Local School Chiefs Share Pain, Sacrifice in Pay

They are among the best-paid school superintendents in East County, but they're not above taking pay cuts during hard times.

Leaders of the Grossmont Union High and La Mesa-Spring Valley school districts are lowering the bar on executive compensation—and getting nods of respect from boards and teachers unions.

"People are suffering here," said Brian Marshall,  in his 13th year in the La Mesa-Spring Valley district and eighth as superintendent. "For me not to step up and do something—I couldn't live with myself. ... They pay me a lot of money already."

Ralf Swenson, hired over the summer to lead the 2,200-teacher Grossmont Union district, accepted a contract that required the same pay cut that district employees are taking this school year in the form of five furlough days.

"We wanted his salary to reflect what we had asked all employees to take," said Grossmont trustee Richard Hoy of La Mesa.

Swenson's salary dropped from $222,000 to $217,066. In addition, he receives $14,272 in benefits, including medical and life insurance, according to district records. The district's other high-ranking officials are also taking five unpaid furlough days.

Swenson, who came from the 3,800-student Nevada Joint Union High School District in Northern California, had no problems with the pay reduction.

"I believe in taking a shared-sacrifice approach during these challenging economic times," Swenson said.

The Grossmont district has cut its budget by several million dollars in recent years largely because of state funding reductions. District officials are projecting a $15 million deficit next school year and $20 million the following year.

Meanwhile, La Mesa-Spring Valley is projecting a $12 million deficit next year. The La Mesa-based district has also been dealing with reduced state funding as a result of declining enrollment and even closed a school a few years ago.

District employees accepted a 3 percent pay cut this year. Superintendent Marshall earns $179,550 in salary, which includes a 5 percent "longevity stipend" that managers receive after 10 years on the job. He also gets $10,144 in benefits.

Marshall, who leads a district with 12,340 students and 1,600 employees, could easily be earning more than $200,000 had he not taken some actions.

Marshall last year volunteered to reduce his base salary by 10 percent. He also turned down raises that were due him the previous two years. District employees received pay increases during those years.

Marshall has vowed not to take a raise until the district can afford to give one to all district employees. He doesn't know how long how long it will take for the district's finances to improve.

"There's no budget in Sacramento," he said. "Next year is going to be bad. It could be that way two or three years."

La Mesa-Spring Valley Board President Emma Turner commended Marshall for placing no conditions on his decision to cut his pay and continuing to work hard.

"He did it 'cause it's the right thing to do," Turner said.

More than a dozen of San Diego County's 48 superintendents and community college presidents have reduced their pay over the past two years in response to budget problems in their districts, according to a recent San Diego Union-Tribune report on the salaries of public school chiefs.

The average salary is about $190,000 per year and the average total compensation, including benefits, is more than $227,000, according to the Union-Tribune report. Pay often reflects the size of the district.

Lora Duzyk, county Office of Education assistant superintendent for business services, said superintendents taking pay cuts is a sign of the times. So are bigger class sizes, unpaid work furloughs and layoffs, she said.

Still, superintendents giving up some salary shows leadership, she said.

"It's a way to tell employees that 'I'm not excluding myself from your pain,' " Duzyk said.

Marshall hesitates to discuss his decision but spoke to La Mesa Patch about it because of recent interest in the salaries of public officials in the wake of the pay scandal in the city of Bell near Los Angeles.

Paul Schnaubelt, president of the La Mesa-Spring Valley Teachers Association, said district employees are aware of Marshall's voluntary pay reduction and "they respect him for what he did."

Swenson's base pay of $217,000 is much lower than the salary of his predecessor. Robert Collins, who was hired in 2007 from the Los Angeles Unified School District for a salary of $240,000 and received a pay raise that brought his salary above $250,000 after one year.

It was reduced by two furlough days last year to $248,571 and he had agreed to accept a 5 percent reduction this year before labor negotiations were complete and before he knew he would be leaving, said Scott Patterson, the district's deputy superintendent for business services.

Collins now works for an international education corporation.

Hoy, the Grossmont trustee, said the board went looking to fill the superintendent position at a salary rate that reflects economic times.

"That's the going market right now," Hoy said. "We looked at what was comparable. We wanted to reflect the difficulties that schools are experiencing."