Posted: April 26, 2010

By Jack Roeser

 

This article first posted on February 26, 2009. See updated list of top 200 salaries below.

 

Recently, a newspaper reporter asked why school superintendents shouldn’t receive salaries as large as do leaders in private industry. The question was prompted by the recent notoriety generated by a news article on the huge salaries and pensions some superintendents receive. 

 

To give an idea of these salary levels, listed below are the top five administrator salaries for 2008, according to the Illinois State Board of Education:

 

#1  Neil Codell            $411,511        Niles Twp CHSD 219 (2 high schools)

#2  Laura Murray        $402,331        Homewood Flossmoor CHSD 233 (1 high school)

#3  Henry Gmitro        $348,113        CCSD 93- Bloomingdale (8 schools K-8)

#4  Dennis Kelly         $342,075        Lyons Twp HSD 204 (1 high school, 2 campuses)

#5  Eric King              $340,267        ESD 159, Matteson (5 elementary schools)

 

The subject of salaries and pensions began to get more attention once we posted statewide salaries of teachers and administrators on our web site eight years ago. These salaries are now available at here.

 

District superintendent salaries should be far less than those of private corporate leaders. The corporate executive receives a salary from private sources, not from your taxes, in proportion to his success in a competitive market. He succeeds or is quickly dismissed. Educationists are seldom fired no matter how poor their work performance.

 

The bureaucratic nature of a public school administrator’s position prevents him from implementing changes to promote effective teaching due to laws governing the public school monopoly and because of the domination by the rich, powerful teachers’ union.

 

The result is that public education administrators differ from private executives because:

 

1)  They have no sales manager, their customers (students) are required by law to attend.

 

2)  The pay and duties of their labor force, the teachers, is largely set by union contract and by the lack of competitors in this government monopoly.

 

3)  Superintendents rarely fire inadequate employees due to tenure and contractual protections demanded by the powerful unions. Only about six teachers a year are fired statewide for cause.

 

4)  The education system has legions of supervisors and principals who do the administrative detail work.

 

5)  The nearly 900 public school districts in Illinois all operate under virtually the same rules, with very limited room for effective change,

 

6)  There is no profit or loss in this system. If results are unsatisfactory, “lack of funding” is blamed and a tax increase is sought. Unlike private executives, superintendents are seldom fired for poor performance.

 

7)  Certification requirements have resulted in an artificial scarcity of eligible candidates for both superintendents and financial officers, and have unfairly (to taxpayers) jacked up salaries.

 

You may be tempted to feel sorry for a Superintendent condemned to a largely ceremonial job, but don’t- they can retire at age 55 and they get huge pensions.

 

School Board members should take back their duty and right to control this sad dysfunctional management. They should not accept the idea that they get better performance by paying exorbitant salaries.

 

 

Jack Roeser is the Chairman and founder of Otto Engineering Inc., and the Chairman of the Family Taxpayers Foundation.

 

 

