A few years ago, I sent a Sunshine Law request to the Joplin R-8 School District asking for a list of employees, their titles and their salaries and benefits.
It was a fascinating read, to say the least, and I was surprised by the overwhelming response I received from Turner Report readers.
Unfortunately, the most recent salaries were posted last year and were for the 2023-24 school year, but here are a few that interested me and might interest you:
Area Superintendent Salaries for 2023-24 (Pay Packages)
Joplin- Kerry Sachetta- $215,455
Webb City- Tony Rossetti $235,750
Carl Junction- Phil Cook $180,632
Carthage- Luke Boyer $181,600
Neosho- Jim Cummins- $198,000
***
Two Webb City R-7 officials received must have hefty pay increases this year. Brenten Byrd, who replaced Rossetti as superintendent, was making $148,000 as an assistant superintendent, while Allison Pope, who replaced Byrd as assistant superintendent was making $120,000 as superintendent of the small Hurley district.
Though the latest listings are for 2023-24, there's no doubt that former Neosho R-5 Assistant Superintendent Richie Fretwell is making more money than he made last year and doing considerably less.
Fretwell's pay increased from $144,695 last year to $150,483 this year, but he won't have to do any work for the pay since the R-5 Board of Education reached an agreement with Fretwell to put him on a a paid leave of absence through June 30.
Nice work if you can get it.
Do you think it's time for me to send out a few Sunshine Law requests?
The Turner Report: Richie Fretwell still officially employed by Neosho R-5, being paid to do nothing
25 comments:
I’m sure you already know this but the salary listed in the Dispatch does not include the extra stipends they get in addition to their salary. So these numbers are probably low figures when you add those extras in that don’t get listed. It’s a bit insane.
Get a life, Randy and quit with the garbage click-bait. Check out the Nixa superintendent’s pay and other district’s in SWMO.
Do we really think that the Superintendents / Administrators of Schools are Really Worth - Paying Over 4 to 5 -Times the Average Teacher's Salary in Missouri?
As of January 2025, the average salary for a teacher in Missouri is $43,701 per year, or about $21.01 per hour. However, salaries can range from $19,698 to $65,191.
Again, Missouri is Ranked 34th in Education in the United States.
The United States is Ranked 13th in Education in the World.
Do we have to many Levels of Administrators in the School Systems or is it the Teachers Union - the NEA (National Education Association) with over 3,000,000 + Members who pay their Annual Dues to - and then the NEA - Lobby's and Promotes and Tries to Elect Democrats and then pushes their Political Policies and Practices - So should we BLAME THE DEMOCRATS - Because our Educational System is Failing to Provide Students with an Education that can Support them in the Future - -
What political party does NEA support?
Like other American labor unions, the NEA has favored the Democratic Party, giving its endorsement and support to every Democratic nominee for President since Jimmy Carter. It has never endorsed any Republican or third party candidate for the presidency.
Yikes, I bet none of those people are happy to see their salaries posted online. There's room for resentment.
Kerry Sachetta is so cute when he sits in his big boy chair and his feet dangle just above the floor.
As 8:09PM stated are their salaries realistic for what school officials do and what they accomplish? If yes, then why is Missouri and the United States so far behind the rest of the country and the world? Since Schools are funded by tax dollars, like the government, are they so misaligned and misconnected to reality that they have no fear whether they do a good job or not?
The market usually sets salaries.
@4:40 if a government entity is involved in buying anything in a market (labor, guns, butter), it is by definition, not _free_. I'm very tired of hearing this kind of statement. There is no such thing as a free market (i.e. one that exists without coercion) when taxes are involved. Not making a moral judgement on that, just telling you that you should really think hard about what you are saying and whether your assertion holds water here.
@Randy, you may be further interested to know that $150k in 2024 had the same purchasing power (CPI) as $39,423 in 1980. I would be very interested in seeing these numbers historically. My bet would be that leadership's pay has largely kept up with inflation and teacher's pay has fallen woefully behind.
