Merge school administration

[Town Supervisor]

It makes sense to have schools managed by the Town Supervisor.

Will get rid of $300/year superintendents and $150 business managers.

These people are not CEO's they merely manage a budget without profit responsibility.

If they were in Citibank or Chase they would be paid $90K and $75k respectively based on their job description.

Their operations functions fit nicely in Town responsibilities with huge cost savings.

School boards would remain with budget and education decisions administered by the Town.

[BetterYet]

What is wrong with this picture? The NYC superintendent is paid $250,000. It averages to 22 cents per student. The Syosset supe gets $408,000 or $61.81 per student. Are Syosset residents getting their money's worth? Are they satisfied paying their school taxes?

Get rid of central administration bloat!! RIGHT!!! IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN. The teacher unions will never go for it!! Remember each district has its union empire that is paid handsomely IN ADDITION to teaching salaries. We have allowed LI schools to grow into monstrous hierarchies. We have allowed them to cripple us with taxes that are the HIGHEST in the NATION.

Forget TOWN school districts. ( who would want to send their children to Crookhaven Schools?) Consider Nassau County Schools and Suffolk County Schools.

Why not?

[School Board]

THE $400,000 SCHOOL SUPE
Pay and perk packages are growing too fast, too high across Long Island

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October 5, 2004


As good as most Long Island school superintendents undoubtedly are, as stewards of arguably the finest collection of districts anywhere, their pay is rising at rates - and to levels - both financially and politically unsustainable.

That much is obvious from a Newsday report Sunday that showed their overall pay packages growing at twice the rate of inflation and far faster than in other regions. Less obvious is what to do to rein them in. With 124 districts, each with its own superintendent, there's no doubt the region as a whole must take a careful look at the pay levels.

Even if the Long Island average of nearly $200,000 in total compensation is reasonable or necessary for such a crucial job, it's indefensible to pay sums like that to more than 120 people. Joel Klein earns $250,000 to run the 1.1 million-student system in New York City. If anything, he's underpaid. Long Island's districts pay a combined total of $25 million for superintendents overseeing about 400,000 students.

The only way to save more than a token on administrative pay is to merge districts. That would end a self-defeating competition among districts that leapfrog each other in pay levels, leaving most of the poorest behind. With merged districts, most of the top slots would be filled with building principals or regional deputies, who would earn far less.

Other cost containment remedies include greater transparency, so voters know how much superintendents are earning, including perks. And school boards must bargain harder with superintendents - as well as teachers - particularly when it comes to cashing in unused sick days and additions to already lucrative pensions.

This page opposes state-imposed salary caps. Districts have a hard enough time finding teachers willing to enter administrative ranks. And administrative costs overall aren't rising, as middle management jobs shrink. But districts must ask more questions before boosting superintendents' pay any higher.

Take the Syosset schools. They're as good - and rich - as it gets anywhere. If voters in the 6,600-student district want to spend $408,000 on a superintendent, it's their right. And Carole Hankin is a good one. But is she worth more than twice what the region's schools chiefs average? Can the region afford a dozen or 120 more clamoring for increases? No way. hN
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.

[Town Supervisor]

The school board has teaching responsibility, hiring firing etc. The town will buy pencils, pay salaries, buy heating oil. etc.

[tom s]

Counties have no real functions. Let the counties turn the parks over to the towns and medicad over to the state.

This is the way MA and CT work. (and very well)

[Interesting]

I'd like to see what the school districts are paying other top administrators, as well. Most districts have two or three assistant superintendents, who make well into the six figures.

NYS Dept of Education makes districts report a lot of information on their annual report cards. Perhaps the total salaries of the top officials would also help tax payers understand if they are getting their money's worth.

If I were in charge of the world I'd do away with all perks besides health insurance. Give the superintendents a good salary and let them spend their own money on stuff like dry cleaning and car services etc. Likely they'd be more frugal.
________
Bongs (http://glassbongs.org/)

[Private Industry]

Let the schools go to a cash plan pensions like IBM, Banks, and other private industry.

No medical coverage (other than Medicare) after they leave.

Get rid of "administrators" who run Excel spread sheets to calculate taxes versus expenses. Some efficeint level of government can run canned accounting packages that data entry people ($20K) would be trained to up date.

Currently $100K administrators give paper forms to kids and families to fill out. They should be fired.

[The Gloating Bloat]

Your average Supt earns $175k and the average Asst.Supe draws $145K.There is on average 3-4 Asst. Supts.Then there are your Language/IT/Science Coords who pull in on average $130k and Athletic/Music and Facility Directors getting in the $110 range.Principals earn $115k-$140k while their Assts make the low $100k.The above all get life insurance/car allowance and other big bennies.
To top it off.....they retire at 55 yrs of age with a full health package,life insurance cash in and 75% of their fianl average salary.

[Empty Pockets]

Here in Bellmore (1,250 students - 3 school buildings) there are three district wide administrators who take home a combined $411,800.

The cost per student just for the Superintendent is an astonishing $161! He just got a $16,800 raise.

His assistant business director, with one year on the job, got a $15,000 raise to $125,000.

And then there's the new assistant Instruction super, a former principal....who knows how much he got, but last year's salary list had him at $113K.

Bellmore/Merrick taxpayers finance too much at the top.

[fc watcher]

no wonder fc had to go Roslyn

[TEACHERS & PTA]

no wonder fc had to go Roslyn
________
Cargo (http://www.ford-wiki.com/wiki/Ford_Cargo)

C'mon Roy, get out of the other towns forums. It says "Merge school administration" Not "MARGE school administration". You gotta read Roy, you gotta read.

[its time now1]

It makes sense to have schools managed by the Town Supervisor.

Will get rid of $300/year superintendents and $150 business managers.

These people are not CEO's they merely manage a budget without profit responsibility.

If they were in Citibank or Chase they would be paid $90K and $75k respectively based on their job description.

Their operations functions fit nicely in Town responsibilities with huge cost savings.

School boards would remain with budget and education decisions administered by the Town.

:!:

[do it 06]

C'mon Roy, get out of the other towns forums. It says "Merge school administration" Not "MARGE school administration". You gotta read Roy, you gotta read. :twisted:

Teachers' unions and administrators will fight any move to merge. Think about it. Each district union has its little empire with plenty of extra perks for teacher reps and leaders. Each district has its little circle of administrators receiving perks ad nauseum. Moral of the story: LI taxpayers are scr*wed . 120+ districts keep our taxes HIGH and our communities segregated.

[union member2]

Just so you know; we could not care less if they merged administrations. Sounds efficient to me. Just let the teachers teach with reasonable 25, class sizes and supplies for the kids. Admin does nothing for us or the kids anyway.

why would unions care? the fewer bosses the better. they barely get evaluated today. half of them spend their days showing videos of pop movies so they don't have to teach. imagine if there were 50% fewer people to supervise them. can you say field trip?