Following the dollar

[kae]

www.pioneerlocal.com/evanston/schools/172121,nb-suptintro-121406-s1.article

December 14, 2006
Pioneer Press newspapers

Following the dollar

By ROBERT ELFINGER
Staff Writer

Superintendent salaries in North Shore school districts will decrease
over the next few years as some of the area's most recognized
educators head into retirement.

A Pioneer Press study examined the superintendents' base salaries,
district-paid contributions to their state pension, annuities, car
allowances and other job perks negotiated into their respective
contracts.

The salary data show that retiring superintendents are enjoying
special one-time payments, retirement contributions, bonuses,
purchased annuities and other retirement incentives.

For example, New Trier District 203 Superintendent Henry Bangser
retired in June and made $356,500 in the final year of his contract,
making him the highest paid superintendent on the North Shore and
second highest paid in the state last school year, according to an
Illinois Board of Education spokeswoman.

His replacement, Linda Yonke, will earn $227,150 this school year.

Sunset Ridge Elementary School District 29 superintendent Howard
Bultinck will earn $344,921 in total compensation this school year
before retiring in June. His successor, Linda Vieth, will earn close
to $210,000 in total compensation next year.

Winnetka District 36 superintendent Rebecca van der Bogert will earn
$357,668 in total compensation this school year before retiring in
June. Her replacement, Mary Herrmann, will make $196,000 in base
salary plus retirement contribution and other perks.

Northbrook District 28 superintendent Julia Haley will earn $265,122
in total compensation. Her newly named replacement, Larry Hewitt,
will earn a base salary of $168,350 plus pension contributions and
other perks.

The North Shore's most compensated high school superintendent is now
Glenbrook District 225's Dave Hales, who will receive in $261,000
this school year.

Here is a quick look at each North Shore superintendent's
compensation for the current school year.

---------------------------------------------
High School Districts
---------------------------------------------

Glenbrook High School District 225

(serves 4,835 students in two schools)
Superintendent: Dave Hales
Total compensation: $261,000

consisting of:

$162,840 Base salary

$14,160 District-paid contribution to state pension

$28,000 Annuities

$6,000 Car allowance

$50,000 District-paid contribution to variable life insurance policy
STATS

* Started July 1, 1998; retiring June 30, 2008

* Notable prior experience: Superintendent of Southwest Allen County
schools in Fort Wayne, Ind.

* Education: Doctorate in education administration, Indiana State University

------- Evanston High School District 202

(has one school, which serves 3,047 students)
Eric Withersthingy
Total compensation: $240,751

consisting of:

$200,000 Base salary

$20,751 District-paid contribution to state pension

$20,000 Annuity

plus the use of a 2004 Toyota Avalon
STATS

* Started July 2006

* Notable prior experience: Superintendent of Des Moines, Iowa schools

* Education: Doctorate in educational administration and curriculum,
Purdue University

------- New Trier High School District 203

(serves 4,150 students in two schools)
Superintendent: Linda Yonke
Total compensation: $227,150

consisting of:

$200,000 Base salary

$22,350 District-paid contribution to state pension

$4,800 Car allowance
STATS

* Started July 1, 2006

* Notable prior experience: Assistant superintendent for curriculum
and instruction at New Trier; principal at York Community High School
in Elmhurst, Lake Central High School in St. John, Ind., and Kankakee
High School

* Education: Doctorate in educational organization and leadership
from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

---------------------------------------------
Elementary School districts
---------------------------------------------

------- Winnetka Public District 36

(serves 2,087 students in five schools)
Superintendent: Rebecca van der Bogert
Total compensation: $357,668

consisting of:

$244,967 Base salary

$33,705 District-paid contribution to state pension

$24,380 Purchase of out of state service credits

$49,516 Post-retirement health insurance

$5,100 Car allowance
STATS

* Started July 1994, retiring June 2007

* Notable prior experience: Served numerous leadership positions in
Lincoln, Groton and Ipswich, Mass., including coordinator of a gifted
and talented program, principal, curriculum coordinator, assistant
superintendent for curriculum and superintendent of schools. Serves
on the board of North Suburban Special Education District

* Education: Doctorate in teaching, curriculum and learning
environments from Harvard University

