District Administration - September 2009 - (Page 44)

Derise says his responsibilities included handling all of the district’s testing and assessments. “If it dealt with data, it came through me,” he says. With other accountability requirements prompted by No Child Left Behind and now by federal stimulus funding, there is more emphasis on accountability management in other districts as well, Derise says. “It’s ‘Hey, we’re spending a lot of money, so let’s be sure we’re spending it wisely and it’s doing what it is supposed to do, which is to improve student achievement,’” he explains. While some districts previously Salary 9 AnnuAl th Superintendents Generally, the more students in a district, the higher the pay for superintendents, but per-pupil expenditures don’t always correlate with salaries. On average, urban superintendents tend to be the highest paid. This chart shows the mean of average salaries and the daily rates for each. SalarieS by enrollment 25,000 or more 10,000-24,999 2,500-9,999 300-2,499 Survey Mean of average salaries Mean of average daily rates $225,222 $933.96 $176,993 $746.77 $150,062 $631.14 $114,509 $479.04 SalarieS by per-pupil expenditure levelS $11,000 or more $10,000-$10,999 $9,000-$9,999 $8,000-$8,999 Less than $8,000 Mean of average salaries Mean of average daily rates $156,748 $651.72 Large urban SalarieS by per-pupil expenditure levelS $149,981 $619.17 $151,218 $642.06 $161,203 $682.23 $156,334 $662.08 Rural SalarieS by community type Medium urban Suburban Small town Mean of average salaries Mean of average daily rates $226,560 $936.86 SalarieS by community type $180,412 $760.88 $175,974 $744.70 $129,784 $544.74 $99,471 $413.49 Large urban: metropolitan area with a population greater than 400,000; medium urban: metropolitan area with a population less than 400,000; suburban: residential area or community outlying a city; small town: population center not within a metropolitan area; rural: farming or agricultural area with less than 2,500 people. Data reflect the mean of average salaries paid by public school systems in Educational Research Service’s 36th national survey of salaries and wages in public schools, “Salaries and Wages Paid Professional and Support Personnel in Public Schools, 2008-2009.” Copyright © by Educational Research Service. All rights reserved. Used with permission. “We’re spending a lot of money, so let’s be sure we’re spending it wisely.” —Kevin Desrise, accountability manager, St. Mary Parish (La.) School Board Directors/Supervisors of Finance/Business Business officers, on average, are paid better in bigger districts and urban areas but higher per-pupil expenditures do not necessarily translate into higher salaries. SalarieS by enrollment 25,000 or more 10,000-24,999 2,500-9,999 300-2,499 assigned one staff member to handle testing and another to oversee accountability, Derise says the trend now is to put both in the hands of the same person, as St. Mary did with him. A former teacher and guidance counselor in the district, Derise points out that he did graduate work in statistics, so his accountability job was “a perfect fit.” Family Issues Language and social integration issues in racially and ethnically diverse districts are largely behind the creation in many such districts of a school community facilitator position, as was the case in the City School District of New Rochelle (N.Y.), which established the position last September. “It had very much to do with the nature of our district,” which is about one-third white, 40 percent Hispanic and 25 percent African-American, says Superintendent Richard Organisciak. “We just didn’t feel that there was an active, involved connection between the district 44 September 2009 Mean of average salaries Mean of average daily rates $120,703 $499.38 $11,000 or more $106,366 $444.77 $10,000-$10,999 $9,000-$9,999 $97,203 $406.20 $8,000-$8,999 $77,778 $324.28 Less than $8,000 SalarieS by per-pupil expenditure levelS SalarieS by per-pupil expenditure levelS Mean of average salaries Mean of average daily rates $101,987 $423.31 Large urban $101,643 $423.73 Medium urban $95,388 $400.60 Suburban $97,614 $406.99 Small town $94,044 $394.92 Rural SalarieS by community type SalarieS by community type Mean of average salaries Mean of average daily rates $123,467 $509.29 $105,109 $438.89 $109,999 $463.63 $87,486 $366.46 $67,420 $278.95 Large urban: metropolitan area with a population greater than 400,000; medium urban: metropolitan area with a population less than 400,000; suburban: residential area or community outlying a city; small town: population center not within a metropolitan area; rural: farming or agricultural area with less than 2,500 people. Data reflect the mean of average salaries paid by public school systems in Educational Research Service’s 36th national survey of salaries and wages in public schools, “Salaries and Wages Paid Professional and Support Personnel in Public Schools, 2008-2009.” Copyright © by Educational Research Service. All rights reserved. Used with permission. and the community,” he explains. The New Rochelle district had previously struggled with being sure all families had access to information they could understand about school events and programs, as well as access to someone they could go to with questions or complaints. The district needed an “ombudsman-type” person, a “point person who could field the types of questions and District Administration

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - September 2009

District Administration - September 2009
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Health Update
Curriculum Update
Stimulus Monitor
Conversations
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Administrator Roles Shift with the Times
Turning Around Schools in Need
Global Learning
Managing Generational Diversity
New Products
Professional Opinion
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
New Books
Tech Disruptions
Online Edge

District Administration - September 2009