Disproportionate compensation

Now that schools should make the most of their resources by using them in the classroom, having the school superintendent of a district with 6,000 students compensated to the tune of $663,000 last year defies all logic.

That is the case of José Fernández, the schools chief of the Centinela Valley high school district, who received a base salary of $271,000 plus other benefits worth $400,000. The superintendent signed a contract in 2009 in which, in addition to his generous compensation, he was guaranteed fewer work days than most of his colleagues and that he can only be fired if four—out of five members of the School Board—vote to fire him. He even got a $910,000 loan from the school district to buy a home, with a 2% interest rate payable in 40 years.

His compensation and benefits are exorbitant, taking into account that they are above those of the school superintendent for Los Angeles (nearly $390,000), who has 650,000 students—and even those of President Obama himself ($590,000).

The merit Fernández has is saving the district from bankruptcy. However, the academic results are mediocre in the best of cases, according to greatschools.org.

The question is whether the compensation for the superintendent is the best way to allocate funds to benefit the students, 90% of whom are Latino or African American.

In this case, the School Board is responsible for Fernández’s benefits. The board is in charge of balancing educational priorities, dealing with teachers and other district employees, and explaining an exaggerated compensation that is unprecedented.

We think that this compensation is an aberration. Because of its disproportionate incoherence, this hurts the district and student learning, raising doubts about school priorities. These are doubts that must be resolved.