------- Sunset Ridge District 29

(serves 515 students in two schools)
Superintendent: Howard Bultinck
Total compensation: $344,921

consisting of:

$280,019 Base salary

$34,902 District-paid contribution to state pension

$30,000 Annuities

plus the use of a 2003 Ford Explorer
STATS

* Started July 1980, retiring June 2007

* Notable prior experience: Principal of Sunset Ridge School,
Northfield; adjunct professor for Northeastern Illinois University;
administrative assistant to superintendent of Sunset Ridge School
District

* Education: Doctorate in administration and policy studies,
Northwestern University

------- Northbrook District 28

(serves 1,765 students in four schools)
Superintendent: Julia Haley
Total compensation: $265,122

consisting of:

$236,939 Base salary

$24,583 District-paid contribution to state pension

$3,600 Car allowance
STATS

* Started July 1, 2002; retiring June 30, 2007

* Notable prior experience: Superintendent of Skokie School District 73 1/2

* Education: Doctorate in policy and leadership, Loyola University

------- Wilmette District 39

(serves 3,662 students at six schools)
Superintendent: Glenn "Max" McGee
Total compensation: $257,395

consisting of:

$233,200 Base salary

$24,195 District-paid contribution to state pension
STATS

* Started July 2002

* Notable prior experience: Senior research associate for Northern
Illinois University's Center for Governmental Studies, DeKalb; state
superintendent of education; superintendent for Deerfield School
District 109; superintendent for Aptakisic-Tripp District 102,
Buffalo Grove; principal for Fairview School, Darien

* Education: Doctorate in educational administration, University of Chicago

------- Avoca District 37

(serves 687 students in two schools)
Superintendent: Joseph Porto
Total compensation: $249,018

consisting of:

$199,549 Base salary

$22,466 District-paid contribution to state pension

$23,003 Health, dental, life and disability insurance

$4,000 Car allowance
STATS

* Started July 2002

* Notable prior experience: Superintendent of Pleasantdale School
District 107, Burr Ridge; director of instructional development,
North Shore School District 112, Highland Park; principal of Red Oak
School, Highland Park; principal of Indian Knoll School in West
Chicago

* Education: Doctorate in educational administration, Northern
Illinois University

------- Evanston District 65

(serves 6,234 students in 16 schools)
Superintendent: Hardy Murphy
Total compensation: $246,137

consisting of:

$201,235 Base salary

$19,902 District-paid contribution to state pension

$25,000 Housing allowance

plus use of a 2006 Mercury Grand Marquis
STATS

* Started July 1999

* Notable prior experience: Associate superintendent for human
resources and instructional support, Fort Worth, Texas

* Education: Doctorate in educational psychology, University of Texas at Austin

------- Northbrook District 27

(serves 1,286 students in four schools)
Superintendent: David Kroeze
Total compensation: $230,210

consisting of:

$199,510 Base salary

$20,700 District-paid contribution to state pension

$10,000 Contribution to deferred compensation annuity

and drives district-owned 2004 Acura TL
STATS

* Started July 1, 1992

* Notable prior experience: Associate and assistant superintendent
for instruction in Wheeling School District 21

* Education: Doctorate in education, University of Chicago

------- Glencoe District 35

(serves 1,366 students in three schools)
Superintendent: Cathlene Crawford
Total compensation: $220,622

consisting of:

$160,000 Base salary

$20,772 District-paid contribution to state pension

$36,850 Annuities

$3,000 Travel allowance
STATS

* Started July 1998

* Notable prior experience: Principal at South School in Glencoe and
at Hawthorne Intermediate School in Vernon Hills; administrator of
student services for Wilmette Public Schools District 39;
principal/assistant director of special education at Northwood School
in Raytown, Mo.

