peers, yes, I feel it’s fair,” Chavez said. “Colleges are interesting. (For example) what does the CEO of a company generating revenue of $100 million with 500 employees make? That’s essentially what I am, so it’s hard to define fair.” Chavez, whose responsibilities include enforcing policies set forth by the state and the school’s board of trustees as well as overseeing the operations of the institution and making public appearances at community events, said he is continually “impressed” by the wide range of tasks that fall under his job title. Isabel Ramirez, a Lincoln resident, has been attending Sierra College full time for the last two years and currently works on campus making $9 an hour. “(Chavez’s salary) is too much. I’ve been here for two years and I don’t know who he is or what he does,” Ramirez said. “Some of (his salary) could be going to lower tuition or financial aid for students.” In an effort to offset reduced state funding, community college students are facing a 30 percent hike in fees, the first rate increase in five years. California State University students will see a 10 percent raise in student fees. Alexander Gonzales, president of Sacramento State University, takes home a base salary of $295,000. Add to that perks like a $12,000 annual car allowance and a $60,000 housing allowance and Gonzales’ total income is closer to $367,000. “Sounds like he’s got his best interests at heart, not the students” said Sacramento State student and Roseville resident Nathan Lemaster. These six- figure salaries aren’t exclusive to higher education institutions as superintendents in the eight Placer County school districts also take home salaries well above $100,000. For example, Roseville Joint Union High School District Superintendent Tony Monetti takes home an annual base salary of $196,766 not including a 3 percent longevity stipend and an $875 monthly travel stipend pushing his income to $213,169. Former Placer Union High School District Superintendent Bart O’Brien received $174,488 with a $600 monthly car allowance and $250 monthly for miscellaneous expenses. Rather than take the district’s health care package, O’Brien opted to include the money in his salary. “How can they even relate to the average working Joe making minimum wage?” said Auburn A-Town Deli & Sandwich Shop owner Kathy DeVries. “I’m not even getting a salary.” DeVries said that due to the economy she’s had to let one of her employees go and has not received a salary for several months to save her business. “Why would I take (money) for myself when it needs to go into my business?” DeVries said. “We cut firemen, police officers and teachers but that’s our future, it doesn’t make sense.” This year, Placer County school districts have cut millions from their budgets in preparation for reduced funding from the state. Many administrators and superintendents at school districts have opted to take furlough days throughout the school year and have frozen their pay. “I would appreciate it if they would come forth and take a pay cut,” DeVries said. “Put that money back into the schools for the kids.” Rocklin Unified School District Superintendent Kevin Brown volunteered to take a 4 percent pay reduction earlier this year. “Every employee in our school district is going to be affected in some way,” Brown said during a March interview. “Everybody in their own way will feel the impact. It’s my way of saying that I need to share the pain.” Dry Creek Superintendent Mark Geyer was scheduled to receive an increase in his annual salary this year, bumping his base pay from $155,967 to $162,205. Instead, Geyer and his administration have all opted for pay freezes and furlough days to save additional cuts and layoffs in the school districts. “Realistically, we understand that we’re not just frozen for this year. Next year may not be any better,” Geyer said. “Administration voluntarily took a salary freeze to be proactive in saving positions, running efficiently and avoiding class size reductions.” Several days past the July 1 budget deadline, California schools are left wondering what the next school year will bring. “They all need to get their priorities straight,” DeVries said. “I hope they’re proving that they deserve those salaries.”
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I wrote a blog post only speaking to one of the examples in this story, but I think it adds some perspective.
http://www.aaronklein.com/2009/07/07/how-much-is-good-leadership-worth/
A lot of public employees in Placer County make more than the Governor of California. It's called "get as much as the suckers are willing to pay you".
Salaries are one thing, but the raises at this time are something completely different.
I don't necessarily have a problem with how much these school officials make, but I do have a big problem with them receiving salary increases at a time when a great many tax payers are taking huge reductions in pay.
Is this college a business for a profit? Is the UC system set up that way? or is it to break even.? The benefits of the UC system are way out of scale..its time there was parity...unless this is a for profit organization and if that is the case the compensation should be based on performance and profits of the UC system.
It's worth looking at the discrepancy between the salaries of teachers and that of district personnel as well as the number of district personnel. Why does PUHSD need two assistant superintendents? How much do they make? How about all the administrative support staff, both at the school sites and at the district? PUHSD teachers make a pittance of a salary. How does it stack up next to all those people not in the classroom that taxpayers are paying for?
