Speaking as a fiscal conservative, it kills me to agree that this salary must be offered. In my opinion, most administrators are overpaid.
Why would any outstanding candidate want to come to New Britain? We had ten years of an incompetent superintendent who really screwed up the district.
We have the DTC and the RTC who select people for the BOE. Remember that 5 out of the 6 are selected by the voters, most of whom do not have a clue as to uninformed and unintelligent some of the candidates are. Place some of the blame on them for not selecting the best possible candidates. Both sides of the aisle!
Kurtz left because she was told that she did not have the votes to renew her contract. Three BOE members were still going to vote for her three year contract. She was making a total compensation of $190,000 a year. You bet she would have hung on.
I would have to unfortunately agree. Educational leaders with the qualifications required to take on this top position are paid upwards of 200k across the country. Of course with no ceiling on salaries there is no ceiling on your property taxes either. So I hope we all have a job, a second job, a pay raise in our futures because there is no free lunch.
I disagree with the school board's decision to offer such a high compensation package. While I understand the desire to attract the "best of the best" the fact is that offering more money does not inherently accomplish this. A lower salary that offered room for growth based on measurable performance indicators would have been a far more creative solution.
While I'll agree that experience can be a factor in a superintendents success what we need isn't so much a list of credentials as we need someone who will be a leader. I would take an enthusiastic, intelligent, motivated newcomer over an experienced superintendent with lackluster enthusiasm and motivation.
Finally, saying that other districts are paying high salaries is not enough of a justification. It is that same mentality that has trapped us in a cycle of salary inflation. Until Boards of Education are willing to take a stand on superintendent compensation you will continue to see salaries inflate while student performance remains stagnant.
I hope readers will elect me this November so we can begin to have a Board that will stand up for the voters, students, and tax payers rather than one that simply wishes to go along to get along.
I agree that the salary that is going to be offered is too much.
In my NO vote (for the salary) I commented that we have many senior citizens living on fixed incomes, people out of work, families on welfare. teachers that took 0 increase in salary and gave us furlough days and we as a board we vote to offer a $200,000 salary to the new superintendent is completely uncalled for. There were Democratic candidates (for the BOE)that thought the salary should be even HIGHER
Speaking as a fiscal conservative, it kills me to agree that this salary must be offered. In my opinion, most administrators are overpaid.
ReplyDeleteWhy would any outstanding candidate want to come to New Britain? We had ten years of an incompetent superintendent who really screwed up the district.
We have the DTC and the RTC who select people for the BOE. Remember that 5 out of the 6 are selected by the voters, most of whom do not have a clue as to uninformed and unintelligent some of the candidates are. Place some of the blame on them for not selecting the best possible candidates. Both sides of the aisle!
Kurtz left because she was told that she did not have the votes to renew her contract. Three BOE members were still going to vote for her three year contract. She was making a total compensation of $190,000 a year. You bet she would have hung on.
I would have to unfortunately agree. Educational leaders with the qualifications required to take on this top position are paid upwards of 200k across the country. Of course with no ceiling on salaries there is no ceiling on your property taxes either. So I hope we all have a job, a second job, a pay raise in our futures because there is no free lunch.
ReplyDeleteSally Eigenraam
Alderman At Large Candidate Row B
I disagree with the school board's decision to offer such a high compensation package. While I understand the desire to attract the "best of the best" the fact is that offering more money does not inherently accomplish this. A lower salary that offered room for growth based on measurable performance indicators would have been a far more creative solution.
ReplyDeleteWhile I'll agree that experience can be a factor in a superintendents success what we need isn't so much a list of credentials as we need someone who will be a leader. I would take an enthusiastic, intelligent, motivated newcomer over an experienced superintendent with lackluster enthusiasm and motivation.
Finally, saying that other districts are paying high salaries is not enough of a justification. It is that same mentality that has trapped us in a cycle of salary inflation. Until Boards of Education are willing to take a stand on superintendent compensation you will continue to see salaries inflate while student performance remains stagnant.
I hope readers will elect me this November so we can begin to have a Board that will stand up for the voters, students, and tax payers rather than one that simply wishes to go along to get along.
I agree that the salary that is going to be offered is too much.
ReplyDeleteIn my NO vote (for the salary) I commented that we have many senior citizens living on fixed incomes, people out of work, families on welfare. teachers that took 0 increase in salary and gave us furlough days and we as a board we vote to offer a $200,000 salary to the new superintendent is completely uncalled for.
There were Democratic candidates (for the BOE)that thought the salary should be even HIGHER
Jim Sanders