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As the Mountain View Whisman School District searches for its next superintendent, the school board has picked a salary range for the position that means the district’s next leader will likely be paid less than their predecessor.
The school board voted unanimously at a Thursday, March 6, meeting to approve a salary range of $335,000 to $385,000 for the district’s next superintendent.
Mountain View Whisman is currently looking for someone to replace Ayindé Rudolph, who resigned in November amid turmoil over the district’s finances and spending decisions. Rudolph cited health and family considerations in announcing his departure.
At the time of his resignation, Rudolph was being paid roughly $383,000 annually, with additional raises already negotiated for the next two school years.
The school board discussed how much to pay the next superintendent during the closed session portion of Thursday’s meeting, board President Bill Lambert said. That discussion included reviewing the salaries of other superintendents in Santa Clara County, as well as the salaries of Mountain View Whisman’s senior staff, Lambert said. The board then took the formal vote on the salary range in open session.
The decision on Thursday night was limited to the salary itself, rather than also encompassing benefits like medical insurance or housing assistance, Lambert said. The school board gave a $1.2 million low-interest home loan to the prior superintendent midway through his tenure, which proved controversial with some in the community.
Mountain View Whisman is currently being led on an interim basis by retired Los Altos School District Superintendent Jeff Baier. The plan is for Baier to continue through the end of the current school year, with a new permanent superintendent hired in time for the start of next school year. The district has hired the firm Leadership Associates for $27,500 to conduct a search for the new superintendent.
Asked about the pay scale for the new superintendent, Lambert told the Voice that the board was looking to “reset things” after the previous superintendent’s salary had increased substantially over time.
When Rudolph was hired in 2015, the board approved a starting salary of $200,000. By the time he left nearly a decade later, his pay had almost doubled.
According to Lambert, during that period of time, the district had been working to increase teacher salaries, which had been below many other school districts. Doing that involved giving teachers large raises, and the district’s practice had typically been to have the superintendent also receive the same percentage increase, Lambert said. Since the superintendent had a higher starting point, that meant larger increases over time, in terms of the raw dollar amount.
Two public speakers addressed the board about the salary scale at Thursday’s meeting. One questioned why the discussion was conducted in closed session, while the other urged the board to put a single, all-inclusive salary figure in the superintendent’s future contract, rather than having a series of additional benefits.
Definitely pay them less. Then wonder why they live outside of the district.
How many folks get to live in the district or city as far as that goes, that they work in?! Yep, might have to commute if you want to work in Mountain View! Lots of other folks commute from the East Bay and beyond and they’re not getting paid the salary that the previous Superintendent was getting.
Actually, the district and city measure this: only 3% of employees (maybe it’s 5%) live outside of Santa Clara and San Mateo county
I commute from Morgan Hill to be a part of the wonderful community and school I work at in Mountain View. It’s sad that I can’t partake in the community I serve, but part of that is on the landlords. It got to the point I had to move away just so I can afford low-income housing to improve my family’s housing experience.
I drive an hour to work and an hour and a half back due to the traffic and miss a lot of time with my kid…but at the end of the day, when you love what you do, you never actually work a day in your life.
Tying administration salaries to rank-and-file salaries is a great way to ensure continued income inequality. No golden parachute or housing loan for the next superintendent, please.
I find it hard to believe that teachers’ pay doubled in 9 years. The board is making the right move by cutting the salary for the next superintendent.