When times are good nothing gets questioned. Now in a downturned economy where everyone that doesn't have the salary and perks that public employees receive have to just get by it would be appropriate that those we pay with our taxes should also see a reduction in their pay and benefits until the economy gets better. We have lost all or most of our common sense.
Most superintendent positions require at lease a doctorate of education and a successful track record as a school administrator. Superintendents also serve at the pleasure of the school board and may be released at any time. While I agree that raises for these positions should be frozen for the time being, I don't agree that the typical superintendent is overpaid if compared to similar positions of responsibility in the public and private sectors.
The fundamental problem is that public employees are not accountable.
The elected officials that are SUPPOSED to be keeping an eye on them, are actually being elected with campaign funding provided by these people. Until we stop allowing public employee unions to fund their over-seers, we will continue to see massive waste, fraud and abuse.
Over-paid and under-worked! I have friends that are teachers that are making 40k to 50k per year and getting laid-off. You could “CAN” a few of these non-needed superintendents and board members and keep 3 or maybe 4 teachers on staff for one of their salaries. Doctorate, Masters, whatever level of education one has it doesn’t make sense. The last time I checked a lot of teaches have masters and doctorates. Anywhere from 80 to 100k would be sufficient salaries, but high 200’s and all the perks is a joke. Gonzales and Chaves could afford to take a pay-cut for the students as well, but it might affect their lavish lifestyles and we wouldn’t want to do that….
Why has the City of Rocklin and the Placer County School districts built multi-million dollar Administration buildings recently? Why has CALSTRS built a monument next to the Sacremento River? Yet both are claiming they don't have money for classrooms. With school dictricts, we need the flexibility to take money away from Admin. building construction and divert it to teachers and classrooms rather than having it earmarked for unnecessary construction projects. The system keeps these funds separate but they need to have the flexibility to spend them where needed.
I have heard many teachers agree that the administrator of a district should make no more than the highest paid teacher within the district. Makes sense to me.
Todd77,
You are incorrect; k12 teachers with a masters or above is well below 50% and may be as low as 25%. Teachers working in the k12 system holding a doctorate are very rare. Check any opening for a superintendent position and one of the requirements is a doctorate. That is not to say that a district won't hire someone without it, but the big districts usually insist on it.
Superintendents started out as teachers. After about ten years in the classroom, teachers who want to move into administration will return to college for an administrative credential and a masters in education. They may work as an administrator for another ten years or so and are paid in the 80k to 100k range that you speak of. Those with a desire decide to pursue a higher administrative position at the district level as superintendents. Many superintendents have thirty years or more of experience and training in education. This is an average timetable and sometimes a teacher takes twenty or more years before moving into administration. The fact is that superintendents are former classroom teachers who had the motivation to get the training and education to move to a higher level in the field of education. Paying $200,000 for a good superintendent is an acceptable expense.
Mr Klein feels Sierra is getting the bang for the buck? Accreditation issues? The sheer volume of part time teaching staff is unreal. But oh yeah he made sacrifices he cut his staff by 1/3 luckily he was able tp preserve his salary. Yes he is paid way too much. His leadership is absent. The students are suffering. Just like Wall Street let us give these failing executives a big fat bonus. How successful is Sierra?
Leo what a POS you are! You and people like you make me sick.
Place Hills School is having financial problems.There could be other schools in a financial crisis in the near future. The federal government put a freeze on wages. I don't understand how school administrators are getting 5% raises at this time. Everyone is spending less money right now.
I live with a principal so I know what they do. A lot! Most people leave their jobs and go home and relax. Administrators bring their work home just like business owners, executives and yes teachers. They are paid more because they have more responsibilities than the classroom teacher, and are accountable for a lot of things people don't see. A lot of those responsibilities are mandated by the government. You wouldn't expect the owner of a multimillion dollar corporation to be paid the same as a worker so it shouldn't be unusual theat an administrator is paid more. It was pointed out how much education and experience these people have, after teaching in the classroom. Any teacher can become an administrator but most don't. Just like any worker can become a boss; most don't.
Kudos to those administrators that took pay cuts, and not a pesky pay freeze. My pay was cut 5% (I'm a classified school employee, one of the worker bees) but our administrators took a pay freeze. I can see both sides of the coin, but administrators should take the same pay cut they deal out to the other employees. Show real leadership. Yet, remember people we voted our politicians in and allowed this to happen to ourselves. The blame lies with us and the solution is our responsibility.
