Liv Finne of the Washington Policy Center believes that it’s important for the public to be informed about how much school leaders are paid and how effective the system is at educating children
Liv Finne
Washington Policy Center
Earlier this week, using public records, I posted the salaries of the highest-paid school employees in Washington state for the 2021-22 school year. As a tax-funded monopoly system, it’s important for the public to be informed about how much school leaders are paid and how effective the system is at educating children. After further research, I found there is more to report about this topic.
Below is a table on K-12 School Employee Salaries as reported by the Washington State Fiscal Information, www.fiscal.wa.gov.
Here are some of the most notable findings. The Sunnyside school district superintendent received a $559,000 salary, nine times the average family wage in that area. The Tacoma School board paid out for two superintendents. Normally districts have only one superintendent, aided by one or more deputy superintendents. Carla Santorno, who retired in 2021 as superintendent, received a salary of $343,000. Her successor, Josh Garcia, received a salary of $348,000. Unless these amounts were pro-rated, it means that in 2021-22, the Tacoma School District paid nearly $700,000 in superintendent salary.
These public-dollar sums do not include employee benefits , which amount to about $50,000 per person.
Under the current system school administrators have almost no incentive to be careful stewards of public money – their pay is unrelated to student learning levels. In fact, administrators have every incentive to get more pay, and are often able to convince willing school board directors to approve these large pay increases. Public schools have plenty of money, so there is no lack of funding for this purpose.
Since a centralized monopoly has little accountability to the public, the best solution is to allow parents to have school choice. Only when school superintendents face the possibility of losing parent-directed funding to homeschooling, charter public schools or private schools will they start making spending decisions consistent with the public interest, and for the benefit of teachers and students.
In the meantime, more people recognize that public schools have become a lucrative jobs program for administrators. In many Washington communities, running the school district is the best job in town.
Also read:
- Opinion: When journalism fails – Ridgefield School District endorsement
Ridgefield resident Heidi Pozzo adds ‘the rest of the story’ not covered by a newspaper’s recent endorsement of Ridgefield School District bond. - Opinion: GOP Attempt to Force Unity Will Fracture Party
Third Congressional District candidate Leslie Lewallen explains why she will not participate in the upcoming Washington State Republican Convention. - Opinion: As state’s CO2 tax faces voters, Inslee Administration using taxpayer funds to campaign for policyAs Washington’s CO2 tax, known as the Climate Commitment Act, heads to the ballot this fall, this logo highlighting projects that received funding from that tax will become more prevalent. And state residents are paying for it.
- Opinion: Student loan forgiveness? Bring it onClark County resident and long-time journalist Marvin Case shares his thoughts on the president’s attempt to seek a legal way to reduce or dismiss student college loan debts.
- Opinion: Tax rates go down. tax dollars go way up in the Ridgefield School DistrictHeidi Pozzo shares what’s actually happening to your property tax dollars in the Ridgefield School District.