Only a highly paid administrator would write such a comment. Springfield area schools are at another level in terms of pay. It is nice to have someone who fights the top-heavy Joplin Area schools, and believe it or not, every school in the area has ADDED admin positions this year. Keep up the good work.
The teacher unions have nothing to do with NEA. Administrators cannot join NEA for protection.
It all starts with the low funding from the State and trickles down.
We should also consider that the superintendent's position is a 12-month contract whereas teachers have only 10 months. Im not saying that two months is worth an extra 100k a year but their work is never-ending. Superintendents also have much higher educations than teachers. As a teacher,, I would never move up to a superintendent's position because of all the scrutiny they face and public light. To be honest, they are just the scapegoat for the school board which has all the control in the district, but as soon as something goes bad whose fault is it. Not the board but the Superintendents!
5:17AM - Yes, the NEA (National Education Association) is a labor union, considered the largest labor union in the United States, representing public school teachers and other education support personnel.
The Administrators are Not Union but the majority of the Administrators are Former Teachers and were in the Union. The NEA / Union gets its Playbook from the Democrats - Policies and Agenda - and the Administration continues the Kool-AID - Why do you think the NEA - Donates and Fund Raises for the Democrats - Also, continue READING and you will see that in some Larger School Districts - Principals can still be in the Unions...
FYI - Are principals part of the teachers union?
Parents and the public are represented by superintendents and school boards, but at school sites they rely on principals and other supervisors.
However, in many of the largest districts, these school managers are also union members. Aug 22, 2023
Come On - If you do not see the Connections - Union - Teachers, Administrators - Democratic Polices / Agenda - and our Failed School Systems - You need to get Glasses - Not to be able to Connect the Dots.
Thanks for posting this, if they are government employees we should know what they make, this information is easily found. If you don’t want your compensation public don’t work for the government and quit your whining. It’s like every other job out there I’ve had teachers that should be making premium money and I’ve had others that didn’t earn a dime of what they were paid.
I was waiting to see how long it would take for 621 to complete their diatribe of partisan BS to blame dems again. Didn't take long. I might consider reading 621's point of view if they would only acknowledge that BOTH dem and pub mismanagement of the dept of education has caused this bureaucracy of partisan failure. Otherwise, 621still spewing ridiculously outlandish deplorable magat view that can't be taken seriously.
That’s not the case in Carl Junction. The superintendent dictates policy to the school board and the school board follows his directives.
Randy - Thanks, I am sure that these Governmental Employees are in Shock about seeing their Income on your Blog - but we need to hold any Governmental Agency Accountable - since Hardworking Taxpayers are paying for their Salaries and the Cost of these Schools. I see NO Reason why Missouri is 34th in the Nation as an Educational Program. We have got to Revamp Them - What and How we are Educating Children Today - Because what we are doing - IS NOT WORKING - - Schools - are a Governmental Bureaucracy - Which Spends a lot of Money with little or no Results.
7:40AM, I am sorry this is so complicated you seem to never understand the Truth. Let's Deal with the Facts - Please if you can?
NEA - Was Founded in 1857 - 168 Years Old.
NEA- Largest Union in the United States - 3,000,000 + Million Members.
NEA - Uses Teacher's Dues (without their Voice being heard), to Lobby and Donate to and try and Elect Democrats.
NEA - Has a separate PAC (Political Action Committee), that takes Online Donations and Raises Money - National Education Assn PAC Contributions to Federal Candidates - (Just Like Kamala Harris - "Our Fight Continues" - Send Money).
NEA - National Education Association PAC Raised Roughly $27 Million for 2024 Election.
Doesn't it seem Funny that the NEA and their Benefactors the Democrats - cannot help Increase Wages for Teachers and Raise the Level of Education Quality within our Country - so that Students can have a Better Future? What do you need to see and understand that the NEA and the Democrats are Failing to Resolve the Educational Crisis in America - WHAT???
If you have Similar School Programs across America - and they all are Failing - What are the things they have in COMMON -
1. Government Bureaucracy - A lot of Administration - Not Forced to run Lean and Mean or be Responsible for Results. We give these People Tenure - So we cannot weed out the Bad Teachers - Thanks to the Union - Why have the Best People when you keep Lack Luster people doing a Half-Azzed Job.
