220k to run Ponca City schools

[Easy180]

Seems just a tad bit much for that huge city...I would definitely be pissed if I lived there

PONCA CITY — Businessman Gary McVay is upset the Ponca City School Board has given Superintendent David Pennington a $227,000 yearly compensation package.

He's even more irritated the school board president won't place him on the agenda so he can ask board members to explain their actions to the public.

"I just think that's a dictatorship," said McVay, 72. "Everybody ought to be able to have dialogue with their local school board."

Don Nuzum, president of the Ponca City School Board, said the board considers the superintendent's compensation to be a personnel matter.

"Anything to do with personnel, we don't talk about in open session," Nuzum said. "It's all in executive session. That's the way it has always been since I've been on the board. ... We just don't put anything on the agenda that has to do with personnel."

"Our board meetings are meetings held in public, not public meetings," added Superintendent Pennington.

However, Pennington said board members want to hear from school patrons and have a public comment period at meetings where citizens are each given five minutes to address board members.

"He's expressed his opinion," Pennington said. "I can assure you they all heard him."

http://m.newsok.com/s?s=16&a=3498525&f=news

[kevinpate]

Would consider it more than a tad in light of the district size and what larger districts pay. However, I'm not a school board member there so the supt. has nada to care for what I may think.

For whatever reason, that district seems flush enough to afford the package, plus hire new staff in, plus provide some level of compensation increase across the board to district folks, plus have, in their opinion, a healthy reserve. Something seems to be working for them.

[OKC@heart]

Just my two cents, but the job is the same job regardless of the district. True there may be less intensity in a smaller district than say a Houston, but then again the Super in HISD gets paid a heck of a lot more than that.

That level of compensation seems about on par for a superintendent position at least here in Texas, and in some of the larger ones it is more than that. I think it is probably smart for the long run, allowing them to compete for talent with Texas so that they have the ability to secure the best and brightest to a smaller more rural market. Makes them more competitive with regard to recruiting. Smart if you ask me, so long as the expense is sustainable in the long term and won't have to cut elsewhere.

[Midtowner]

Ponca City's Supt. getting more than Edmond's or Moore's is ridiculous. But their school board is free to do that. I'm sure the voters will vote accordingly if they thing this is a big deal. Ain't Democracy great?

[Kerry]

Don't worry, State Question 744 will cover the expense, and then some. If the Ponca City school district doesn't spend the money, some other district will. For comparison, the Duval County superintendent makes $275,000 to run the 21st largest school district in the US.

[bluedogok]

275,000 of annual salary and a 25,000 "performance bonus" is what the Austin ISD superintendent gets paid.

[old okie]

Sorry, but 220k is WAY over-priced for a supt. in Ponca...or any district other than OKC or Tulsa. No supt. should be paid more than 2 to 2.5x what the average teacher's pay [with benefits included, but not extra duties like coaching] is for the entire district. But just my bias as a former teacher.

[Kerry]

Is Ponca City the next 'Bell, California'?

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-09-21/j...lo?_s=PM:CRIME

Eight current and former Bell, California, city officials arrested and charged Tuesday with misappropriation of funds and making or receiving illegal loans demonstrated "corruption on steroids," the Los Angeles County district attorney said.

The charges allege the officials misappropriated more than $5.5 million, including being paid for phantom meetings, District Attorney Steve Cooley said at a news conference.

High salaries paid to officials of the city sparked local outrage and national attention when they came to light in July. Bell City Manager Robert Rizzo, Police Chief Randy Adams and Assistant City Manager Angela Spaccia resigned after media reports that they were making several hundred thousand dollars a year each.

...

"The complaint alleges they used the tax dollars collected from the hard-working citizens of Bell as their own piggy bank, which they looted at will," Cooley said at the news conference.

Arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday.

In addition to Rizzo and Spaccia, those arrested were Mayor Oscar Hernandez, Vice Mayor Teresa Jacobo, council members George Mirabal and Luis Artiga; and former council members George Cole and Victor Bello. Bail ranged from $3.2 million for Rizzo to $130,000 for Cole. A battering ram was used to secure the arrest of Hernandez, Cooley said.

Rizzo, who was being paid nearly $800,000 annually, is charged with 53 counts of misappropriation of public funds and conflict of interest. Among the allegations are that he wrote his own employment contracts and that they were never approved by the City Council, prosecutors said.

Cooley alleges that Rizzo, hired as Bell's chief administrative officer in September 1994, gave nearly $1.9 million in unauthorized loans to himself, Spaccia, Artiga, Hernandez and dozens of others. Rizzo is responsible for $4.3 million of the city's losses, Cooley said.