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Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Executive Assistants: Less is More
Executive Assistant positions in MCPS have decreased from 9 positions to 5 positions from 2006 to 2010. However, the individual salaries for the 5 positions that remain have increased as shown below.
We are pretty sure that Executive Assistants don't work in classrooms and aren't "assisting" students.
I note Lori Christina Webb on this list. Interesing, Ms. Webb, a Harvard educated attorney, was first hired by MCPS in the 1990's to represent the school system in Sp. Ed. disputes against un-represented families. The plan was not to inform parents that she was an attorney and therefore put the county families at a distinct disadvantage in those legal proceedings.
How do these MCPS public servants rate such excessive pay when the fellow public servants in federal jobs with the same titled positions earn salaries cited below? Do others think the Mont Co taxpayer is getting a good ROI with regard to "giving back to the community" with these MCPS salaries?
Job Title: Executive Assistant Department:Department Of Health And Human Services Agency:Food and Drug Administration Job Announcement Number:HHS-FDA-OC-DE-12-571711 SALARY RANGE: $62,467.00 to $97,333.00 / Per Year OPEN PERIOD: Wednesday, December 07, 2011 to Friday, December 16, 2011 SERIES & GRADE: GS-0301-11/12 POSITION INFORMATION: Full Time - Permanent PROMOTION POTENTIAL: 12 DUTY LOCATIONS: many vacancy(s) - Silver Spring, MD United StatesView Map WHO MAY BE CONSIDERED: United States Citizens JOB SUMMARY:
Become a part of the Department that touches the lives of every American! At the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) you can give back to your community, state, and country by making a difference in the lives of Americans everywhere. It is the principal agency for protecting the health of citizens. Join HHS and help to make our world healthier, safer, and better for all Americans.
This position is located in the office of Health and Human Services (HHS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Office of the Commissioner (OC), Immediate Office in Silver Spring, MD.
On the MCPS website, at least some of these people are listed as "executive director" rather than "executive assistant". The same page lists other people as "administrative assistant". I think of "executive assistant" as something like what, several decades ago, was a secretary but MCPS clearly defines it as a higher level position. The HHS posting from the prior commenter is for a GS-11 position which I think approximately corresponds to a law clerk or entry level attorney. It seems logical to me that an experienced attorney such as Lori-Christina Webb would have a pay rate higher than the GS-11 job posting. From this I conclude that the individual person isn't necessarily paid more than they would earn elsewhere, these are very high salaries and a lot of them for people that are not teaching children. Why does Dr. Lacey need assistants such as Lori-Christina Webb and Donna Hollingshead when there are also so many "community superintendents".
I'm 9:49. Sorry I forgot to post the link I was referencing. http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/deputy/
IMHO it is disingenuous to not use the job titles from the budget for the website. Based on Bob's posting above, in the case of Lori-Christina Webb it seems appropriate to compare her salary to other attorneys because it appears her responsibilities are more along the lines of an attorney rather than "just" an office assistant.
No matter what the title, it is a lot of money without a clear benefit to educating our children.
I note Lori Christina Webb on this list. Interesing, Ms. Webb, a Harvard educated attorney, was first hired by MCPS in the 1990's to represent the school system in Sp. Ed. disputes against un-represented families. The plan was not to inform parents that she was an attorney and therefore put the county families at a distinct disadvantage in those legal proceedings.
ReplyDeleteBob Astrove
How do these MCPS public servants rate such excessive pay when the fellow public servants in federal jobs with the same titled positions earn salaries cited below? Do others think the Mont Co taxpayer is getting a good ROI with regard to "giving back to the community" with these MCPS salaries?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/304335200
Job Title: Executive Assistant
Department:Department Of Health And Human Services
Agency:Food and Drug Administration
Job Announcement Number:HHS-FDA-OC-DE-12-571711
SALARY RANGE: $62,467.00 to $97,333.00 / Per Year
OPEN PERIOD: Wednesday, December 07, 2011 to Friday, December 16, 2011
SERIES & GRADE: GS-0301-11/12
POSITION INFORMATION: Full Time - Permanent
PROMOTION POTENTIAL: 12
DUTY LOCATIONS: many vacancy(s) - Silver Spring, MD United StatesView Map
WHO MAY BE CONSIDERED: United States Citizens
JOB SUMMARY:
Become a part of the Department that touches the lives of every American! At the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) you can give back to your community, state, and country by making a difference in the lives of Americans everywhere. It is the principal agency for protecting the health of citizens. Join HHS and help to make our world healthier, safer, and better for all Americans.
This position is located in the office of Health and Human Services (HHS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Office of the Commissioner (OC), Immediate Office in Silver Spring, MD.
Agnes Jones Trower
On the MCPS website, at least some of these people are listed as "executive director" rather than "executive assistant". The same page lists other people as "administrative assistant". I think of "executive assistant" as something like what, several decades ago, was a secretary but MCPS clearly defines it as a higher level position. The HHS posting from the prior commenter is for a GS-11 position which I think approximately corresponds to a law clerk or entry level attorney. It seems logical to me that an experienced attorney such as Lori-Christina Webb would have a pay rate higher than the GS-11 job posting.
ReplyDeleteFrom this I conclude that the individual person isn't necessarily paid more than they would earn elsewhere, these are very high salaries and a lot of them for people that are not teaching children. Why does Dr. Lacey need assistants such as Lori-Christina Webb and Donna Hollingshead when there are also so many "community superintendents".
@9:49 The complete list of MCPS salaries does not list any executive "directors." That is not a listed pay designation on the MCPS salary report.
ReplyDeleteThere are Administrative Assistants and we will do a separate blog post on those positions.
Would an attorney be paid more because of their education, even if their job was only that of an office assistant?
There was only 1 Administrative Assistant in 2006:
ReplyDeleteBartels, Administrative Assistant $117,114.00
And only 2 in 2010:
Amani-Dove, Administrative Assistant 100,993.00
Hall, Administrative Assistant 115,169.00
I'm 9:49. Sorry I forgot to post the link I was referencing. http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/deputy/
ReplyDeleteIMHO it is disingenuous to not use the job titles from the budget for the website. Based on Bob's posting above, in the case of Lori-Christina Webb it seems appropriate to compare her salary to other attorneys because it appears her responsibilities are more along the lines of an attorney rather than "just" an office assistant.
No matter what the title, it is a lot of money without a clear benefit to educating our children.