* Education: Doctorate in urban leadership and policy study in
education, University of Missouri, Kansas City

------- Glenview District 34

(serves 4,249 students in eight schools)
Superintendent: Gerald Hill
Total compensation: $220,451

consisting of:

$186,345 Base salary

$19,506 District-paid contribution to state pension

$6,000 District-paid contribution to out-of-state pension

$5,000 Annuities

$3,600 Car allowance
STATS

* Started July 1, 2004

* Notable prior experience: Superintendent of Community Consolidated
School District 146 in Tinley Park

* Education: Doctorate in administrative leadership, University of North Texas

------- Kenilworth District 38

(has one school serving 583 students)
Superintendent: Kelley Kalinich
Total compensation: $201,900

consisting of:

$165,000 Base salary

$17,100 District-paid contribution to state pension

$15,000 Housing allowance

$4,800 Car allowance
STATS

* Started July 2005

* Notable prior experience: Principal, assistant superintendent and
superintendent for Cass School District 63, Darien; assistant
principal for Greenbrook Elemenary School, Hanover Park

* Education: Doctorate in education, Vanderbilt University

------- West Northfield District 31

(serves 891 students in two schools)
Superintendent: Debra Hill
Total compensation: $183,112

consisting of:

$160,393 Base salary

$17,919 District-paid contribution to state pension

$4,800 Car allowance
STATS

* Started Oct. 2, 2000; retiring June 30, 2007

* Notable prior experience: Assistant superintendent for Evanston District 65

* Education: Doctorate in curriculum/human resources, Loyola University

------- Northbrook/Glenview District 30

(serves 1,107 students in three schools)
Superintendent: Linda Vieth
Total compensation: $173,062

consisting of:

$156,794 Base salary

$16,268 District-paid contribution to state pension

and drives district-owned 2005 Acura TL
STATS

* Started July 1, 2005; leaving the district in June

* Notable prior experience: Assistant superintendent of District 30

* Education: Doctorate in education, National-Louis University

[bob]

Look at the pay per student.

$357k for 2000 students or $350 for 500 students.

[wvhsparent]

WOW!!!!
I wonder if the education reforn should start at the top.....

[d204taxpayer]

wvhsparent said:

WOW!!!!
I wonder if the education reforn should start at the top.....

No doubt and reform needs to start at the "top" and the "top" being that of your elected school board members, right, "bob"? It is the school boards who approve the salaries and benefit packages.

[proschool]

d204taxpayer said:

wvhsparent said:

WOW!!!!
I wonder if the education reforn should start at the top.....

No doubt and reform needs to start at the "top" and the "top" being that of your elected school board members, right, "bob"? It is the school boards who approve the salaries and benefit packages.

If good administrators are available for less money how do you expalin the fact that NO school board anywhere has been able to hire cheaper adminisatrators?

[blankcheck]

Agreed d204-Look at your board members who were part of the Gail McKenzie salary increase for her last year here. She is now the super in Polk County FL as well as collecting her pension from IL.

[204parent]

CV keeps talking about fiscal responsibility. Let's see if she takes a leadership role on drafting the compensation package for the new Supe.

[wvhsparent]

proschool said:

d204taxpayer said:

No doubt and reform needs to start at the "top" and the "top" being that of your elected school board members, right, "bob"? It is the school boards who approve the salaries and benefit packages.

If good administrators are available for less money how do you expalin the fact that NO school board anywhere has been able to hire cheaper adminisatrators?

That's probably because they have not tried......I am all for "market demand", but these seem a bit out of whack to me.
Now if the taxpayers of those areas are OK with these salaries/perks...That's their prerogative.
Also to clarify, some of those line items, such as contributions to pension are normal, I even get that from the County, and I would surmise that a whole bunch of everyone else has some sort of pension matching thing going on.

[proschool]

I can't believe that nobody ever tried it. It is was possible to save so much money I think that someone would have tried it somewhere and succeeded.

[wvhsparent]

proschool said:

I can't believe that nobody ever tried it. It is was possible to save so much money I think that someone would have tried it somewhere and succeeded.

I can....It's a governmental bureaucracy after all...something I know a lot about...

[kae]

Did Illinois ever pass the end of career salary increase cap legislation? I heard that they were going to cap it at 3%, but then I heard 5%. Anyone know? This would shift the cost of large end of career salary increases to the district's tax payers and limit the state's contribution to the education retirement system.

[d204taxpayer]

204parent said:

CV keeps talking about fiscal responsibility. Let's see if she takes a leadership role on drafting the compensation package for the new Supe.

She has indeed voted against admin raises and the only one to do so according to the newspapers. Unfortunately, it takes more than one vote to make a difference. Majority rules and if the majority are tax-and-spend minded individuals, not much one person can do without additional support IMO.

