Review of benefits, pay for superintendents will ensure fairness: Eggen

EDMONTON An impending review of school superintendent compensation will affect the salaries of top school district leaders, and likely other district executives, Education Minister David Eggen said Monday.

Eggen has written to all publicly funded school boards and charter schools, asking for copies of their superintendents’ contracts by Friday.

He’ll be looking at base salaries, benefits, allowances and other perks awarded to the top education leaders.

“This is not to have a negative imposition on either school boards or superintendents, but to make sure we are making best use of public money and that salaries are consistent across the board,” Eggen said.

The variations in pay don’t necessarily line up with the size, enrolment or budget of the school district, he said. They should, because education is funded per student enrolled, he said.

An analysis prepared for the Alberta School Boards Association in February said superintendent base salaries in Alberta rose 10 per cent in five years.

Eggen’s review follows the government’s move last year to cut CEO salaries, perks and bonuses at public agencies, boards and commissions. He said it took longer to tackle superintendent compensation because their contracts are negotiated with another level of government — locally elected school boards.

He said he will make any changes relatively soon, so five school boards are not left leaderless. Eggen has those boards’ superintendent contracts sitting on his desk awaiting his approval — a contract extension for Edmonton Catholic Schools superintendent Joan Carr, and proposed new hires in four districts.

The College of Alberta School Superintendents plans to meet with Eggen next week to make the case that school districts can’t be compared merely based on enrolment and budget, president Chris MacPhee said Monday.

If school boards are limited in the pay and benefits they can offer their sole employee — the superintendent — they may have trouble recruiting good candidates, he said.

Mary Martin, president of the Alberta School Boards Association, said Monday she hopes boards keep the autonomy to craft local agreements with superintendents.

Eggen’s review is unsurprising given the government has been “telegraphic” about its efforts to rein in public sector executive pay, she said.

The review includes contracts for 61 public, Catholic and francophone, plus 13 charter school, superintendents.

Calgary Board of Education board chair Trina Hurdman said the CBE has always posted its chief superintendent’s contract on its website.

“We believe in transparency and accountability to the public, so I have no issue with the minister reviewing these contracts across the province,” said Hurdman.

The board is in the midst of a search for a new chief superintendent with the upcoming retirement of David Stevenson. But Hurdman said she isn’t concerned that the review will have any impact on the board’s ability to fill the position.

“I think the minister recognizes that the person in charge of a $1.4 billion organization with 1,400 employees would need to be appropriately compensated,” said Hurdman.

“This is within the minister’s purview to review superintendent salaries ... I think that it’s good that he wants to be comfortable with the superintendent salaries across the province.”