Schools cut teachers but reward top officials

More than one-fourth of Missouri school districts increased the salaries of their superintendents this school year even as tight budgets forced them to lay off teachers or not fill vacant positions, an Associated Press review of education documents shows.

Some school officials explain that superintendents' salaries only increased if the wages of the remaining teachers also went up. But that's little consolation to teachers who actually lost their jobs. And some legislators bombarded by calls for more school funding say the salary decisions send the wrong message.

In all, 151 of the state's 524 public school districts reported superintendent pay raises while also employing fewer teachers during the 2003-2004 school year, according to records of the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Administrators in both Cape Girardeau and Jackson school districts received a pay raise for the current school year. In Cape Girardeau, they received a 4 percent increase across the board -- as did teachers -- ranging between $1,400 and $6,000 per individual. In Jackson, the increase for both administrators and teachers was 0.8 percent, amounting to between $561 and $1,234 per individual.

"We're not going to treat one group of employees different than another," Jackson superintendent Ron Anderson said. "The major impact on budgets is people. We are spread very thin employee-wise all across the board."

Next year Cape Girardeau school administrators won't get a pay raise. Jackson officials say they don't know if they're getting one; it depends on the budget.

Superintendent Diann Ulmer-Bradshaw at Scott City said her school administrators got a raise this year too, but only after it became clear that teachers would also get a raise. For a few months, all salaries were frozen.

At this point, everybody's salaries in Scott City schools are frozen for next year unless teachers get a raise.

Class actions

Across the state, the staffing cuts have led to larger class sizes and elimination of such things as music, business and foreign language courses, special classes for the academically gifted and some athletic programs.

Some schools shrunk their staff through retirements and transfers and did not rehire people for those jobs, but others had to lay off teachers.

Some of the districts that paid administrators more while reducing teaching staff raised superintendents' salaries by less than $100. The Oak Ridge School District raised its superintendent's salary by nearly $30,000, but that's because the position switched from half- to full-time and the district did away with an assistant superintendent's position.

Raises of a few thousand dollars were more common. The average superintendent's increase among districts that also lost teachers was about $3,900.

Missouri Parent-Teacher Association president Tina Zubeck said most such raises would not be large enough to keep a teacher in the classroom anyway. But some lawmakers say it's disingenuous for school administrators to come and beg for more state funding while increasing administrative expenses and getting rid of teaching positions.

"It shows poor leadership. It's the principle of the matter," said Sen. Sarah Steelman, R-Rolla. "In a time where you have to lay off a teacher or increase a class size ... turning around and raising your own pay sends a mixed message to the patrons of the district."

House Speaker Catherine Hanaway is considering a proposal to cap administrative expenses at 10 percent of state and local school spending. She said the AP research shows why administrative budgets deserve more scrutiny.

"It's viewed in the same light as if we would give ourselves a pay raise" when state employees do not receive one, said Hanaway, R-Warson Woods. "I don't think it's prudent for any leadership, including superintendents, to be giving themselves raises when rank-and-file teachers aren't getting raises, or losing jobs worst of all."

Staff writer Callie Clark contributed to this report.

District Teacher cuts Superintendent raises

Cape Girardeau 4 $6,000

Caruthersville 2 $400

Chaffee 5 $6,764

Farmington 8 $457

Jackson 14 $1,234

Meadow Heights 9 $1,600

New Madrid Co. 6 $4,192

Oak Ridge 5 $29,882

Perry Co. 3 $2,125

Poplar Bluff 15 $2,500

Scott City 2 $1,441

Scott Co. 5 $705

Woodland 2 $1,080

SOURCE: Data from records of the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education