Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

By Jennifer Jordan
Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Education officials are asking the state to approve a pay increase for a new education commissioner they hope to hire early next month.

The current commissioner, Peter N. McWalters, is stepping down June 30 after 17½ years. He is paid about $152,000 a year, plus another $31,500 in retirement benefits, for total compensation of $183,500.

The Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education wants to boost the commissioner's salary up to $203,000, for both salary and retirement, a $19,500 increase.

If the increase is approved, it will would not make the new education commissioner the highest-paid K-12 official in Rhode Island. Providence Supt. Tom Brady's yearly salary is about $244,000 a year -- $190,000 in taxpayer-financed salary, plus $54,000 in deferred compensation and a performance bonus paid by a private foundation.

The state Department of Administration will review the matter at a public hearing, hearing at 9 a.m.

Search committee Consultants Ray and Associates recommended a salary of about $200,000 in order to attract top national candidates, said Regent Angus Davis, who co-chaired the search.

The Regents also analyzed what other states were spending on their education chiefs and found that Rhode Island ranked among the lowest-paying, Davis said.

Davis said the 14-member search committee narrowed the field of about 34 applicants down to six 6 semifinalists and then down to two 2 finalists.

He declined to offer more details on the process.

"There is a tremendous sense of responsibility about spending taxpayer money," Davis said. "I think we will be getting a great new commissioner but we are also trying to be judicious about spending money."

Davis said the Regents would like to offer the new commissioner a $190,000 salary plus a defined contribution benefit plan worth 5 percent to 8 percent of the salary -- a benefit the Regents are not authorized to offer.

For that reason, the Regents have requested the $203,000 salary ceiling so they can make payments into a retirement fund immediately, whether or not the state allows them to offer a defined contribution benefit plan, Davis said. In either case, the total yearly compensation package would not exceed $203,000, he said.

This entry is an update of a previous version posted Wednesday at 3:50 p.m.

 Tags  Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education education salary increase

Comments

Dan said:

This is an update to my post of Wednesday too. Either we were way underpaying Commissioner McWalters for his experience level or we are going to way overpay the new person. Rhode Island is a small system with less students in the entire state than many districts so why do we need to keep boosting salaries? Especially, in the current economy. They should hire someone within the current salary framework until they are a proven entity in the scheme of things in Rhode Island. This looks like another attempt of the good old boys boosting this salary in order to boost everyones next time!

Link | March 26, 2009 4:40 PM
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