When it comes to overpaid public employees it is difficult to argue that K-12 school superintendents aren’t at the top of the list.
What exactly is it that supers do to justify $300,000 plus salaries not including fringes and pension payments?
Not much from what I can see.
These are not “managers” as we think of them in the private sector. They don’t really mange the employees since the majority are teachers and the 50-60-70 page teacher union contracts define in detail what can and cannot be done to and for teachers.
They don’t mange sales because there are none. They get paid no matter what the revenue is.
They don’t manage costs since they don’t really care what costs are. The union contracts define the vast majority of the costs incurred by school districts and again the supers don’t care because costs have nothing to do with their compensation.
So basically they end up as cheerleaders for the schools, reassuring teachers they will get whatever is in their contracts and reassuring parents their children have the best education available and reassuring taxpayers that their outrageous property taxes are well spent. And they lead the way in the almost-annual pursuit of more tax dollars via referendums.
Basically they are Public Relations experts – never offend anyone (teachers, students, parents, taxpayers) if you can possibly avoid it. That will keep the school board happy and likely produce bigger and better contracts for them in the future. From the looks of these numbers that approach is working extremely well.
Note that the highest paid super, Larry Fleming, works for a district that only has about 1,600 students. That means his salary, not including fringes and outrageous pension payments, costs more than $225/yr. per student.
Oh in case you were wondering Fleming retired at age 55 with a pension of $258,000.
Happy taxpaying!
| Top 10 Superintendents Salaries Fiscal Year 2013 | |||
| District | last | First | Salary |
| Lincolnshire-Prairieview SD 103 | Fleming | Larry | 374,302 |
| Lake Forest CHSD 115 | Griffith | Harry | 362,339 |
| Bloom Twp HSD 206 | Giannetti | Glen | 341,512 |
| Elmwood Park CUSD 401 | Anderson | Kevin | 340,732 |
| Riverside SD 96 | Lamberson | Jonathan | 339,733 |
| Marquardt SD 15 | May | Loren | 327,748 |
| Matteson ESD 162 | Davis | Blondean | 323,866 |
| Park Forest SD 163 | Carmine | Joyce | 315,435 |
| Skokie SD 68 | McTague | Frances | 314,236 |
| Batavia USD 101 | Barshinger | Jack | 299,460 |
| Average>>>>>>>>>>>>> | 333,936 | ||
This fraud in the Public Education System encompasses more than just the Superintendents it permeates all the members at every level. It starts with the basic Public Sector Labor Agreements which contains the mandates for 50% over staffing and compensation levels plus the millionaire Pension scam. Not only is this Public Sector operation bankrupting the taxpayers but it produces a failing product that destroys the future of all its customers the children. What we need is a Voucher Program that provides a maximum total Public Sector K12 funding of $7K per student annually and allows the parents to take this to any Public, Private, Parochial or “Virtual” Education System for their child’s Education. It is clear from the performance of the Private, Parochial and “Virtual” Systems that an outstanding Education can be delivered at less than 30% of the Public Education costs. Unfortunately this same fraud is evident in all the Public Sector operations at the Federal, state and local levels and it is the cancer that has destroyed this nation. The fact is that this change will never occur from the insiders of the Public Sector as they continue to support the existing corruption that benefits them and their friends.
I wonder what the annual income in the towns of these guys is. Outside of Lake Forest and Lincolnshire I’d bet they are about 4 to 5 times higher than the residents. I am so sick of getting my pocket picked by the teachers union because the “kids” they care so much about never seem to benefit from any of the money spent.
Illinois, the Land of Leavin’.