Local superintendents demand impressive perks | WJLA.com

WASHINGTON (WJLA) -- Public servants with personal drivers, security details and quarter million dollar salaries - we're not talking governors or U.S. senators. These compensation packages are going to area school superintendents.

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The 7 On Your Side I-Team obtained the employment contracts of 29 local school superintendents - what they make and what they get. We read them all and found some eye-opening compensation packages.

The average school CEO salary is $193,432 - more than Virginia's Governor of $175,000.
"Who can justify a superintendent making more than the governor of the state of Virginia?” responded Republican Virginia State Senator Dick Black. “That's an outrage."
Prince George's county pays its CEO the most at $290,000, nearly twice Maryland's governor’s salary of $150,000 – even though his district has the state's second lowest graduation rate.
"The idea absolutely is to change that," said Segun Eubanks.
Eubanks is the chairman of the Prince George's County School Board. He took part in drafting that $290,000 salary.
"It's worth it and it's an impressive compensation package," he said. "Getting talented people around your kids is important."
Beyond salaries, most superintendents get a car allowance. But St. Mary's and Loudoun County taxpayers fund the largest at $12,000 a year. Meanwhile, the Loudoun County School Board has proposed charging parents to bus their kids.
Karen Garza of Fairfax County is the only super who gets a housing allowance; $24,000 a year - that's in addition to her $265,000 salary. She also gets up to $65,000 a year in retirement benefits, which alone is roughly equal to the average Fairfax teacher salary of $66,782 - a topic that has become an issue.
Dean Howarth is a physics teacher in Fairfax County. "The teachers who work at our school can't afford to live where they teach. And there's an exodus of talent."
When it comes to paid time off, again, Kevin Maxwell of Prince George's gets the most at 51 days - more than 10 weeks.
"It sets a bad example,” stated Senator Black. "There was a time when we used to talk about public service. It's not that way. They have surrounded themselves with opulence."
As the I-Team dug deeper in the stack of contracts, we found two superintendents, in Prince George's and Howard Counties get security.
"That's incredible. Are people trying to kill them?" asked Sue Perlin, a homeowner in Fairfax County...

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Local superintendents demand impressive perks | WJLA.com

 

   Superintendents Perks by Sherell Williams

BOE Schedules 4 More Hours of Closed Sessions

The Montgomery County Board of Education has scheduled two hour Closed Session for 10 AM on Tuesday, January 27, 2015, and another two hour Closed Session for 10 AM on Wednesday, January 28, 2015. 

Once again, the subject of these Closed Sessions is someone's employment contract. 

By now the public gets that these meetings are about discussing whether or not Superintendent Joshua Starr's employment contract should be renewed.  
Why not just disclose the subject of these meetings?

MCPS: 22 Administrators with Car Allowances and 27 with Take Home Vehicles

Superintendent Joshua Starr in his Jeep Grand Cherokee

As of Fiscal Year 2012 there were 22 MCPS employees currently receiving a car allowance. 
The amount budgeted for car allowances in FY 2012 was $171,600. 
The amount budgeted in FY 2012 for both local travel and mileage reimbursement was $1,944,306. 

http://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/budget/FY2012/budget-questions.aspx

As of Fiscal Year 2011 there were 27 MCPS Take Home Vehicles.

16 of those vehicles are parked outside of Montgomery County when the employees go home. 

http://www6.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/council/pdf/agenda/cm/2011/110919/20110919_TE2.pdf

A New Car for Your Student!

On the Board of Education (BOE) Agenda for October 9, 2012, the purchase of another new car.  Who is the lucky MCPS administrator that is getting this car? What make and model did they pick out? Don't expect the BOE to discuss it!

Just know that this new car is more important to the BOE than one more classroom teacher for your child's school.  So it must be a pretty important car!   

0367000 Off-the-Lot, New Vehicles
079GH
Awardee
Criswell Chevrolet, Inc. $ 40,727

Who is getting a new car?

We don't know. 

But there is a car purchase on the next Board of Education agenda. Don't expect the Board to tell the public who is getting a new car paid for by taxpayers. This item is on the Consent Agenda. 


All the Agenda shows is a line item for $60,935 for Off the Lot - New Vehicles.

It could be another Ford Escape or Expedition or one of each! 

Here's our previous post on MCPS take home cars: 

27 Take Home Cars; No Audit; No Logs Kept; Most Parked Outside of County

27 Take Home Cars; No Audit; No Logs Kept; Most Parked Outside of County

On September 19, 2011, the Montgomery County Council's Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy & Environment Committee discussed Agency Take-home Vehicle Policies.

MCPS was included in this review.  See pages Circle 33 through 39 of the Committee Packet for the MCPS responses to the questions from the Council Committee.

Here is the redacted chart submitted by MCPS to the Council as part of this review showing the positions of the MCPS employees that have take home cars, along with make, model and purchase price of each car.
(This list does not show the 22 MCPS administrators who are given car allowances.)

20110919_TE2

How many administrators get a car allowance?

Someone on the Board of Education asked the question, "How many MCPS employees receive car allowances?"


And here is the answer from the MCPS Budget website. 

There are 22 MCPS employees currently receiving a car allowance. The amount budgeted for car allowances in FY 2012 is $171,600. The amount budgeted in FY 2012 for both local travel and mileage reimbursement is $1,944,306. The mileage reimbursement rate effective January 2011 as issued by the Internal Revenue Service is $.51 per mile.

22 MCPS employees get car allowances? Who are those 22 employees? $171,600 divided by 22 averages out to $7,800 per employee! That's a pretty nice perk. 


Teachers, you all getting car allowances? 

13 CENTRAL OFFICE POSITIONS SLICED*

*Other cuts by Superintendent Jerry Weast in his list of threatened cuts released on January 28, 2011, include cuts to classrooms, counselors, activity buses, special education, lunch aides, instrumental music, outdoor education, and after-school athletics.


SAVED in this draft amended budget plan are MCPS credit cards, conferences, travel, no bid procurements, and car allowances for administrators.

Jerry Weast's Plan B