Thursday, March 10, 2011

Niceley: Pay superintendents less

(The dynamic duo of state Rep. Frank Niceley and state Sen. Stacey Campfield are co-sponsoring a number of bills. Here's the last one I wrote about. And I've got a few more coming.)

Either county mayors aren't making enough coin, or school superintendents make too much.

So, Campfield and Niceley filed a bill declaring that a school superintendent cannot be paid more than the county mayor.

Apparently Campfield (who hates the KNS, and probably me by default and won't call us back) is driving this train. Niceley said he joined because his counterpart in the Senate needed a House version of the bill, and he supports the proposal.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that county Mayor Tim Burchett emphasizes that he doesn't have anything to do with it. In case you're wondering.

Still, the mayor weighed-in: “I'm sure my wife would like it, but I'm very satisfied with what I'm making right now.”

Burchett pulls in $154,300.

Knox County Schools Superintendent Jim McIntyre makes $222,800.

I don't expect this bill to get very far. And if it does, I'm not exactly sure how it would work.

Does the mayor get a raise. Or does McIntyre take a hit?

And what does the proposed cap mean for recruiting the best qualified candidates?

“Well, this wouldn't prevent you from giving bonuses based on performance,” Niceley said. “But, really, I can't see any need for the county director to make more than the mayor, especially in tight budget times.”

Niceley said the bonuses would encourage the school directors to crack the whip, I mean, work, to make sure test scores improve.

“This will give them an incentive,” he said. “We spend billions on education, and it's supposed to be for the students, not the administration.”

He must have checked out the Knox County school system payroll before he made that last comment.

Heh.

No comments: