Board hires school chief at $185,000 per year
COLLEGEVILLE >> The Perkiomen Valley School Board approved a five-year contract with Barbara A. Russell to become the next district superintendent, effective July 1, 2017. Russell’s starting salary will be $185,000 per year, according to the contract, putting her among the top 22 percent of administrators in the state.
The board unanimously approved the decision during Monday’s meeting. Russell, the district’s current assistant superintendent, will succeed Superintendent Clifford Rogers, who is set to retire June 30.
The board had been in talks with Russell to fulfill the superintendent’s role upon accepting Rogers’ retirement Jan. 30. Rogers is currently paid $200,000 per
year.
Under the new contract, Russell can earn a 0.5 percent annual salary increase if her annual performance assessment exceeds expectations.
Russell’s salary puts her among the top 22 percent of salaries in Pennsylvania for superintendents, according to a Pennsylvania School Boards Association report issued last November. The superintendents from the Boyertown, Owen J. Roberts, Perkiomen Valley, Phoenixville, Pottsgrove, Pottstown, Spring-Ford and Upper Perkiomen school districts each earn a salary of $158,000 or more today.
As assistant superintendent, Russell currently earns $160,987 a year,
which is among the top 15 percent of assistant superintendents, who each earn at least $150,000 a year.
According to news reports, the state’s highest superintendent salary may well be that enjoyed by Amy Sichel, superintendent of Montgomery County’s Abington School District, who is in the second year of a five-year contract that put her annual salary at $319,714 in July 2015.
Sichel, who was the president of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators in 2011, was named Pennsylvania Superintendent of the Year in 2010 by that organization. In 2014, she served as the president of the American Association of School Administrators.
According to the PSBA report, the average Pennsylvania superintendent salary was $137,326. The
median, or middle, salary was $130,295.
Eight percent of superintendents earn less than $102,000, the second highest percentage on the salary range. Among the assistant superintendents, 12 percent earned between $130,000 and $133,999 and 10 percent earned between $114,000 and $117,999.
For full details from the PSBA report, visit http://bit.ly/2kTaAfg.
Russell, Rogers and the school board are working together on a plan to ensure a seamless transition over the summer, according to a district press release issued Tuesday. Russell’s vision will include a focus on engaged and inspired students; cultural competence and a positive school climate; fiscal integrity; and communication, engagement and partnerships,.
“In leading the district,
I will focus upon providing rigorous academic experiences for our students, while at the same time, demonstrate efficient stewardship of resources. I will thoughtfully organize my changeover to afford the District and community a seamless transition in leadership,” said Russell in the release. “I am excited to partner, lead and serve the Perkiomen Valley School District and community and to take a great district even further.”
School Board President Rich Bouher said he is looking forward to working with Russell to lead the district forward.
“The board is thrilled to be able to work with Dr. Russell in her new role. We have every confidence that she will provide quality leadership and help us continue our work to elevate Perkiomen Valley’s strong tradition of academic excellence,”
“I am excited to partner, lead and serve the Perkiomen Valley School District and community and to take a great district even further.” — Barbara A. Russell, new Perkiomen Valley superintendent
said Bouher. “Her long tenure with the school district makes her a valuable asset to this community and to the board. We know she will be instrumental in helping us to strike that careful balance between student, staff and taxpayer needs.”
Russell has a long history within the district.
She began her career as a science teacher at Perkiomen Valley High School in 1985. She later served as a teacher-on-special-assignment for science curriculum coordination for four years. She was assistant principal at Perkiomen Middle School West, principal at Skippack Elementary School and served as assistant to the superintendent for curriculum, instruction and assessment from March 2007 to February 2011. In March of 2011, she was named assistant superintendent, according to a district press release.
Russell has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from DeSales University, a master’s degree in biology from West Chester University, a master’s degree in educational leadership from Lehigh University and a doctoral degree in educational leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.