Discuss.

And you said I was on a roll...

How much does he make? It is an EXTREMELY hard job. I have worked in education for 32 years and believe me, it is a job that consumes your soul..

Little school, little budget to oversee, little experience---
base salary $65,000.
Big school, big budget to oversee, very experienced--
base salary $175,000.

Montana School Board Association has superintendent search service & you can check their website for base salary amounts- district size. Montana currently has a shortage of experienced superintendents.

http://www.mtsba.org/Admi...fault.aspx

Superintendent Regan makes too much money.

Imagine how much he would be making as a plumber.

Speaking for myself: I have no beef with it, Wendy. There are those who get paid a lot more to do less and a lot less to do more. It is what it is.

He makes around $110,000, which is mighty good wages in Miles City, paid for by the taxpayers. Starting teachers make about one-fifth as much. Just for comparison.

That would be considered quite low here. Principals can make that much and they deserve every darn cent of it. The responsibility, long hours, and stress are really intense.

Again, this is Miles City. Comparing it to the west coast is sort of pointless. Is it a lot (notice I used that correctly. I iz edukated.) for HERE?

I don't think it is a lot for anywhere. I actually think it is a bit under what it should be based on education required, experience required, judgement required, and the stress. And I am not on the coast. I am in a very small town.

[This message has been edited by polar bear (7/15/2010)]

In an attempt to clarify a few points, I believe it is misleading to state that Regan "makes around $110,000". I think most people would be led to believe that this is his base salary. Is this the case before we get out our torches and pitchforks?

If you read Mayor Whalen's Letter to the Editor closely, he indicates that, including roll-up costs, Regan earns approximately $110,000. His definition of "roll-up" costs should be explained. Many businesses include employer's health insurance plan contributions, unemployment taxes, FICA and worker's compensation insurance paid on behalf of the employee in calculating the true cost of the employee. Most employees would be shocked to see this number since they don't see a good portion of these funds. This is the reason why many employers distribute annual compensation statements to their employees.

Also, comparing a starting teacher to Supt. Regan is comparing apples to oranges. Longevity has to be factored into the equation. What does a teacher in the system for 30+ years make? It is immaterial what a starting teacher makes. Besides, administrative/executive positions always pay more than the front lines, in every field. This is not unusual.

I have no problem with Regan making that kind of money. The bigger problem with education in Montana is that every school district has a superintendent. Willow Creek has less than 30 kids in the district, and their superintendent makes nearly that much. Now that is overpaid, in my opinion. Three Forks is 6 miles away. Explain to me why they can't share a $90,000 a year position? Same situation all over Montana. If you buy him a car, and pay for his gas, you still save tens of thousands a year. More the next year, because you already bought the car. Question to answer in Three Forks, and he is in Willow Creek? Buy him a cell phone too. Problem solved. If he turns down the added responsibility, then fire his dumb ass. There will be several hundred applicants for that position, even if it only pays $90,000 a year.
This same scenario plays out everyday all over Montana. The savings could be millions a year, with just a little thought put into it.

I recall being in Mr. Regan's office, he in his role as Vice-principal of CCDHS, and during so stated to me "You are a great waste of a mind".

Now, I'd really like to say something here, however my literary skills are not well honed, and as the saying goes ... "If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all".

So I'll leave it at that.

Larry, you know what they say...

"There is no better revenge than success."

I have to agree with the comments of Mr. Schmitz. Some smaller districts have shared Superintendents in the recent past. The now closed Flaxville and Outlook schools did if I remember correctly. With the ease of transportation and communications, there's no reason more of this can't be done already.

The Superintendent of the Billings School District oversees buildings which stretch from the Heights to the West End, a distance of over 10 miles without any real problems.

The superintendent of a school is like the CEO of a company with numerous divisions. He puts a vice president (principal) in charge of each division (school building) and gives them support and guidance when and where needed.

Let's look into consolidating positions where it can be accomplished easily and take the savings and invest it into actual education of the kids.

Larry,

If he had stated "You're a great waste of a brain" I'd think that was insulting. In your case it sounds to me like he was making a point that he felt you had an exceptional intelligence and he felt you were wasting it. I think you yourself have copped to that a few times over the years. I'd say your current state is an example of your potential realized, a potential Mr. Reagen possibly recognized in the youth that sat before him that day.

I know I only landed in Reagen's office one time but he was very fair about his regard for my situation and probably gave me a much larger benefit of the doubt than a lot of others were giving me at the time. I'm sure our politics are night and day from each other now, but as an educator I remember him being very good at what he did.

[This message has been edited by J. Dyba (7/16/2010)]

I agree on consolidation. Likely as not a considerable amount of money could be saved and not just on administrative costs.

The school district I work for is the size of West Virginia. We have 14 schools scattered across the District. Since it's all roadless country, we rely on bush planes (and the occasional river barge) to move freight, personnel, and students. Weather depending, it takes a little over 3 hours to fly from our northernmost to southernmost school.

Online communication & teaching tools not only make it possible to save a lot of money, but they also enhance the learning environment in our small schools.

I've no opinion on whether or not Regan makes too much money. But I do have this suggestion. Everyone should contact my superintendent demanding that his registrar of student receive a (very) substantial increase in pay and benefits. Then we could have a discussion as to whether or not Neumann is overpaid ; -)

I agree, Superintendent Regan makes too much money.

In fact, all school superintendents make too much money. As polar bear notes, the principals do all the work. All the superintendents do, is suck up to the school board, and when things do not go their way, shout "Skinnnnnnnerrrr!!!!"

I could do that for $110,000 a year.

I did not say principals do all the work. Spend a day (generally about 14 hours long) with a super. IMO, they deserve more money than Lindsey Lohan.

Seems like his salary is a little inflated. Our Superintendent makes about 250K but he is also the super of the 21st largest school district in the country (Duval County, FL)

J. Dyba wrote:

If he had stated "You're a great waste of a brain" I'd think that was insulting. In your case it sounds to me like he was making a point that he felt you had an exceptional intelligence and he felt you were wasting it. I think you yourself have copped to that a few times over the years. I'd say your current state is an example of your potential realized, a potential Mr. Reagen possibly recognized in the youth that sat before him that day.

It's Regan (not Reagen), and perhaps you are correct that I was too harsh with my bitter opinion, however, I don't think he performed any great deed. Those were not his exact words I quoted above (as I don't remember the exact ones anymore) but essentially the same and I didn't appreciate the way he treated or spoke to me.

CCDHS was a joke when I attended it. I remember sitting in Biology, in a winter coat, because it was so cold and there was a snow drift INSIDE the class, next to the table where I was sitting.

That's just one of a million complaints. I went from an A student at schools that were structured more like college campuses, with classes like Rocketry, From Book to Film, etc. -- to one offering the three Rs + Sports -- not to mention an educator flexing his muscles and more than another hitting on underage girls.

Larry, this is the second time you have posted sounding like you are still angry about some comment a teacher made 25 years ago. Let it go man.

Sorry, I'm doing coding that is making me in a very grumpy mood. I need to find a new career.

If I coded for a living I would be drinking a half bottle of tequila a night.