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News-Sentinel.com Your Town. Your Voice.
Opening Arguments

Full disclosure

Indiana school boards are sensitive to criticism that superintendents make too much money. So, it is reported in an examination by the Evansville newspaper,  they don't even report the full compensation package earned by the school chiefs:

The Courier & Press series, which concluded Tuesday, was based on an examination of 275 superintendent employment contracts. They were requested from each of Indiana's 289 school corporations with superintendents by this newspaper.

What the series disclosed is that in addition to the base salary paid to superintendents — that's the figure usually reported to the public — school boards are giving them such benefits as the full cost of health insurance in cash and providing extra money for retirement accounts. These benefits are paid as salary, but often are not included in the salary figures reported to the public. There's more. The higher figure is reported then to the state teachers' retirement fund, and that higher figure is used to calculate a higher pension check in retirement.

Kind of cowardly, wouldn't you say? I can appreciate the arguments that superintendents work hard for the money and that most probably deserve every penny they get. But it's hard to fully accept those arguments if we aren't being told everything, especially when the tendency is to think people hide what they're ashamed of or feel they can't defend. Boards are doing no one -- not themselves, the superintendents or the taxpayers -- any favors with this song and dance. Full disclosure with no games, please, then we can have an honest debate.

Comments

Corey D. McLaughlin
Mon, 11/28/2011 - 7:33pm

agreed.

Phil Marx
Tue, 11/29/2011 - 3:18am

Obviously you just don't care about the kids to make a statement like this.

Signed, The National Association of School Board Presidents

Kevin Knuth
Tue, 11/29/2011 - 8:01am

In Allen County we have the same situation with the Sheriff. He negotiated a higher salary in exchange for not taking as much tax sale money- problem is, the salary is used to calculate his pension. Given his age, Ken Fries comes out WAAAYYYYYY ahead in this deal.

littlejohn
Tue, 11/29/2011 - 2:32pm

It takes a certain tone-deafness for the superintendent to take a pay hike the same year teachers - who do the actual work - were asked to work and extra hour and pay more for their benefits. Of course, we see this all the time with CEO compensation for failing corporations. Ask yourself this: Who would workers miss most if he missed a day of work - the boss or the guy who cleans the bathrooms?

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