Post by macrockett on Mar 3, 2010 9:55:59 GMT -6
www.chicagotribune.com/news/education/ct-met-superintendent-salaries-20100302,0,6122626.story
chicagotribune.com
Illinois schools chiefs’ supersized salaries
Officials cut budgets, but pay keeps rising
By Stephanie Banchero and Duaa Eldeib, Tribune reporters
9:11 PM CST, March 2, 2010
The state's school superintendents are cutting costs in a gruesome budget cycle, but they can take some consolation: Their own paychecks are growing comfortably.
The average salary and benefits of Illinois' top school executives grew 4.1 percent last year, about 10 times faster than raises enjoyed by other wage earners in the Chicago metro area, according to state data. A record number of superintendents — 150 — earned $200,000 or more.
The earnings report comes as school districts from Amboy to Zion have threatened to trim teaching positions, close swimming pools or cancel lacrosse and band programs — all in an effort to balance budgets.
The new salary information, provided by the Illinois State Board of Education, shows that the average compensation of full-time superintendents grew from $145,000 during the 2007-08 school year to $151,000 in 2008-09.
As a comparison, all wage earners in the Chicago region saw compensation increase by about 0.4 percent during the same period, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The state data reflect self-reported salary information from 855 of the 869 school districts.
The figures may include retirement contributions, bonuses, retirement incentives and unused vacation days. As in years past, the highest paid administrators were at — or near — retirement and saw their compensation packages swollen by bonuses, annuities and end-of-career salary bumps.
Big raises boost pensions because a superintendent's highest salary years are a key ingredient in calculating payments.
[/color]
The state implemented a cap on raises in 2005 in hopes of getting school districts to think twice about hefty salary bumps, said Sally Sherman, director of member services with the state's Teachers' Retirement System.
Districts are still free to give any annual raise they want, but they must help cover the added pension costs for amounts greater than 6 percent.
Ron Gidwitz, a former chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education, said it's not right for school districts to use the state's pension system to pat superintendents on the back for a job well done.
"It isn't treating the taxpayers fairly," he said. "It's not what the pension system was intended to be."
The top wage earner, Henry Gmitro of Community Consolidated School District 93, collected about $369,000. Gmitro, who retired from the Carol Stream district in June, had a base salary of $243,390, but also collected a $40,000 annuity, $20,000 bonus and $35,000 in an extra retirement contribution, among other things.
Gmitro oversaw a $59 million budget and eight schools. Rick DeVries, District 93 school board president, said Gmitro's salary was market-driven.
"In my opinion, Dr. Gmitro was a fantastic superintendent, and our test scores and the quality of education we deliver to our students support this," DeVries said.
Gmitro's base salary grew from $179,687 in 2005-06 to $243,390 in 2007-08 — a 35 percent increase over two years, on the eve of his retirement.
The region's second-highest paid superintendent, Dennis Kelly of Lyons Township High School District 204, also retired after the 2008-09 school year. His last three raises on base salary were 10.2 percent, 5 percent and 5 percent.
"He was among the top 10 tenured superintendents in Illinois," said district community relations director Jennifer Bialobok. "He had 17 years' experience as superintendent in the same district and nearly 40 years of education under his belt."
Representatives of both districts said they weren't trying to maximize the former superintendents' pensions when they awarded raises.
Of the 10 highest-paid superintendents in the Chicago region, all but one oversaw a small or medium-size district.
Few school chiefs who head the largest districts sit atop the wage-earner list. Ron Huberman, Chicago Public Schools chief, earned about $237,000, ranking him 59th. He oversees a $6.8 billion budget, 600 schools and about 400,000 students.
sbanchero@tribune.com
deldeib@tribune.com
Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune
Personally, I fail to understand these School Boards. Few, if any, understands the economic realities of finite resources and as such, they fail to curb the largess, especially wrt Superintendents. And in our case, by delivering a school we didn't need, but some justified anyway.
Those realities are going to come home to roost big time over the next decade. Over just the next three years, States are looking at $350+ billion in deficits. In addition, what do you think compensation will look like in the private sector?
Two large nations, China and India are just coming on line in terms of production and providing services. For example, Daimler Benz just announced a joint venture yesterday, with BYD a Chinese company to build an all electric car. Why? China graduates 600K engineers per year and pays them about $6k per year. They will be doing significant R&D for MB.
Second, if you watched CNBC this morning you saw John Corzine, the former governor of NJ, talk about the changing global landscape, including the accelerating outsourcing of jobs, such as back office, to India.