2. Funded by Taxpayers - Even Supported by Lotteries and Sports Betting - Because Democrats thought it would Provide another Revenue Source.
3. Teacher's Unions - NEA - Local / National - Funding for Democrats - thanks to using their Dues and PAC Fund Raising to Elect Democrats.
4. Supported by Democrats - Using their Outdated - Policies / Agendas /
When you look at what they all have in Common - OMG - it is so Simple to Connect the Dots - - and another Reason - Our Educational System keeps getting Worse and Worse - but the Money keeps Flowing.
You can find any of this information with a very quick Google search. Randy pulled it from what is already out there. No one is trying to g to hide anything.
Would also like to see how many administrators and secretaries under superintendent compared to teachers. There are so many assistants to the assistants it’s crazy !
Yes, like any Government Agency - Their always seems to be multiple layers to the Onion - But Keep Reading, because - the Joplin School District - SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THE LEVEL OF EDUCATION OUR CHILDREN ARE RECEIVING.
The Unbelivable Facts for Joplin R8 School District - -
Students - 7,766
Teachers - 546 - FTE (Full Time Employees)
Student Teacher Ratio - 14.22 (1-Teacher for every 14-Students)
From the HR Department - The Joplin Schools Human Resources Department - manages personnel services for more than 1,300 staff members.
U.S. News & World Report - Overview of Joplin High School
Joplin High School is ranked 236th within Missouri.
Joplin High School is ranked 12,578 in National Rankings.
Overall Score 28.75/100 - - THIS IS TERRIBLE...
Test Scores at Joplin High School - -
U.S. News calculates these values for schools based on student performance on state-required tests and internationally available exams on college-level coursework (AP® and IB exams).
College Readiness Index - 6.0/100 - THAT IS 6 OUT OF 100 - MY GOD JOHNNY AND JILL CANNOT - READ,WRITE, DO MATH, OR UNDERSTAND HISTORY OR SCIENCE.
IS THIS WHAT YOU ARE PAYING FOR IN TAXES - AN INCOMPETANT SCHOOL DISTRICT - YET THESE PEOPLE STILL GET PAID AND HAVE JOBS FOR LIFE - THEY STILL USE THE SAME OLD METHODOLOGIES TO TEACH YOUR CHILDREN - AND IT IS NOT WORKING ON A LOCAL / STATE / NATIONAL - ARENA - BUT BECAUSE THEY ARE A GOVERNMENT AGENCY - THEY DO NOT HAVE TO ANSWER TO ANYONE - THEY ALL WANT MORE MONEY - YET - FAIL TO PRODUCE THE RESULTS - - -
I don’t understand that when a person is put on paid administrative leave(Richie Fretwell)that he still gets paid for not working . In my book you have done something bad to be removed from your position, which is basically being fired ! If I was put on paid administrative leave , I would not be collecting a paycheck, so why is he being paid ? So someone is basically stealing our tax paying dollars for him to sit at home and collect a paycheck. This is ridiculous for this to go on. Enough is enough. !! Take his pay away!
7:11AM - Governmental Employees and/or he has a Contract stating what he gets away with - How many Superintendents in Joplin have gotten large paydays and then gone down the road and got another job or how many times did Joplin R8 get taken to court over the Building of the Joplin High School and Franklin Tech and then Lose - $2.5 Million Dollars - Why don't these Schools let a Professional Law Firm Review the Administrative Contracts and Building Contracts - because whoever they have doing it is PLAIN STUPID - AND COSTING TAX PAYERS - MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
I can tell you right now that Dr Oliver, the JHS principal, does not deserve $150k for the piss poor job he is doing.
School districts are essentially businesses in many regards. Superintendents are the CEO's of that business. Sadly, most in the area are run like a trump owned business: sexual misconduct, misappropriation of funds, overinflated salaries, and fraudulent business practices. Oh, the irony!
Jim Cummings does not deserve $1.98 for the worthless job he did as Neosho Superintendent along with his little buddy Richie Fretwell, the rat that he is !
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