Ind. bill seeks superintendent contract disclosure

INDIANAPOLIS — A bill that would require Indiana’s school boards to disclose all financial details of proposed superintendent contracts before voting on them drew only positive comments during a public hearing before a legislative panel.

No one spoke out against the measure during Wednesday’s Senate education committee hearing.

Republican state Rep. Bob Behning of Indianapolis told the committee his bill’s goal is ensuring the public knows “exactly what level of compensation” a superintendent will get before school boards vote on a contract.

An analysis by The Evansville Courier & Press (http://bit.ly/zxJmUK) of the contracts of 275 of Indiana’s 289 school superintendents found that some school boards provide superintendents with generous benefits to keep published salaries low.

The newspaper says superintendent compensation is often boosted by increasing pension payouts and adding benefits.