What do you think the ultimate impact will be on the resources available to our area over the next decade? I'm not sure, but I would plan accordingly.
chicagotribune.com
Illinois schools chiefs’ supersized salaries
Officials cut budgets, but pay keeps rising
By Stephanie Banchero and Duaa Eldeib, Tribune reporters
9:11 PM CST, March 2, 2010
The state's school superintendents are cutting costs in a gruesome budget cycle, but they can take some consolation: Their own paychecks are growing comfortably.
The average salary and benefits of Illinois' top school executives grew 4.1 percent last year, about 10 times faster than raises enjoyed by other wage earners in the Chicago metro area, according to state data. A record number of superintendents — 150 — earned $200,000 or more.
The earnings report comes as school districts from Amboy to Zion have threatened to trim teaching positions, close swimming pools or cancel lacrosse and band programs — all in an effort to balance budgets.
The new salary information, provided by the Illinois State Board of Education, shows that the average compensation of full-time superintendents grew from $145,000 during the 2007-08 school year to $151,000 in 2008-09.
As a comparison, all wage earners in the Chicago region saw compensation increase by about 0.4 percent during the same period, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The state data reflect self-reported salary information from 855 of the 869 school districts.
The figures may include retirement contributions, bonuses, retirement incentives and unused vacation days. As in years past, the highest paid administrators were at — or near — retirement and saw their compensation packages swollen by bonuses, annuities and end-of-career salary bumps.
Big raises boost pensions because a superintendent's highest salary years are a key ingredient in calculating payments.
[/color]
The state implemented a cap on raises in 2005 in hopes of getting school districts to think twice about hefty salary bumps, said Sally Sherman, director of member services with the state's Teachers' Retirement System.
Districts are still free to give any annual raise they want, but they must help cover the added pension costs for amounts greater than 6 percent.
Ron Gidwitz, a former chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education, said it's not right for school districts to use the state's pension system to pat superintendents on the back for a job well done.
"It isn't treating the taxpayers fairly," he said. "It's not what the pension system was intended to be."
The top wage earner, Henry Gmitro of Community Consolidated School District 93, collected about $369,000. Gmitro, who retired from the Carol Stream district in June, had a base salary of $243,390, but also collected a $40,000 annuity, $20,000 bonus and $35,000 in an extra retirement contribution, among other things.
Gmitro oversaw a $59 million budget and eight schools. Rick DeVries, District 93 school board president, said Gmitro's salary was market-driven.
"In my opinion, Dr. Gmitro was a fantastic superintendent, and our test scores and the quality of education we deliver to our students support this," DeVries said.
Gmitro's base salary grew from $179,687 in 2005-06 to $243,390 in 2007-08 — a 35 percent increase over two years, on the eve of his retirement.
The region's second-highest paid superintendent, Dennis Kelly of Lyons Township High School District 204, also retired after the 2008-09 school year. His last three raises on base salary were 10.2 percent, 5 percent and 5 percent.
"He was among the top 10 tenured superintendents in Illinois," said district community relations director Jennifer Bialobok. "He had 17 years' experience as superintendent in the same district and nearly 40 years of education under his belt."
Representatives of both districts said they weren't trying to maximize the former superintendents' pensions when they awarded raises.
Of the 10 highest-paid superintendents in the Chicago region, all but one oversaw a small or medium-size district.
Few school chiefs who head the largest districts sit atop the wage-earner list. Ron Huberman, Chicago Public Schools chief, earned about $237,000, ranking him 59th. He oversees a $6.8 billion budget, 600 schools and about 400,000 students.
sbanchero@tribune.com
deldeib@tribune.com
Copyright © 2010, Chicago Tribune
Personally, I fail to understand these School Boards. Few, if any, understands the economic realities of finite resources and as such, they fail to curb the largess, especially wrt Superintendents. And in our case, by delivering a school we didn't need, but some justified anyway.
Those realities are going to come home to roost big time over the next decade. Over just the next three years, States are looking at $350+ billion in deficits. In addition, what do you think compensation will look like in the private sector?
Two large nations, China and India are just coming on line in terms of production and providing services. For example, Daimler Benz just announced a joint venture yesterday, with BYD a Chinese company to build an all electric car. Why? China graduates 600K engineers per year and pays them about $6k per year. They will be doing significant R&D for MB.
Second, if you watched CNBC this morning you saw John Corzine, the former governor of NJ, talk about the changing global landscape, including the accelerating outsourcing of jobs, such as back office, to India.
What do you think the ultimate impact will be on the resources available to our area over the next decade? I'm not sure, but I would plan accordingly.