People should take the time to check the minutes which reflect the votes cast by the school board members. Not just in the past 1-2 years, but those in archive. You may be surprised to find that rarely, if ever, district administration 's requests to spend money are turned down as the majority of the time the board approves just about any and all recommendations and requests. Questions asked are often those where the answers are obviously already known. Just a bunch of fluff and stuff ...

Why should this fiscal management (or mismanagement) of the taxpayers money change when the public accepts the status quo by continually electing district-supported slates?

[d204taxpayer]

blankcheck said:

Agreed d204-Look at your board members who were part of the Gail McKenzie salary increase for her last year here. She is now the super in Polk County FL as well as collecting her pension from IL.

You are correct, bc. I've agreed with you on different issues many times, including this one today. Some of those members are still sitting and have been heavily supported by the teachers' union and administrative staff. Those same members appointed Howie Crouse to his position giving him hefty increases in pay over the last three years. Check out www.champion.org for yourself.
Same story, different day.

These administrators are making as much, if not more at times, as Mayor Daley is to manage the entire city of Chicago and the U.S. President's position which for years paid $200,000/yr for years and less than 10 years ago was increased to $400,000. Even so, if what has been reported is accurate, school administrators are receiving at or near the same pay as these high profile positions.

What can you say, though, if all is said and done for the good of the kids or for the kids or all about the kids?

[bob]

Wow, it's nice to see how many people are against the free market here. It is the free market that determines the salary of Supers. You see how the north shore pays for just 500 students. We pay ours less with +28k students.

FYI, some of Gail's retirement package included some things the SB couldn't control; her unused vacation time and unused sick day she got paid for. Since it is state law to get paid for that, when retiring, the SB had their hands tied. Unless you wanted the SB not to pay her and then the SD would get sued and we would have to fight it in court. Gail's contract called for a 20% retirement bonus.

I guess we should implement salary caps on what Supers should get. After this, I expect DPC and Taxpayer to start rounding up support for a salary cap for CEOs of major corporations. Those guys are greedy too. Did you see what those CEOs made this year?

Boy, the Republican Party would be ashamed if it saw that a solid red area in Illinois is in favor of salary caps for all executives.

Don't forget,you get what you pay for.

Some of those members are still sitting and have been heavily supported by the teachers' union and administrative staff.

CV is supported by
1) CRAFT who wants to destroy the SD and have only private education.
2) People that have decieved the general public
3) People that have violated election state laws

CV has also

1) lied about supporting the third HS.
2) had no problem TESTIFYING AGAINST the SD.
3) been the puppet of Ari Rosenthal, the behind the scenes leader of CFO, one of the leaders of Will/Dupage Taxpayers which is affiliated with CRAFT.


Have you noticed that the CFO Will/Dupage Taxpayers haven't come out against the rebuilding of Naperville Central's remodeling. $75 million to remodel a school that already has been built? I wonder why that is?

[d204taxpayer]

CV is supported by
1) CRAFT who wants to destroy the SD and have only private education.
2) People that have decieved the general public
3) People that have violated election state laws

CV has also

1) lied about supporting the third HS.
2) had no problem TESTIFYING AGAINST the SD.
3) been the puppet of Ari Rosenthal, the behind the scenes leader of CFO, one of the leaders of Will/Dupage Taxpayers which is affiliated with CRAFT.


Have you noticed that the CFO Will/Dupage Taxpayers haven't come out against the rebuilding of Naperville Central's remodeling. $75 million to remodel a school that already has been built? I wonder why that is?

This is nothing but propaganda and rhetoric on your part, "bob", but if it flips your boat, it is a free country. Anyone can put words with no meaning, basis or support on a blog to see if they stick. Hopefully those with some common sense and intelligence give little weight to a blog where individuals hide behind screen names putting out some facts at times and at others, nothing put pure propaganda and desperate mudslinging.

Are you the puppeteer, bob, or one of many puppets? Why all the worry about CV? If everything is on the up and up, there should be no reason to worry about her. Make sure you can prove your allegations, please, "bob" before you attempt to taint, tarnish and throw stones at someone you more than likely haven't even met. What do you have to gain? There seems to be a personal edge to your written tone.