Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio pays its state superintendent less than what some local school district superintendents make, but that may change as state leaders begin searching to fill the position.
State school board members and legislative leaders called attention to the $195,000 salary, comparing it to Ohio State University football coach Urban Meyer's $5.8 million salary and his $250,000 championship bonus, The Plain Dealer in Cleveland (http://bit.ly/1SQMKdd ) reports.
"Nobody quibbles at paying Division 1 football coaches millions of dollars, but we have qualms about paying $10,000 or $20,000 more," state school board member C. Todd Jones said.
State leaders have discussed what compensation should be given to the person replacing retired Superintendent Richard Ross.
State Rep. Andrew Brenner, who chairs the House Education Committee, said that if Meyer gets millions for championships, the school superintendent's pay should be increased. The possibility of a $1 million salary shouldn't' be left out of the discussion, Brenner said.
"Let's find somebody else who can come in and do some really innovative things," said Brenner, a Republican. "We need to keep everything on the table."
Brenner has tasked a national search firm, Iowa-based Ray and Associates, with actively recruiting some of the top school leaders in the country for the position rather than just advertising it.
Headhunter Gary Ray told Brenner that the people he's targeting already make more than $300,000 and warned there is no point in trying to attract them for less.
Jones said it's important to offer much better pay for a position where people lose much of their privacy and may only have the job a few years.
"How are we going to pull serious people for a serious job?" Jones said. "We need to stop quibbling. Quit whining about this being a lot of money."
The board said it plans to decide by its meeting next month how much it will offer for the job.
___
Information from: The Plain Dealer, http://www.cleveland.com
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
