OAKLAND — Alameda County’s newly elected schools superintendent won’t be getting the $24,000 a year raise or the $16,000 a year car allowance she wanted as she transitions from a staff position to the No. 1 job, but her board of directors promised to revisit the pay issue in February.
Karen Monroe, who starts Jan. 1 as superintendent of the county Office of Education, asked the board of directors for a $248,000 base salary at a Dec. 2 meeting. That’s $43,000 a year more than her counterpart in Contra Costa County, an office with a much larger budget.
“When you factor in the size of our current budget and compare it with others, that does skew it toward being high,” Monroe said. “My goal is not to make a killing at this job. My goal is to do an excellent job and be compensated for it.”
Current Alameda County Superintendent Sheila Jordan makes a base salary of $222,000 a year, according to documents provided by her office.
On Dec. 9, the board voted 7-0 to continue Monroe’s current base salary of $224,000 through the end of the year and then revisit a possible raise in February, retroactive to Jan. 1. She will oversee 250 employees and a budget of $40 million.
She said the $16,000 a year car allowance is based on what Jordan is paid. Monroe said she plans to drive to Sacramento several times a month.
“But people are asking, ‘Is the auto stipend what it should be?’ Should we recalibrate?” Monroe said.
Board President Marlon McWilson said that he is comfortable with Monroe’s current salary and that it wouldn’t be fair to lower it to what Jordan makes as a base salary.
“I feel that a person shouldn’t have to take a pay cut because they were elected to a higher office,” McWilson said.
Monroe’s request of $248,000 as a base salary might be considered high when compared with how many employees other school superintendents in the area supervise and how much money they manage.
For example, the superintendent of the Berkeley school district, Donald Evans, earns a base salary of $229,000, but he oversees 1,300 employees and manages a $120 million budget. Oakland schools Superintendent Antwan Wilson earns a base salary of $280,000 a year, oversees 4,400 employees and manages a $607 million budget.
The superintendent of the Contra Costa County Office of Education earns a base salary of $205,000 a year and oversees a $63 million budget, according to documents supplied by the Alameda County Office of Education.
McWilson said Monroe’s job is more than just overseeing 250 employees and managing $40 million a year.
“The job is bigger than what it looks to be,” McWilson said. “She will oversee the budgets for 18 school districts in the county and make sure they are financially solvent; she is a leader at the county and state level and is a constant advocate for the county.”
In addition to watching over individual school district budgets, the office runs schools for incarcerated youth and does some teacher training.
Board member Ken Berrick said during the Dec. 2 meeting that Monroe is worth the money.
“The message we’re sending to the folks in the community is if you are qualified for this office, we will compensate you, and if you are not and you run for the office anyway, we will punish you,” Berrick said. “I think that’s really good public policy. This is one of the few elected jobs that has a serious salary, and we do not want people running for this office because they see it as a way to be paid.”
Contact Doug Oakley at 925-234-1699. Follow him at Twitter.com/douglasoakley.