Top 200 Salaries 2009

Bouman, Timothy	$632,000
Ancelet, Barbara	$609,300
Ballough, Tiffany	$379,600
Gmitro, Henry	$368,589
Kelly, Dennis	$339,962
Dada, M Mohsin	$337,493
Hager, Maureen	$336,304
Fleming, Larry	$315,263
Gatta, Nanciann	$310,288
Palermo, Joseph	$303,101
May, Loren	$299,842
Harper, John	$296,517
Giannetti, Glen	$290,067
Mical, Gary	$288,564
Engler, Thomas	$284,675
Many, Thomas	$282,315
Rafferty, Edward	$282,289
Herrmann, Mary	$281,463
Williams, Kathleen	$277,494
Lamberson, Jonathan	$274,263
Friedman, Mark	$273,845
Lane, Bruce	$273,828
Truemper, Ross	$268,211
Wilson, Phyllis	$266,895
Carmine, Joyce	$266,615
Murphy, Hardy	$266,172
Van Clay, Mark	$266,109
Doebert, Sandra	$265,782
Buckner, J Kamala	$264,194
Humphrey, Steven	$263,123
Mink, Jon	$262,332
Fornero, George	$261,681
Barshinger, Jack	$261,332
Nebor, Jon	$258,375
Locigno, Michael	$257,855
Joy, Donna	$257,285
Mansfield, Edward	$256,997
Schoffstall, Phillip	$255,888
Schlomann, Donald	$253,120
Baldermann, John	$253,020
Williams, Creg	$252,492
Yonke, Linda	$252,200
Robbins, Kathryn	$250,683
Welch, Michael	$249,373
Riebock, Ann	$247,836
Wyllie, Lawrence	$247,819
Boyd, Alex	$247,798
Porto, Joseph	$247,475
Twadell, Eric	$246,809
Perdue, John	$245,218
Cleland, Janell	$245,208
Vieth, Linda	$245,181
Schilling, Craig	$244,983
Madonia, Robert	$244,398
Meissen, Michael	$243,479
Milton, Walter	$242,825
Kroeze, David	$242,825
Renner, Sandra	$242,107
Wahl, Nicholas	$241,059
Pryor, Sally	$241,030
Swanstrom, Paul	$240,237
Paraday, Troy	$239,110
Lukich, Daniel	$238,617
Schuler, David	$238,292
McTague, Frances	$237,646
Rench, Kevin	$237,540
Hill, Gerald	$237,359
Lindsay, Thomas	$237,318
Thomas, Timothy	$236,702
Raymond, Garry	$234,722
Brendel, Jerome	$234,526
Sass, Michael	$234,420
Miller, Ronald	$233,771
Rodgers, John	$232,498
Vick, David	$232,242
Byrne, John	$230,960
Witherspoon, Eric	$230,900
Collins-Hart, Nettie	$230,743
Goers, Donald	$230,563
Weninger, Attila	$230,116
Riggle, Michael	$230,000
Davis, Blondean	$230,000
Kurr, Gregory	$230,000
Culver, Arthur	$230,000
Behlow, David	$230,000
Sobocinski, Philip	$230,000
Batiste, Donaldo	$230,000
Daeschner, Stephen	$230,000
Rydland, James	$230,000
Torres, Jose	$230,000
Collins, Constance	$229,543
Lechner, Raymond	$229,208
Jordan, William	$228,685
Schweers, Daniel	$228,601
Dart, Paul	$228,432
Leis, Alan	$228,238
Brown, Bruce	$228,216
Hawk, Jill	$227,639
Mellen, Nanette	$227,351
Taylor, Rick	$227,249
Hernandez, Linda	$227,167
Goier, Renee	$226,906
Sorrick, Kenneth	$226,689
Gillum, Robert	$226,184
Blanche, James	$225,043
Swoboda, Joy	$224,659
Juarez, Ascencion	$224,636
Lee, Calvin	$224,317
Bridges, Lela	$224,266
Surber, James	$223,649
Ward-Epstein, Dennice	$223,166
Hunigan, Howard	$222,425
Williams, Rudolph	$222,324
Johnson, Warren	$222,247
Butts, John	$221,860
Mc Cord, Kathleen	$221,285
Amadio, Thomas	$220,560
Westerhold, Jane	$220,327
Lea, Prentiss	$220,323
Benedetti, John	$220,144
Leonard, Thomas	$220,066
Albus, Allen	$220,046
Finck, Ricky	$219,287
Davis, Gloria	$218,874
Dietz, Gregory	$218,867
Mc Cormick, Charles	$218,728
Mutchler, Kent	$218,709
Houselog, Michael	$218,192
Arndt, Kenneth	$217,799
Finger, Catherine	$217,796
Dada, Yasmine	$217,579
Jerome, Sarah	$217,505
Nielsen, Robert	$217,451
Hagerman, Thomas	$217,246
Briscoe, James	$217,108
Berger, Robert	$216,322
Handcock, Darryl	$216,076
Madden, Marilyn	$215,821
Lupo, Robert	$214,490
Butters, Howard	$213,319
Armanetti, Arleen	$213,107
Knutson, Brian	$212,998
Longo, Margaret	$212,730
Sabatino, Joseph	$212,079
Baule, Steven	$212,042
Kendall, William	$211,883
Michelini, Mark	$211,546
Kanzulak, Ronald	$211,539
Adamic, Donna	$211,459
Tivador, Edward	$211,100
Robb, Nancy	$211,021
Howard, Richard	$210,761
Benway, Darcy	$210,527
Bolek, Barry	$209,872
Foderaro, Kerry	$209,072
Hackett, Judith	$208,535
Drury, Richard	$208,000
Edgecombe, Jason	$207,835
Romain, Bruce	$207,579
Ware, Jody	$206,434
Hebson, Suzan	$206,319
Kalinich, Kelley	$205,856
Roberts, Jerome	$205,634
Cucio, Ross	$205,295
Whittaker, Cindy	$205,242
Zimmermann, Pamela	$205,103
Morris, Joel	$204,863
Hoffman, Thomas	$204,635
Auer, Carol	$204,629
Cooper, Laura	$204,531
Eason-Watkins, Barbara	$204,477
Bradbury, Gary	$204,437
Mattingly, William	$204,027
Gay, James	$203,377
Perkins, Kim	$203,213
Ward, Maria	$203,192
Gonzalez, Janet	$202,755
Hinton, Francis	$202,389
Leman Mical, Alice	$201,990
Yomtoob, Youssef	$201,865
Gunnell, James	$201,844
Zafiratos, Dr. Thomas	$201,532
Nohelty, Kevin	$201,445
Young, Christopher	$201,198
Clark, Christine	$200,974
Reynolds, Elizabeth	$200,912
Niehaus, Gary	$200,883
Cavallo, Jr., Louis	$200,786
Brownlie, Janet	$200,786
Shinners, Marie	$200,723
Eddy, Thomas	$200,693
Hewitt, Larry	$200,682
Brown, Traci	$200,653
Krause, Ronald	$200,621
Bonner, Barbara	$200,220
Martin, John	$200,065
Wynn, Ronald	$200,000
Rudig, Douglas	$199,966
St Leger, Dennis	$199,446
Bond, Nancy	$199,437

 

Source: Teacher Service Record.