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.
