How Much Do School Administrators Make?

On Oct. 8, the Wauwatosa School Board approved a 4 percent salary increase for Superintendent Phil Ertl, to $163,738 this year.

That's up from $157,440 in 2011-2012, the year reflected in the database search tool above for all adminstrative-level public school district officials in Wisconsin. The numbers are from salary information released on the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's website.

Think Ertl's pay is pretty high? Or is it competitive? Perhaps even a bit low compared to surrounding districts?

The figures lean slightly toward the latter: Ertl's pay is in line with or a bit below most comparable-sized districts and equal to or less than some rather smaller ones.

In the neighboring Elmbrook School District to the west, District Administrator Matthew Gibson, who retired in June, made $158,368 for the 2011-2012 school year, slightly more than did Ertl. Elmbrook had a projected total enrollment this year of 6,455 students, comparable in size but slightly smaller than Wauwatosa’s 7,133.

Menomonee Falls School District Administrator Patricia Greco was right in line with them at $158,000. But Menomonee Falls enrollment is only 4,270 students.

In the yet much smaller Whitefish Bay School District – just 3,080 students – Administrator Mary Gavigan made significantly more last year than any of those three – $168,000.

At Nicolet School District, Administrator Richard Monroe made only a little less than any of them, at $154,899, even though he is directly responsible only for the high school, with 1,122 students – although it should be noted that part of Monroe's job is to coordinate with the adminstrators of the three separate elementary-middle school districts that feed Nicolet.

To find a larger district with a lower-paid administrator, one need look no farther than the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, reporting enrollment of 9,281. There, Superintendent Kurt Wachholz last year made $148,020, well below his counterparts in smaller but more affluent communities.

The database tool also lets you look at other administrative postitions for comparison. This database will allow you to search administrative salaries only in the 424 public districts statewide.

DPI also reports on overall staffing cuts

School districts across the state saw a larger than usual cut in staffing in the 2011-12 school year than in year's past, according to a press release from the DPI, with 2,312 positions being eliminated and 60 percent of those spots being teacher jobs.

"The 2011-13 state budget made historically high cuts to education funding," the press release said. "General school aids were cut by $749 million and the per pupil revenue limit was reduced by $1.6 billion from prior law. These large reductions accelerated the budget and staffing cuts many districts have been making over the years."