The compensation packages of Blaine County School District administrators were published in the paper last week, and I’ve heard a lot of discussion about what people think is “fair” pay. I’ve always said that if pay was fair, teachers would make what professional athletes make, because there is no more important job than educating our children. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. Teachers’ compensation is negotiated by the union, and administrators’ two-year contracts are negotiated individually with the district.
As a manager, I know that employee compensation packages need to reflect the going rate in the market. Employers must offer more salary or benefits to keep employees if the cost of living is high or to entice an employee with more education or experience. If the employer treats employees poorly, it can be difficult to find good employees without paying more. People tend to leave jobs if they can earn more elsewhere, especially if a better work environment is offered.
Publicly available data shows that our administrators’ and teachers’ salaries are comparable to those in Jackson, Aspen, Telluride and Park City. I don’t know how the compensation packages as a whole compare. This fall the BCSD board of trustees has the responsibility to carefully research and review administrators’ compensation packages. I urge them to tackle this review the way most employers do, by basing the packages they offer on what administrators with similar levels of experience in comparable communities and districts are paid. I urge them to consider both our budget constraints and our desire to have qualified, experienced administrators running the district. I believe having quality leaders is best for our teachers and, most importantly, for our students.
So far three out of four candidates interested in the business manager position have changed their minds and withdrawn their applications after researching our district. The divisiveness of the board and the persistent, hostile actions of a vocal segment of our community are now impeding the district’s ability to hire quality staff. In addition, this group has submitted an unprecedented 80-plus public records requests and has just filed a lawsuit requesting an administrator’s phone records and complaining about the fee the district charges for extensive public records requests. I fail to see how these time-consuming and expensive actions benefit the needs of our students.
Even if opinions differ, there are ways to support and improve our district without tearing it apart. Let’s work together and focus on educating our children.
Lara Stone
Blaine County resident