Administrator costs down in St. Charles District 303

St. Charles school administrators on average will get 4 percent raises this year, but overall administrative costs in District 303 will drop by about $500,000.

Superintendent Don Schlomann on Thursday attributed the savings to administrative cuts and restructuring that took place over the last year.

The district currently has about 70 administrators, he said. For the most part, they each will receive 4 percent pay increases, based on the consumer price index, in 2008-09.

"There were a few exceptions here and there where we adjusted ranges to stay competitive with neighboring districts," said Schlomann, whose own contract is negotiated separately. "But I don't think anyone got more than 5 percent or less than 3 percent. Our actual administrative costs went down."

The updated compensation schedule, the first since Schlomann took over last July, was unanimously approved by the school board Monday.

The district was already spending less on administration than most districts in Illinois, according to Illinois State Board of Education data.

In fact, in 2006-07, only five of Illinois' 874 districts dedicated a smaller percentage to administration than the St. Charles district. That year, the district spent 0.81 percent of its total revenue on administrators; 288 districts spent 5 percent or more.

In March, to reach additional savings, Schlomann announced plans to cut several positions from the central office, including two high-paying assistant superintendent positions, a curriculum administrator and a business administrator. The net savings, he said at the time, would be about $500,000.