The school board can dress the contract negotiation up how ever they want, but let’s look at what they are giving the new Super;
• $200,000 a year in salary + medical and pension
• Four weeks of vacation and 15 days sick leave (Total 35 days off paid)
• $2,900 a month in ‘fringe benefits’ ($34,800 per year)
• $750 a month for transportation ($9,000 per year)
• $25,000 one time moving reimbursement
Let’s review;
• They are paying the new super who is currently in command of a student body of 5,300 (SF has 23,000) $25,000 more a year then the current Super makes after her 11 years of service (talk about a slap in the face to Homan and a bit of over confidence in Maher).
• He basically gets a month of vacation on day one.
• His ‘play money’ account is more then some teachers in the district make in a year.
• Even if he leased a really nice vehicle (which includes most maintenance) put gas in it, and insured it on his own, that would come to about $550 a month. He is pretty much getting paid $750 a month to drive to work. I would only give him $25 a month (that is the price of a monthly bus pass).
• Moving expenses are something the private sector does to lure good workers, it should NOT occur in the public sector.
When I hear the School Board talk about children’s education being their top priority, and I see them negotiate a contract like this, I want to ask them the question, “You do know the more money that goes towards teachers and classrooms the better the kid’s education?” It seems the school board’s concept of salaries in the education field is to be ‘top heavy’ and hope that trickles down to the students somehow. Okay Ronald Reagan.
So why do I think this contract was a total failure on their part and an insult to taxpayers? For the same reason the ‘Save our Summers’ group won in the last election; The lack of transparency, prudence, humility & compromise by our school board. But instead of applying these qualities to the Super search and employment, they once again slipped and instead of apologizing for their blatant ignorance, they defend it.
I told a teacher today who voted YES and wanted to keep the current school calendar, “You have no one to blame for the calendar change then the inept school board, this wasn’t the teacher’s fault.” He agreed they should have listened to a compromise.
Maybe the next time the board makes such a stupid financial decision (and it was really freaking stupid) we need to get the combat vets involved, they have at knack changing board members minds.