Spokane7
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February 6, 2010 in City
School administrators’ pay among highest in county
Even after salary cuts, three county districts have 133 officials who make more than $100,000 per year
Spokane-area public school administrators were not sheltered from the budget storm that howled across Washington last year.
An analysis of top administrators’ pay in the Spokane area’s three largest districts over a two-year period revealed that many took pay cuts, and the increases they did receive were comparable to those of frontline employees. In addition, any pay raises – for top leaders as well as teachers, in all districts – don’t reflect an increase in out-of-pocket health costs.
Nevertheless, public-school administrators remain among the county’s highest-paid public employees. Spokane, Mead and Central Valley school districts together have 133 administrators who earn more than $100,000 annually, according to records obtained by The Spokesman-Review.
Some observers say high pay is necessary to recruit and retain quality educational leadership.
“We’ve always understood the need for competitive salaries to draw experienced people,” said Rich Wood, spokesman for the Washington Education Association, the state teachers union.
Others, however, say Washington’s public education system is too generous.
“We find that type of pay at many of our school districts across the state; that’s why we believe the state is top-heavy,” said Chris Cargill, Eastern Washington director of the Seattle-based Washington Policy Center, conservative-leaning think tank.
Reduction in paid days common
Among the 20 highest-paid administrators in Spokane Public Schools are the superintendent, assistant and associate superintendents, executive directors of learning programs, high school and middle school principals and the general manager of KSPS, which is owned by the district.
Base salaries, which do not include benefits, professional stipends or other compensation, range from around $104,000 to $175,500, according to the district.
Superintendent Nancy Stowell’s pay increased by just over 10 percent in the last two years, a period in which she was promoted from interim superintendent to superintendent, which accounts for much of the increase, said Staci Vesneske, the district’s assistant superintendent of human resources. Her current pay of $175,500 reflects a two-day pay cut, an idea conceived of and imposed by the district’s top leaders.
Raises for the other administrators, such as principals and directors of learning programs, ranged from 3.6 percent to 9.91 percent over the same time period, which reflects a one-day pay cut. The bigger increases were based on years of service, according to the district’s pay-raise schedule. Stowell, who runs the second-largest district in the state, is the second-highest-paid superintendent in Washington.
Mead Superintendent Tom Rockefeller’s salary has increased by 5.11 percent, to $152,807, since 2007-’08, according to data provided by the district.
“He took the cost-of-living adjustment offered to teachers, which was lower than the classified employees,” said Kelly Shea, Mead’s executive director of human services. The principals took the lower cost-of-living increase as a way to save money. “That’s just a small concession we can make,” Shea said. Raises for the other administrators in the Mead district were 4.4 percent during the last two years.
Central Valley School District Superintendent Ben Small has a base pay of $145,000, records show. He was appointed to the position in 2008-’09. He elected not to take a raise this year.
In fact, said district spokeswoman Melanie Rose, “no one got raises this year.”
Increases for other administrators ranged from 3.37 percent to 7.56 percent.
Vesneske, of Spokane Public Schools, defended the administrators’ higher pay.
“If you look at other organizations that are our size, chief executive officers or managers of corporations, the people in our district who are administrators are paid fairly and competitively,” she said. “The same is true at the building level. Being a principal is a hard job.”
State Rep. Susan Fagan, R-Pullman, said she doesn’t consider superintendent or administrator pay to be excessive: “It’s necessary.”
Comparatively, teachers in the three school districts have seen pay increases ranging from 4.6 percent to 6.4 percent since 2007-’08, which reflects a one-day pay cut, school and union officials said. Most of the increase occurred in the first year of the two-year period.
‘State is top-heavy’
According to a report by the independent, nonprofit Educational Research Service, the average superintendent salary nationwide in 2008-’09 – the most recent data available – was $155,634 and deputy or associate superintendents were making an average of $136,832.
The Western states generally pay K-12 top leaders more than neighboring regions, the report said.
Leaders of the Washington Policy Center think the state has plenty of money for education, but that not enough is getting to the classrooms.
Of the money spent on public schools, 59 percent goes to classroom instruction, including teacher pay; the remainder is spent on expenses such as administration, special education, counseling, transportation, food and interest on debt, said Liv Finne, the center’s director of education.
Statewide, the number of school-district employees increased by 77 percent from 1971 to 2006, a policy center study found, while the number of students increased just 27 percent.
But that same study also showed that while the number of administrators per school – principals, assistant principals and counselors – rose 52 percent, the number of people in central administration – superintendents, deputy superintendents, and learning program directors – declined 26 percent.
Spokane, Mead and Central Valley school districts reflect that latter trend; all three districts have fewer top administrators than the state average, according to a report by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Said Vesneske, of Spokane Public Schools, “If you look at the budget reductions over the last couple years, it becomes clear that many of the cuts came from the central office.” Meanwhile, the state and the federal government haven’t let up on the duties required of those staffs, she said. “Curriculum standards, adherence to learning standards, graduation rate and adequate yearly progress – it takes people to address those issues. The fact that we’ve been able to address that with fewer people is impressive.”
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westside on February 06 at 7:46 a.m.
One reason why the districts are short on cash,,,,”Its for the children”!! B.S. Its all for the administrators! Greedy, arrogant leaders and its all legal….that is why property taxes are not enough to fund District 81..et al..
