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Public Service Can Really Pay April 7, 2009

Posted by federalist in Uncategorized.
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You don’t have to be a member of a union to enjoy exceptional compensation as a government employee.  Last month Main Line Suburben Life published details of the top Main Line town and school administrators.  Highlights:

  • Tredyffrin/Easttown School District superintendent Daniel Waters had gross compensation in 2008 of $293,192, as well as a car for personal use and reimbursement for all car expenses — including gasoline and insurance!
  • Lower Merion School District superintendent Christopher McGinley just signed a five-year contract with a base salary of $195,000 and 3.5% annual raises.
  • Radnor School District superintendent Linda Grobman just signed a three year contract for a $194,000 annual salary.
  • Radnor Township manager Dave Bashore earned $176,956 in gross pay during 2008, and enjoyed such additional perks as a car for personal use and home loan forgiveness.

Not covered in the article were defined-benefit pensions, which are bound to be equally lavish….

[Update: The Great Valley School District has an excellent watchdog site which reports that their Superintendent Rita Jones had a 2008 salary of $229,851, not counting extreme health benefits, all-expenses-paid car, and some bizarre provisions for "sabbaticals."]

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1. federalist - April 10, 2009

USA Today reports “Benefits widen public, private workers’ pay gap“:

Public employees earned benefits worth an average of $13.38 an hour in December 2008, the latest available data, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) says. Private-sector workers got $7.98 an hour.

Overall, total compensation for state and local workers was $39.25 an hour — $11.90 more than in private business. In 2007, the gap in wages and benefits was $11.31.

The gap has been expanding because of the increasing value of public employee benefits. Last year, government benefits rose three times more than those in the private sector: up 69 cents an hour for civil servants, 23 cents for private workers.

2. federalist - April 10, 2009