Superintendent Bonus

In light of the staff reductions, stipend cuts, pay cuts for retirees, temporary (indefinitely) elimination of longevity, and district-wide pay freeze our teachers and support staff be enduring next year, it is ECEA's stand that no one in the Eagle County Schools, including the Superintendent, should be eligible for a bonus beyond the maximum 4% that all staff/teachers are eligible this year, and should not be eligible for ANY pay increase whatsoever. These sentiments were presented to the Superintendent at the beginning of the last negotiations meeting on Tuesday late afternoon. Acceptance of a bonus and pay increase would be unfair. The Board of Education will present their offer for the 10/11 school year to the Superintendent on June 9th, and she intends to wait until then to make any decision or comment.


See the article and recent news reports below.

Eagle County school board mulls superintendent's bonus | VailDaily.com


Colo Superintendents Weigh What To Do With Bonuses

Written by Brian Maass
[ mailto:bmaass@cbs.com ]E-mail

DENVER (CBS4) ―

Visit the [ http://cbs4denver.com/investigates ]CBS4 Investigates section.

Some are still taking them, some are saying "no thanks," and at least one Colorado [ http://cbs4denver.com/investigates/superintendents.bonuses.raises.2.1715185.html ]school superintendent isn't revealing what he plans to do about a $50,000 performance bonus he's owed by his school district.

A CBS4 Investigation found school superintendents across the state are taking vastly different approaches to bonuses and raises they are owed, that are spelled out in their employment contracts, contracts that were put together well before the financial downturn that is affecting K-12 [ http://cbs4denver.com/investigates/superintendents.bonuses.raises.2.1715185.html ]education.

"My philosophy is to model the behavior you'd like to see in others," said Mary Chesley, superintendent of Cherry Creek [ http://cbs4denver.com/investigates/superintendents.bonuses.raises.2.1715185.html ]schools.

Chesley said she hadn't talked about the bonus issue until CBS4 filed an Open Records Act request for her contract. But Chesley authored a May 28, 2009 memo to her school board, notifying her Board of Education she did not want a performance bonus of $20,000 for the 2008-09 school year, would not accept a raise for the 2009-10 school year and was rejecting a $16,000 district contribution to her savings plan for the 2008-09 school year.

Chesley says it was clear a year ago that her district would be hit with millions of dollars in cuts and she needed to lead by example.

Dr. Cindy Stevenson, superintendent of the Jefferson County School District, is taking much the same tact, telling her school board she will not accept $40,000 in performance bonuses she is due over the next two years and expects her salary to be frozen for the two-year period.

"It's not a lot of money but it's a gesture for anyone in leadership to look at," Stevenson told CBS4. "I think it's a small sacrifice I can make for our organization."

Stevenson's top administrators -- her cabinet members -- have also agreed to a pay freeze.

But last July, with budget cuts looming for education, the Eagle County School district gave its superintendent, Dr. Sandra Smyser, a $15,750 performance bonus in addition to her $175, 000 annual salary. According to her contract provisions, that bonus then triggered a raise, increasing her salary to $181,300. Smyser is due another bonus in July of about $18,000 which will trigger another salary increase. Smyser refused to talk on camera or by phone with CBS4 about the compensation issue. A spokesperson said Smyser's schedule was "jam packed" and "extremely packed" and had a "very busy schedule," but that a human resources specialist could discuss the compensation issue. Ultimately, the district spokesperson said Smyser would only communicate with CBS4 about the bonus issue via e-mail.

In contrast, Aspen's school superintendent, Dr. Diana Sirko, immediately agreed to speak on camera about her most recent bonus. The Aspen school board awarded Sirko a 10 percent performance bonus last fall, amounting to $15, 844 for her work in the 2008-09 school year.

"It's always a sensitive issue and a tough one," Sirko told CBS4 Investigator Brian Maass.

But she said part of the reason she accepted the bonus was due to the economic crisis.

"Did you consider giving it back?" Maass asked.

"I didn't because we felt it would be the last one for awhile," Sirko said.

"The reason the board felt comfortable awarding it and I felt it was okay to accept it was that it was part of the evaluation and negotiations of the previous year and was budgeted accordingly," Sirko wrote in a follow up e-mail. "It was based on our academic achievements last year, the passing of the $4.5 million mill levy for transportation and technology and the $12 million housing bond. We had also successfully finished the $35 million new middle school."

Sirko said all employees received a 2 percent increase when she received her bonus.

The leader of the Denver Public Schools system, Tom Boasberg, was not willing to say what he planned to do about $70,000 worth of additional compensation he is due. Boasberg is owed a $50,000 bonus from last year and a $20,000 raise. But he deferred both and says he will meet with his school board in July and decide what to do about the $70,000 lump sum he's owed.

"I'm very aware of the financial challenges and my need to lead by example," Boasberg said.

"So have you not made a decision?" Maass asked Boasberg.

"No decision has been made, no," Boasberg responded.

"So it's your decision?" Maass asked.

"It is mine, but I'd like to have a discussion with the board. I think the decision needs to be what's best for DPS," Boasberg said.