Cuomo Wants to Cap School Superintendant Salaries (Union: job market, high school)

[NHP Guy]

Originally Posted by kmrlongisland

That $70k value you quote is incorrect. To calculate accurate results you should download the spreadsheet from seethroughny.net. For my SD the average for full-time, tenured or non-tenured, teaching positions is ~$98k.

Be careful, the spreadsheets do not indicate the employees position in the SD so you have use a few heuristics to select which records will be used in your computations; which is why I stated my average as an approximate value.

This is absolutely correct. I did a FOIL for my school district and asked for additional info that helped with my analysis - including position titles and the step that each individual teacher was at. The average for my district was much closer to your amount ($98k) than the $70k quoted by the other poster.

[MTAtech]

Originally Posted by I_Love_LI_but

In the world of "civil servants" they are INDEED PAID LIKE ROCKSTARS. Name me some civil servants that get paid more.

Here are some:
-Suffolk County police
-Over 10,000 Defense Department civilian employees earning $150,000 or more

Want more?

I've yet to see teachers with private jets, like most all rock stars.

[Goodnight]

Originally Posted by grant516

The voter in the end is thus responsible for the school board.
If the school board isn't setting goals in line with pay increases (or staying on target in the event of extremely high performing districts), and just saying adding pay for no reason- it's truly THEM who are making the worst of the situation.

I have never seen a superintendent job contract or listing without any mention of performance criteria for the job. Sometimes it is tied to a bonus, not a practice I personally believe in, but none-the-less shows some level of measurement is being used.

Why they aren't ever let go (if that is the case) begets a much deeper study, one that by all means should be conducted. As i've said numerous times more- why Frank Tassone of Roslyn Schools was able to keep his pension from NYS despite being convicted of a felony using his own position as an instrument is beyond me. Before anyone throws a stone at teachers, administrators, parents, or school boards- they should be up in Albany telling them there is NO WAY that should fly.

There is no doubt 'political' clout is keeping some, yet not all, of these administrators in place. Seeing as schools receive state funding per child sent- perhaps it would make sense to have a Superintendent (the top level position only), require an endorsement approval on their certification (pending they have one... *cough*... Cathie Black) from a state board of education- after being chosen to be hired from an individual school district.

One thing this can help combat is the double dipping that shouldn't be in times of such high unemployment. It would also give the state some responsibility in the event of any oversight of past felony records, poor reports, etc.

The more people rant and rave on here, the more I see that many people have an incredibly negative viewpoint based on a few bad apples that have completely gotten away with the farm, vs. those who have been working in Public Education for 30-40 years and have made some contributions to the field, retired, and moved on.

Yes ultimately the school boards are responsible but it is very hard for someone from the outside to get voted on a board and there is a much pressure on the BOE members to maintain the status quo. I have seen some districts face the cost of in their districts but they are in the minority.

[Goodnight]

Originally Posted by kmrlongisland

That $70k value you quote is incorrect. To calculate accurate results you should download the spreadsheet from seethroughny.net. For my SD the average for full-time, tenured or non-tenured, teaching positions is ~$98k.

Be careful, the spreadsheets do not indicate the employees position in the SD so you have use a few heuristics to select which records will be used in your computations; which is why I stated my average as an approximate value.

I was looking at Jerico School Dsitrict and they have 9 administrators making over $200K in a school district with 3200 students, how is that possible?

[TuborgP]

If people want the best they will pay for the best. If they want the second best they won't pay as much etc etc etc. When the affluent divorce do they want the most affordable attorney or the best? Do you want to have the most affordable if your spouse has the best? If not by salary what is the best way to obtain and retain talent to give you the best advantage in life's endeavors? I wanted my kids to have the advantage from top to bottom in their education endeavors. Didn't most of you?

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by Goodnight

I was looking at Jerico School Dsitrict and they have 9 administrators making over $200K in a school district with 3200 students, how is that possible?

It's possible because they can get away with it.

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by MTAtech

Here are some:
-Suffolk County police
-Over 10,000 Defense Department civilian employees earning $150,000 or more

Want more?

I've yet to see teachers with private jets, like most all rock stars.

Suffolk County police rank and file are making in the $300K's like the typical school superintendant? Surely you jest. As for SCPD upper ranks / management, there are a lot less of them than all the superintendants, asst. superintendants, administrators, etc., in all the LI school districts.

What does the Defense Department have to do with my property taxes? Also, we are not merely talking about "over $150K" we are talking about school superintendants who generally make over $300K or TWICE AS MUCH as your Defense Dept. civilian employees.

I am not calling teachers the "rockstars" of civil service. If you re-read my posts, you will see that I am only bestowing that title on superintendants and some of their highly paid administrators.

Originally Posted by Goodnight

Yes ultimately the school boards are responsible but it is very hard for someone from the outside to get voted on a board and there is a much pressure on the BOE members to maintain the status quo. I have seen some districts face the cost of in their districts but they are in the minority.

Do you mean someone not-on-the-inside as in not an incumbent?

Please clarify.


On the other note, there are some die-hards not involved in public education who have only concern for the schools regardless of taxation.

That remains the decision of the board. Now is a time they could get away with very unpopular decisions, and I believe we see more and more each year.

[Goodnight]

Originally Posted by TuborgP

If people want the best they will pay for the best. If they want the second best they won't pay as much etc etc etc. When the affluent divorce do they want the most affordable attorney or the best? Do you want to have the most affordable if your spouse has the best? If not by salary what is the best way to obtain and retain talent to give you the best advantage in life's endeavors? I wanted my kids to have the advantage from top to bottom in their education endeavors. Didn't most of you?

They are most certainly paying like they are the best but I don't know that they are getting the results.Paying for the best in private industry because they need to perform, that is not always true in civil service.

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by Goodnight

They are most certainly paying like they are the best but I don't know that they are getting the results.Paying for the best in private industry because they need to perform, that is not always true in civil service.

What they are paying for is the best UNION connections with the politicians / elected officials. That's the only thing "best" about it. If you don't believe me, go take a look at NON-UNION northern Virginia and how well their public schools perform, all the while NOT unmercifully ripping off the taxpayers with ever-escalating property tax bills.