Albert on February 06 at 8:25 a.m.
andrewjase62 why don’t you respect the honest and dedicated commentators of the SR and take your MLM advertisements away? This is cheap, crass, and lacks good community.
lewis8457 on February 06 at 8:40 a.m.
every system in Washington state is top heavy.
cops make 100 grand
firemen make 100 grand
city administrators make 100 grand
educators both basic and college make 100 grand
but the average working family is Spokane makes 38 grand a year. I hope the system crashes and they all get to stand in the unemployment line with me.
liarsinnews on February 06 at 9:40 a.m.
VOTE YES FOR THE KIDS, NO, VOTE YES FOR THE ADMINISTRATORS. ITS ENOUGH TO MAKE ONE REGURGITATE.
schoes4 on February 06 at 10:07 a.m.
I for one want my cops, firemen and teachers to make a decent living. We want quality law enforcement, dependable fire/rescue, and excellent teachers but you dont seem to want to pay for them. Dont complain about the money these people make until you do the jobs they do daily.
bdr on February 06 at 10:56 a.m.
Ha the economy is eating them alive too!
just a few years ago they justified their wages by saying they are losing highly qualified people.
(what I have learned over the last 40 years working is Washington,This is a boom bust state and leaders who dont stash the cash are doomed to fail).
Also the people closer to the states appraiser and governor cash bag whine more and they receive more as well.
PARTY IS OVER FOLKS…..AMERICA IS DOOMED …CONGRESS IS DEADLOCKED AND SPENDS NEARLY 2 TRILLION MORE THAN IT TAKES IN YEAR AFTER YEAR. (MANY NATIONS ARE NOW CALLING TO END THE DOLLAR MIGHTY STANCE)
SAY HELLO TO THE AMERO COMING SOON TO YOUR STORES.
jjerkison on February 06 at 11:21 a.m.
I have heard complaints from educators that they are underpaid and overworked! Educators meaning administration and teachers themselves! Wake up!
That is a bunch of BS!!!! Alert to you and all you sad sack - everyone is underpaid and overworked! I see you actual pay listed @ LBLOOM.com
Coffee on February 06 at 2:32 p.m.
schoes4
“I for one want my cops, firemen and teachers to make a decent living.”
I am sure you are willing to take a cut in your standard of living so they can keep living at three times the level of most everyone else.
D Statler on February 06 at 3:52 p.m.
We have THREE principles/administrators in West Valley High School. There are less than 1,000 students. Get rid of one and keep two good teachers.These highly skilled and educated people deserve a better than average compensation.HOWEVER, everybody else in this economy has been asked to take up the slack and do more for our money.It may be time for all Administrators in Washington State to roll up their sleeves and get back into the classrooms.Our state structures and somewhat funds public education.Could it be possible that all school districts be combined. We could get rid of a complete midlevel of administrators.Leaving only one principle and vice principle in each facility.Overseen by officials on a state level.Think of all the midlevel administrators in your district.Think of all the school districts in the spokane vicinity.That adds up to BIG bucks!
pseeger on February 06 at 3:57 p.m.
Jody, FYI counselors are not administrators. They are on the same salary schedule as teachers. And Undooly, one vice principal in each high school? Good luck with that!
SpokaneIsFun on February 06 at 6:11 p.m.
The main difference between school administrators and public safety officers is that school administrators don’t put their lives on the line. Look at the fire and police officials that lost their lives during the past year. How many school administrators lost theirs??
HammerSix on February 06 at 8:38 p.m.
This article doesn’t comment on the incompetent school boards that sign off on this corruption. Also, who are the organizations/headhunters that find the “suitable candidates” and then proceed to advise the ignorant/insecure/lazy board members that are so quick to believe, “We’ve always understood the need for competetive salaries to draw experienced people”?
from the article:
….she said. “The same is true at the building level. Being a principal is a hard job.” spoken by someone with a degree in Education Administration. Try spending more time in the classroom if you want a hard job.
Voters, take your local school board elections more seriously.
aeguy on February 06 at 8:48 p.m.
My wife graduated from CWU december 2008, and is currently employed as a first grade teacher. Her starting salary: $32,500. I wish we saw the 100 grand that folks such as “Lewis”, speak of. I am in the military and combined we dont make that much. As an E-5 in the military i made slightly over 30 grand. Talk to me about overked and underpaid, ” I think some of the people on here get admonistrators and teachers confused and classify them both as educators. “Spokanels” I have one word for you: Columbine!
EOC3 on February 07 at 8:13 p.m.
I’d love to see the District 81 figures for employees that actually work directly with our children vs. employees that have no contact at all with the kids.
I think we need to be more concerned about attracting top talent professionals that work with and teach our children on a daily basis vs. people that justify their jobs by coming up with ridiculous standards that make it nearly impossible for our teachers to do their jobs….. teach.
gkambs on February 25 at 9:32 p.m.
WOW
No Child Left Behind or No Administrator Left Behind
I think Cops on the street should make the most. 175K a year =14,500 a month for the head principle of district 81 She makes more in 2 months then I make in a Year. WOW I work hard but if I produced these kind of results I would be out of work and run out of town.
School District 81 leads the State in Dropouts
School District 81 leads the state in suspensions
Are their suspensions discriminatory?
6.9% of white students are suspended; 14.8% of African Americans are suspended.
(anyone know the ratio of white students to African American students in Spokane? it really blows those numbers out of the water)
School District 81 leads the state in suspensions with children with disabilities
School District 81 exceeds the state limit in suspensions of children with disabilities.
I don’t know the real stats (does anybody) but I think after reading this article it would be safe to say that School District 81 leads the state in the salaries they pay to their administrators.