By Tim Damos/(Baraboo) News Republic 4/15/09
Two separate surveys show Baraboo School District administrative staff make less on average than their counterparts in nearby districts and districts of comparable sizes statewide.
Some school board members used the survey results during Monday night's board meeting to respond to community concerns about salaries and raises.
"When the public cries out that we're administratively top heavy, I'd like to see their proof," said school board member Judd Maxwell.
The surveys were e-mailed to the board last week by District Administrator Crystal Ritzenthaler following a request for comparisons by board member Doug Mering.
One survey conducted by the Unified School District of Antigo looked at the administrative salaries in 12 districts of similar sizes, including Baraboo.
The survey shows the salaries of Baraboo's administrators this year are about 6.5 percent lower than the averages of comparable districts.
Another survey, conducted by the Reedsburg School District, looked at 13 districts in the Badger Conference. That survey found Baraboo's administrative salaries to be about 8.2 percent lower than average.
"It's pretty much across the board our salaries are lower," Mering said in a phone interview Tuesday.
School board member Ed Mortimer, who has been critical of administrative pay levels, did not comment on the surveys during Monday night's meeting. But he criticized them during a phone interview Tuesday.
"We cannot compare our salaries with Madison or Waunakee because this is Baraboo, and that's basically where I'm coming from," Mortimer said. "I just do not feel it's fair to compare Baraboo with schools like Waunakee, Middleton and so on and so forth."
The Waunakee Community School District — which has 3,529 students compared to Baraboo's 2,981 — was included in the Reedsburg survey. But Madison and Middleton school districts were not used for comparisons in either survey.
Mortimer conceded he hadn't reviewed the surveys closely. But he said he still feels — given tough economic times — the district will have to tighten its belt. If administrators don't like it, Mortimer said, they can look for work elsewhere.
"I appreciate what our administrators do and so on and so forth, but we can only afford so much," Mortimer said. "Don't you want to spend it on the kids? If $100,000 salary and benefits isn't enough in the city of Baraboo, then I guess you're going to have to exercise your options."
Though the surveys show lower Baraboo administrative salaries on average, staff have seen increases over the years. For example, between 2005 and 2008, three principals saw net salary increases of more than $12,000, the district has reported.
Still, on average, Baraboo's principals are paid almost 8 percent less than those in districts of comparable sizes, according to the Antigo survey.
Maxwell, school board member, said that did not go unnoticed during salary negotiations. But he recognized the need to be fiscally conservative.
"It's very hard to strike that balance when you're dealing with people's livelihoods," he said Monday night.
Mering said offering competitive salaries within the district is an important part of attracting and keeping qualified staff, which is a key factor in improving student achievement — what he says should be the board's main focus.
"The public can have their concerns," Mering said Monday night. "But (administrative salaries) shouldn't be one of their concerns."
Ritzenthaler said Tuesday some of the information made public about pay raises has not been factual, including a letter to the editor of the Baraboo News Republic that quoted a scheduled increase in her salary and benefits next year.
No such increase was ever discussed, Ritzenthaler said, adding that she has voluntarily opted to freeze her salary at $115,000 for the third consecutive year.
"I thought that given the economic times right now and some of the challenges our district is facing, I wanted to do my part in helping the district out in any way that I could," Ritzenthaler said.
She added that the administrative staff have agreed to switch insurance providers, saving the district about 7 percent in their benefit costs.
School board member-elect Ray Borkenhagen said he plans on watching salary increases closely, adding that he feels the board has given too much control to administration.
"I'm not looking at taking $15,000 from somebody," Borkenhagen said. "But at the same time you can't keep giving these kind of raises out. It's just not economically feasible."
The surveys were brought up Monday night during discussion about making Gordon L. Willson Elementary School Principal Jim Ruder the administrator of the new four-year-old kindergarten program.
The board approved Ruder's transfer, in which he will work fewer days and accept an 80 percent reduction in salary and benefits.
The transfer will cause a series of administrative shifts that will result in principal vacancy at South Elementary School.