Opinion

Hard to justify superintendents' pay

Posted June 06, 2014 5:01 am

Why do we pay so much for school superintendents? That was the question that went through my mind reading about the new superintendent contracts in the Northwest suburbs. The District 59 new superintendent contract jumped from a base this year of $225,000 to $290,000 in the fifth year of that contract, and in District 220 the starting pay for the new superintendent is $260,000 per year with a promise of an annual increase of at least the rate of inflation.

What are the explanations we get? A shortage of available talent. The skill and pressure required for the job. That's what other districts do.

My concern is that it's mainly the last factor. This means that there's no way to stop this practice short of a district "breaking ranks," and how likely is that?

Willard Bishop

Barrington Hills

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