District 54 superintendent gets 10 percent raise
Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54 Superintendent Andy DuRoss will receive a 10 percent raise next school year after the accomplishments of the past two years redeemed him from the shadow of 2014 drunken driving charges, school board President Char Kegarise said.
DuRoss will earn $227,000 during the year from July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017, under a new contract approved by the school board last week.
Among the projects he's successfully overseen are the establishment of the district's Early Learning Center and a full-day kindergarten program that requires no additional payment from parents, Kegarise said.
"It's been remarkable what he's been able to accomplish," she added. "I hope it comes across that we're very happy with Andy. He's taken us far beyond any expectations of where we'd be at three years out from his appointment."
DuRoss's new contract retains the ethics clause inserted after he pleaded guilty to aggravated driving stemming from the DUI arrest. It requires him to conduct himself in an ethical manner and refrain from behavior that could result in DUI or reckless driving charges.
The board approved five-year contracts for DuRoss, Associate Superintendent Nick Myers and six assistant superintendents last week, though salary increases were determined only for the first years of each contract. The associate and assistant superintendents will receive raises of 3 percent each next year.
Kegarise said it's been standard procedure for District 54 to keep administrators under contract for five years, but determine pay increases on a year-to-year basis.
"In education, if you don't offer someone a five-year contract, it's like saying you don't have trust in them," she said.
DuRoss was appointed from within at an annual base salary of $195,000, but his three years of superintendent experience now make him more valuable, Kegarise said.
Other administrator salaries include:
• Myers, $176,154;
• Assistant Superintendent of Business Operations Ric King, $174,723;
• Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Pete Hannigan, $155,437;
• Assistant Superintendent for District Improvement Paul Goldberg and Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Erin Knoll, $149,185;
• Assistant Superintendent for Language and Culture Danette Meyer and Assistant Superintendent for Student and Administrative Services Cassie Williams, $146,260.