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WOW.......... the superintendents in PA are making crazy money!
$225,000 - $175,000 a year to be the superintendent!!!!
How does one become a superintendent?
Find me a business where the CEO has more than 300 people working for him/her and doesn't make at least $150,000.
The CEO of my district doesn't make $250,000. But a PhD or EdD is required(plan on paying $50-75,000 or more for that at a good university (not a state college that only grants a masters), 60-90 credits past your bachelors degree at $600 to $1200 a credit.) Plan on spending at least 10 years as a teacher, then an additional 5-8 as a principal, and it would be good if you were a principal in both levels, and usually a couple more years as an assistant superintendent. Then plan on spending 3-8 years in lower level fairly low paying super jobs first, before you find a big city where they pay you $250,000. Expect to have a good bit of luck because most who get their letter of eligibility to be a superintendent never actually get there. Expect to have very little free time, with meeting every nite, and no summers off for you.
My uncle was a teacher then a principal, then a superintendent, and during the early 70's was Commissioner of Basic Education for the State of PA(Asst Secretary of Education now). I know more about this than I want to.
Check some of the salaries of headmasters of small private schools, (if you can find them). These people are paid ridiculous salaries; and often receive housing, meals, transportation allowances and bonuses for the number of students enrolled. Many of them are making more than some of the superintendents in school districts with thousands of students, a divergent staff (teachers, administrators, buildings/grounds, paraprofessionals, aides, cafeteria workers and bus drivers). Superintendents have no life, are on call 24/7 to the public.
I've been teaching for 32 years, all classroom/engaged with students. Why? Even with a Master's and 100+ hours of continuing coursework (some on my dime as well as some reimbursed) I've never had the desire to be an administrator, with that responsibility for so many people and their well being. Not only the students, but also the staffing, facilities, safety, budget, school board and the people who are invested financially with homes in the district. I make one of those "overpaid" salaries, but am grateful that I've finally caught up to my peers who had starting salaries making their age or better when they graduated from college in the mid 70's. It's taken a long time for teachers to catch up to the "real world". I'm in the classroom because I care and value your student's/child's learning. My contracted hours might seem marginal to those who are not in education; but I've put my life on hold for 10 months every year for 32 years~hitting the ground in mid August and not stopping until mid or late June. My professional time to prepare for classes, make sure the necessary supplies are available and equipment is working for labs, grading papers, talking to parents, attending events to support students outside of school, developing and leading workshops, attending conferences (during the summer), preparing lessons, preparing and monitoring department budgets, mentoring newly hired teachers, supervising independent study programs are all in addition to the "teaching" day and easily double the number of hours I spend in the classroom.
WOW.......... the superintendents in PA are making crazy money!
$225,000 - $175,000 a year to be the superintendent!!!!
How does one become a superintendent?
How big are the districts? I just found an article while searching that says our superintendent was renewed at $266,292 in 2007, but that is for a district with about 170,000 students, 14,000 teachers and a budget of $2.1 billion.
If a superintendent is making the numbers you mentioned and has 300 employees, that seems really high in comparison.
Pennsylvania generally has small districts. The one I'm in has about 3,000 students and one high school.
Mine has about 4500 students, but my Super makes about $118K(I don't know the exact number.) We have four elementary schools, two middles, and one high school. This combination is pretty normal. Even the largest big city nearby with about 80,000 people only has one large high school.
The super and other administrative pay is a good bit more than any teacher with 30+ years and a Masters degree, even when you consider the additional pay for working an extra 20 days in the summer. But I wouldn't take any of their jobs. Most administrators have no idea what the job is REALLY LIKE before they take it. Of the 20 administrators I've worked with in 39 years, less than 5 didn't express regret for leaving the classroom within the first 3-4 years of being an administrator. All the rest went through serious angst about trying to get back into the classroom. Some even tried, often without success. One was successful.
You can look up the salary of any PA public school teacher, either by teacher names or by a whole school district.
I was shocked that in my school district (which doesn't perform well, but where they like to keep increasing school distict taxes) most of the teachers make over $70,000.
Whatever happened to that old claim that teachers make a modest salary? I have a Master's degree in a mental health field, and I don't earn as much as these teachers with only a Bachelor's. The few that show up making in the 30,000 range end up being part-timers. The newest teachers, right out of school, make in the mid 40's.
Check it out. But a word of warning: your head might explode! And just think, this is their salary not including all that's spent on their benefits.
I did have difficulty finding Philly teachers salaries, as all that came up were charter schools. Maybe Phila blocked their regular public school teachers from showing up on the site?
Do teachers deserve to be paid well? Sure, the good ones do. Do they deserve 80 grand? maybe very few. But I just hate the continual bellyaching I hear from the teachers who complain that teachers are so underpaid.
You forgot to mention the fact that teachers only work 190 or so days a year, while a private sector worker works around 240 or 26% more days. So if you multiply the $70k by 1.26 = $88k. Plus gold plated bennies & pension. And ironclad job security.
You forgot to mention the fact that teachers only work 190 or so days a year, while a private sector worker works around 240 or 26% more days. So if you multiply the $70k by 1.26 = $88k. Plus gold plated bennies & pension. And ironclad job security.
So let's all cry for the poor underpaid teachers.
Cry if you want. Teachers in large eastern suburban areas where average homes generally cost about $300,000 are paid fairly well. $70,000 is not average pay for most teachers. It is possible in those districts to make $70,000 IF you have taught for 35-40 years. But if you go out to rural areas where there is no industrial tax base you will not find salaries like that, even for very experienced teachers of 35-40 years. In Maine for example, the average salary for a 35 year teacher with a Masters Degree, is more like $53,000 or less.
As to benefits, many people in the private sector with the same level of experience and the same level of education, make more and have similar benefits. For example, I have a sister in law who works in middle management of Wells Fargo Bank and makes $128,000 a year and gets 6 weeks of vacation(which is 30 work days) off. She does not have a masters degree, and she's only been on the job for 25 years.
If you compare a good teacher to a good plumber, plumbers make more.
You have to make specific comparisons, not general comparisons. If you go to the government and industry figures, you will find that a Masters degree and 20 years of experience is generally worth about $60,000 a year.
Z
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