Is NOTHING Sacred nor SAFE?

Superintendents' pay 'exorbitant,' rep says

Legislation would cap salaries of public school leaders
Of The Oakland Press

State Rep. Fran Amos, R-Waterford Township, said Wednesday she will seek legislation imposing a salary cap on public school superintendents - some of whom she believes are receiving "exorbitant" pay.

"In many cases, superintendents are making more than not only the state superintendent, but the governor as well," she argued.

Wary of daunting state budget woes, Amos hopes to cap superintendent salaries at the amount the state superintendent of public instruction makes. State Superintendent Michael Flanagan earns about $160,000 annually, having agreed to a 5 percent pay cut in light of the budget crisis. Amos said she has not yet determined whether her bill will cap just salaries or total compensation.

"That's something we'll have to look at ... because I know that salary and total compensation can be very different animals," she said.

One example of that in 2003 was pay earned by former Huron Valley Superintendent Robert O'Brien. He had a salary of $149,000, but total compensation of $350,000.

Current salaries for Oakland County superintendents were not available Wednesday, but a 2003 Oakland Press study found that compensation packages ranged between $115,000 and $350,000. At the time, at least 15 superintendents earned total compensation of $160,000 or more. Based on salary alone, however, only two superintendents would have been impacted.

Amos' belt-tightening proposal is garnering quick opposition from local educators, however.

Brian Whiston, director of legislative affairs for Oakland Schools, said Amos' bill could inhibit school districts from hiring the most qualified candidates available.

"These are CEOs of multimillion dollar corporations and they deserve to earn a good living," he said.

Arguing that executive pay in the private sector is far higher, he added, "It's convenient for some politicians to say we should run schools like a business, but then they don't like the salaries involved."

"To me this is another issue of local control," said Bloomfield Hills Superintendent Steve Gaynor, who also serves as president of the Oakland County Superintendents Association.

Gaynor said school district residents elect school boards to determine what's in their best interest - including a reasonable price to pay for quality leadership.

"Market forces are at play here," Gaynor argued. "I would no more envision a limit on this than one on teacher's salaries."

Gaynor presently earns total compensation of at least $190,000 per year, but is far from alone among local superintendents who could be affected by Amos' measure. Oakland Schools Superintendent Vickie Markavitch, for example, was hired in 2004 at an annual salary of $196,000.

Schools already face considerable obstacles in attracting top quality leadership, said Tim Quinn, president of the Michigan Leadership Institute. Among other services, it offers superintendent search services. Quinn noted that the pool of highly qualified superintendents across the nation is declining as potential candidates retire. At the same time, increasingly rigorous accountability levels are deterring many educators from pursuing leadership positions.

"There are more and more people who are saying, 'Thanks, but no thanks' to the idea of superintendency," he explained.

Quinn added that a salary cap would exacerbate the trend.

"It's going to add one more factor that will have a chilling affect on people interested in seeking these positions," he said.

Amos acknowledged that quality leadership comes with a price, but argued Michigan school districts have not demonstrated an ability to balance the pursuit of quality educational programs with sound fiscal stewardship.

One example of this, she said, is the fact that a majority of state districts conduct May school elections rather than moving them to less-expensive November elections.

"They've made us think that if they can't be very good fiduciaries, maybe they need a little help," Amos argued.

Amos has sent her proposal to the state's nonpartisan Legislative Services Bureau to be drafted. It is unclear when a final draft might come before lawmakers.