Something wrong with pay picture
In the April 30 Wall Street Journal, there was an article featuring four people in important posts in our federal government: Timothy Geithner, treasury secretary; Christina Romer, chairwoman, council of economic advisers; Peter Orzag, budget director, and Lawrence Summers, national economic council director.
What have all these people in common with our schools? They are all being paid less than our DuPage County school superintendents. In some cases, $40,000 a year less. Something is wrong with this picture. Don't blame the superintendents, they will take all that is given, that is the American way.
Where are the school boards? Salaries are decided upon by what the other districts are paying. If one is paying more and all else is equal, then that becomes the criteria by which the salary hike is determined.
Any mother knows the drill. "Mom, Johnny gets a bigger allowance than me." All municipal employees' salaries are determined generally, in the same way. Like the former boards of GM, the school boards take the easy way out, and instead of pushing back they cave in and kick the problem down the road; this also is the American way.
It is time that our schools, and this country, started to adjust to the new normal. Many families in these school districts are out of work or are on the bottom of the pay pyramid. When a superintendent of the Wheaton Warrenville school district is paid more than the U.S. Treasury Secretary, we have a problem.
D.O. Lipensky
Wheaton