One last thing, administrators are employees, the school boards are elected officials and not paid.
Acadian, 25% of all teachers is a lot of people! Those are the teachers I am talking about. I understand that many of them move up through the ranks like many employees in many companies, but the majority of them don’t even with higher education.
I think the administrators that work on campus should get paid more than the useless superintendents. The 80 to 100K that I speak of is worth the principals and vice-principals that have to deal with all or majority of the grunt work. What I am saying is that we could do with a few less over-paid and under-worked superintendents. At the very least they shouldn’t be getting paid much more than a principal. Paying 200k is NOT an “acceptable expense” to pay these paper pushers to lift a finger a couple times a year, it's a joke!
Can you imagine spending a week with a superintendent at work during the summer? hahahaha.... I'd love to spend a week in there office!! They probably don't even work during the summer!
Yes and kudos to those administrators that took pay cuts!
Todd77, I don't think you understand what superintendents do. The job is a lot more labor intensive than you presume, especially now. I understand what is driving this issue; that the state should take a hard look at streamlining the system before hitting the public up for more money. I would like to see more effort to consolidate the districts and eliminate the need for a superintendent in each small district. The Placer Hills Union Elementary School District is just one of many who will be put on the financial watch list as the school district budgets dry up. Also, why do we need an office of education in each county? Why can't we have a regional office that can serve three or four counties? And I've said this before and I'll say it again; Why can't Auburn's public bus system utilize the large grant that they just received to help transport students? Why can't school libraries be closed and the public library system serve the schools with a bookmobile? What irritates me more than superintendent pay is the confusing redundancy of services in communities.
Acadian, Your correct, I don't know what these superintendents do on a daily basis, but there is a lot of wasted tax dollars in the county/state. I agree with the consolidation! I think that's a good solution, if this was done they could hire a few more teachers. In these tough economic times we need to do more with less, but they don't grasp that concept. I agree that there are much bigger problems in the county. Having family members work for Placer County I've heard and seen wasted tax dollars first hand. If the county was ran like the private sector it would be a lot more efficient...
Bottom line is that they should take a cut like everyone else, and excuse me, but unless you do travel, why is a travel stipend automatically issued?
keyon59, the stipend is probably included because the superintendent uses his own car to get around the district, which stretches from Loomis to Colfax. The $600 probably takes into account fuel, car payment, insurance, and wear and tear on the vehicle. Whether that sum is too high is debatable.
What appears to get lost in the vilification of some is the leadership of others. Months ago the Administration of the Dry Creek District voluntarily took a pay freeze. Before cuts to any other personnel or program were considered every administrator, from the Assistant Principals up to the Superintendent, declined raises for next year. When the special election measures failed and the Governors May revised budget came out it was clear that further drastic steps would be required, the district’s teachers stepped up with not only a salary freeze for next year but three furlough days as well. The administrators quickly followed. While they won’t be taking furlough days, they are taking a cut equal to that of three days pay.
As a Trustee for this district I want to commend the entire staff and community on coming together to get the most out of the dollars we have. By the way, it’s a shame that when the teachers and administrators took their respective freezes and reductions, the first district in Northern California to do so, that the good news and unity of purpose wasn’t deemed newsworthy.
I am glad otsuka commended staff. But the problem I have with your message is that we get bits and pieces of information on how you spend public money. It would be helpful to hear in the news about what the district's plan is for dealing with these deep cuts. Since no one really gets pay increases anymore it is upsetting to hear about pay raises. None of it really makes sense. Administrators get money and kids lose money for education. It doesn't feel like you are spending taxpayer money wisely.
Perhaps you have done a great job but don't know an effective to communicate it to the public. People worry when they hear that the Auburn schools were on financial watch a few years ago. And now Placer Hills School District is on watch. No one has taken the time to explain the plan to fix things.
Handyman: I agree. Each district reports publicly on an individual basis. As a district we had to cut about $8m. That was accomplished with salary freezes and reductions for administration and classified staff. Elimination of several administrative and classified postions and reductions of days or hours to those that were not eliminated. Every department and every site was hit, but none more than the district office. I don't know what K-12 you are in, but their budget information is public record. If it isn't placed in a conspicuous position on their home page then call and ask for it. All of the cuts that were made in Dry Creek are easily found at the district web site drycreek.k12.ca.us. We have made a commitment to the community to be transparent and communicative throughout the process. The process happens at posted and agendized open public meetings with input from all stakeholders.
Otsuka, thanks for the information.