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Superintendents’ pay can’t match private sector
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WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Area superintendents earn salaries six to seven times more than many teachers, more than double the average principal and nearly as much as the president of the United States.
But pitted against the chief executives of local companies, their earnings barely register.
“Most of the school district budgets in the D.C. area are over a billion dollars,” said Carl Roberts, executive director of Maryland’s association of superintendents. “The salary and benefit packages they receive [for an organization of that size] are far less than you’d find in the private sector.”
In fact, Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin Corp. Chief Executive Officer Robert Stevens received nearly $31 million in compensation in 2007 for running a company with about as many employees — 140,000 — as Montgomery County has students. Superintendent Jerry Weast’s nearly half-million-dollar package will be less than 2 percent of Stevens’ take. Still, Weast and his fellow schools chiefs’ leadership skills seem to be more prized than Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who reportedly earns a paltry $217,400 for his efforts.
But put them on the gridiron, and the supers don’t make the all-star team. Jim Zorn, the recently signed head coach for the Washington Redskins, reportedly signed a $15 million, five-year contract to lead a small fraction of the young men superintendents oversee.
The area’s high superintendent salaries “definitely come as a surprise,” said Jenny Webb, an executive recruiter for Reston’s Stephen James Associates. “But when you compare it with the budgets and number of employees in the private sector, it certainly makes sense.”
Webb pulled up data on a midsize area company with $2 billion in revenue, comparable to the area’s largest school districts, and found 1,600 employees and a chief financial officer with a $600,000 compensation package.
The terms are better than any superintendent, but Webb said not to get any big ideas. “The D.C. market is so focused on contracting, so a superintendent would be somewhat limited,” she said. “I’m not sure how well the skills would transfer.”
lfabel@dcexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
1:24 PM MST on Mon., Jul. 14, 2008 re: "Packages for schools chiefs full of bonuses, lucrative retirement"
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7:54 AM MST on Mon., Jul. 14, 2008
re: "Superintendents’ pay can’t match private sector"
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Examiner Reader said:
Well lets see, teachers and principals suppposedly were fired due to non performance. Well, Rhee has yet to produce an education plan, she cannot take credit for the rise in test scores of this year, she has yet to defend the K-8 philosophy, parents and the communities still complain about the lack of communication and inclusion of stakeholders. She refuses to testify before the council, special ed is still off the chain, she refuses to share or defend a school budget and so on and so on... Based on that performance, she's overated and over paid.
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Examiner Reader said:
“The D.C. market is so focused on contracting, so a superintendent would be somewhat limited,” she said. “I’m not sure how well the skills would transfer.” As long as the contracts are no-bid they would be fine.
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