So whats your point?

I read this article in the paper paper this morning. Didya catch the "Bottom 10 Superintendent Pay" section?

Look at the enrollment numbers for these Bottom 10. Lordy!

If this isn't an argument for school district consolidation, I don't know what is! Are there really school districts that have only 109 students in them?

Barbara Littlejohn - Union School District 81 - $119,660 [salary] - 109 [number of students in district]

Lemme see here. Figure that of these 109 kids, nine are brother/sister or otherwise from the same family. Shoot for an even 100 kids. That means that each of these 100 families needs to kick in $1,196.60 JUST FOR BARBARA's SALARY!

How is this even possible? Look at some of the other enrollment numbers for this Bottom 10.

Amazing. If there are only 109 kids in this "district" and it is K-8, how many classes would comprise each grade level? And what, are there like 6-7 kids per class or something?

Or, Ron Huber is immensely underpaid...

I'm definitely not saying being a school superintendant is an easy job, or that a good teacher or administrator isn't worth decent compensation - but how in the world does it seem reasonable that the guy who runs what must be the largest, and arguably the most challenging, district in the state comes in #59?

Bad Career decisions.

Yes, Huber just hasn't logged enough tenured time. I liked the case of Dr. Laura Murray, out in Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School District 233.

This is a "district" of one single high school with an enrollment of 2,900 students. H-F D233 has a full complement of "administrators" - business manager, assistant superintendent etc as well as the administration of the high school itself - principal, asst principal etc.

For one lone school.

But most shocking was Dr. Laura's final year salary - $402,331 - more than the President of the United States makes. To "Superintend" one single high school. She retired [in FINE style, no doubt] at the end of the 2008 school year.

Note that Dr. Laura was making a "mere" $279,397 as recently as 2006. That's a $122,914 raise in salary in only two years.

I thought that these OUTRAGEOUS salary bumps were outlawed by that 2005 law? Or did they "grandfather" in just about everyone?

This type of gaming of the system should concern every single taxpayer in Illinois.

The difference between a pension [for life] with a 75% of a final salary of $280K and $402K is about $100,000 per year. Or, under her 2006 final salary, she would've gotten a pension of roughly $200,000 per year.

At the $402K line? Over $300,000. All due to a two year unjustified [I don't care HOW good you are!] raise in salary of nearly $123,000.

And let's not forget: She was the Superintendent of a single school "district". Uno. One.

A bit out-of-date but still accurate

I can see Barbara Littlejohn of that 109 student Joliet K-8 district getting as high as $200,000 in her final year. Sure can.

Unsustainable. Gotta stop. Better stop.

The Civic Federation or whoever pointed out that Illinois budget problems are not because of the recession but are self inflicted.

Reading this only serves to bring that point home.

Don't worry these pensions wont or cant be touched . Our politicians years ago made them constitutionally protected. And then gave themselves and all their friends great pensions.

Will the last person to leave Illinois please turn off the lights

This guy Cullerton should be first
we need more pepole like this guy