Twenty-six people listed as working in the Central Administration office received more than $50,000.
The descriptions of the employees' jobs, which were provided by the school district, indicates that the district is making it appear as if it is paying its teachers more by listing the teaching/learning coaches, many of whom make more than $50,000 a year as teachers, despite the fact that they generally serve as an arm of administration in their buildings, and many of them serve as the eyes and ears for upper administration. The positions have also been used as a steppingstone into administrative positions in the district.
Those receiving the most pay in the school district during the past school year were the following:
1. C. J. Huff, superintendent, $177,125
2. Kerry Sachetta, Joplin High School principal $114,661
3. David Rockers, Franklin Technology Center director $104,267
4. Mark Barlass, executive director of student services $101,501
5. Jason Cravens, executive director of secondary education $101,198
6. Lisa Orem, student services program coordinator $100,952
7. Jennifer Doshier, executive director of elementary education $100,580
8. Jeff Starkweather, athletic director, $96,948
9. Steven Gilbreth, South Middle School principal $95,213
10. Bud Sexson, East Middle School principal $89,315
11. Brandon Eggleston, North Middle School principal $89,051
12. Steven Reed, Franklin Tech assistant director $85,825
13. Greg Boyd, Joplin High School assistant principal $85,606
14. Darrell Hueller, Joplin High School assistant principal $82,761
15. Sandra Cantwell, Joplin High School assistant principal $79,455
15. Matt Harding, Joplin High School assistant principal $79,455
17. Teresa Adams, Soaring Heights Elementary principal $78,020
17. Julie Munn, Kelsey Norman Elementary principal $78,020
17. Nila Vance, Irving Elementary principal $78,020
20. Heather Surbrugg, Eastmorland Elementary principal $77,844
21. Amanda Boyer, early childhood coordinator $76,849
22. Jarrett Cook, Jefferson Elementary principal $76,848
22. Jill White, Royal Heights Elementary principal $76,848
23, Terri Hart, McKinley Elementary principal $73,311
24. Gayle Hennessey, Cecil Floyd Elementary principal $74,260
24. Sarah Mwangi, Columbia Elementary principal
26. Bret Ingle, West Central Elementary principal $73,311
26. Karen Secrist, Stapleton Elementary principal $73,311
28. Eric Pitcher, director of technology, $73,011
28. Sarah Stevens, director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment $73,011
29. Shally Lundien, South Middle School assistant principal $72,669
30. Sabrina Davis, Central Office, occupational therapist $70,123
30. Mary Lowry, Central Office, physical therapist $70,123
30. Lisa Shallenberger, Central Office, occupational therapist $70,123
33. Kayla Spencer, Central Office, physical therapist $69,923
34. Jeff Williams, teacher/coach Joplin High School $69,558
35. Susan James, director Beacon School $68,795
35. Jason Weaver, East Middle School assistant principal $68,795
Not on the list provided to DESE were the names of Tina Smith, chief operations officer, Mike Johnson, building program director, or any of the people who hold positions such as events coordinator, director of alumni relations, or anything to do with Bright Futures Joplin.
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How did the Joplin School District get into the mess it is in today? You can find out that, as well as background on Joplin City Government and Wallace-Bajjali in the new book, Silver Lining in a Funnel Cloud, Greed, Corruption, and the Joplin Tornado.
Good. I would hope Joplin would pay competitive salaries to its administrators. As the largest school district in the area, it should be paying the most in order to attract the best people. If we were paying peanuts for these positions, do you think we'd be in better shape? Better yet, take all that money and spread it across the entire district and what would everyone get? A $750 raise? That would sure change things.
ReplyDeleteSometimes people get so focused on what a few people make they lose sight of the fact that those dollars are spit in the ocean of a multi-million dollar budget. Whatever issues the school district has, they don't exist because seven people make six figures.
Excellent point. You should pay me $20,000 to watch someone mow your lawn. Good luck finding someone to fill this useless position for less,
DeleteBright Futures Joplin Coordinator - $38,000
ReplyDeleteBright Futures Joplin Assistant Coordinator - $36,000
6:56, then the same theory should apply to teachers and support staff. There is no more vital position in the school system than the teacher working directly with students day to day. Shouldn't we pay our teachers competitively to recruit and maintain the very best? I think the administrative salaries would be a non-issue if others working for the district were paid accordingly and the district was not in a questionable financial state. Your post doesn't address the new, and believed by many to be unnecessary, administrative positions created in the past few years. If these salaries are just a drop in the bucket, then increase teacher and support staff pay to competitive levels.
ReplyDeleteSo true...There are many teachers in the district that have to work two jobs just to make ends meet. Not right!
ReplyDeleteMaybe some ratios would be useful - admin to student, teacher to student, paraprofessional/aide to student; and "other" employee (cafeteria, maintenance, etc - not admin and not classroom teacher or aide) to student ratio. And aggregate salary info related to those groups. That type of data might paint a better picture of the structure of the district. Just an opinion. (my child does not attend Joplin schools so I have no pre-conceived notions of what is or isn't).
ReplyDelete6:56
ReplyDeleteWhen are the good administrators going to get here? We have more administrators per student than any other district, about half of them were hired due to favors done for Besendorfer, some of them have job positions that don't even need to exist, and scores are nothing to brag about. It doesn't seem like the district got much bang for it's buck, and by the way, that $750 is a bigger raise than your administrators were going to provide, thank you. They get paid way above the state average for administrators. Our teachers get paid way below the state average. In recent years, to plump up that teacher pay average, the Huff administration included in the average the increased salaries of TLCs and other certified positions that weren't technically administrators. It's a pathetic situation.
Much like many school districts, it appears Joplin voters want to lower taxes as much as possible and simultaneously have state-of-the-art facilities and top-flight teachers.
ReplyDeleteHow exactly do those things coexist? Again, even if you removed ALL administration the savings would translate to a small amount per employee.
So fix it....want to hear your ideas!
I'm a Joplin teacher who works two jobs and I have done so since I started teaching. Sad thing is I would make more full time with my second job than the career that required a college degree.
ReplyDeletewhy in the heck do we have so many asst principals!!!
ReplyDeleteGo back 4 years when the R8 was run out of a perfect sized building at 15th and Connecticut. Why do we need all these additional admin staff???? Seemed to work fine before the tornado. I understand with the influx of money and all the chaos after the tragedy 5/22/11 but that is over. Only have needed personnel and cut the fat out and save some money for Pete's sake. No pun intended with the term, "cut the fat out." That is well understood in that building. I mean they sure can eat.
ReplyDeleteI hate to break it to you but teaching is a part time job. 180 school days is 36 weeks or 1,440 hours. A full time job is 2,080 hours 52 weeks. Congrats you have a rewarding job and only work 70% of the hours the rest of us do.
ReplyDeleteIf you think teachers only work during the school day, you are sorely mistaken--teachers are responsible for students during those hours. When do you think student work is scored and lessons planned? Have you ever asked an elementary teacher how long it takes to set up the classroom outside of contracted days? When do you suppose teachers take time to research and learn as a professional? There are few professions that take as much work home as those in education. Thank you for demonstrating your pure ignorance of the profession.
Delete9:01 is a troll. Best to ignore and move on.
ReplyDelete9:01 is an idiot and probably milking the system that my 70% worth of work is paying for.
ReplyDeleteI would like to clarify I was not paid 70,123 by the school district for 2014-2015. I retired May, 2014 and filled in until first week of November when new physical therapist came on board.
ReplyDelete