Schools

Interim Superintendent's Pay Just Slightly Above State Average

Interim Superintendent of Manchester Schools Richard Kisiel makes roughly $170,000 in compensation annual from the school district.

Interim Superintendent of Manchester Public Schools Richard Kisiel earns roughly $170,000 annual in compensation from the school district, placing him just slightly over the average pay of $166,000 annually for school superintendents in Connecticut, according to a recent report from the New Haven Register

Kisiel, who has served as interim superintendent since October of 2011, signed a new contract with the school district in July of 2012 to stay on in an interim basis for an undetermined amount of time, but the deal also altered Kisiel's compensation structure. That contract can be viewed here. Previously, Kisiel's deal paid him the same daily salary, $597 a school day, as the equivalent daily value of former Superintendent Kathleen Ouellette, who left the district in October of 2011 to take the superintendent position in Waterbury. 

Kisiel's contract breaks down to $76,500 in base salary and a series of contributions to annuity and retirement funds by the school system on his behalf that total approximately $93,500. Broken down by cost per student, Kisiel earns roughly $24.77 for each of the 6,863 students in the Manchester Public Schools system. 

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Ouellette makes $205,000 in total compensation at her new position in Waterbury, which breaks down to $11.75 per each of the 17,445 students in the Waterbury public school system. 

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Besides their hefty six-figure salaries, Connecticut school superintendents also command enviable perks and bonuses, according to a report in the New Haven Register.

Along with its sister news organizations, including the Middletown Press and the Litchfield County Times, the Register found that the average pay for school superintendents in Connecticut is $166,000 and that they can significantly boost that pay with other negotiated perks and benefits, including compensation for unused sick time, meal allowances, travel pay and bonuses.

The Register included in its story a database of its review of the pay of 148 superintendents, along with links to their contracts.

Some school superintendents earn more than $200,000 annually and get tens of thousands more each year in perks, the newspapers found. Many also get generous benefit packages that include up to a month of vacation time and several weeks of sick time that can be accrued and then paid out if unused.

While the average annual pay for a school superintendent in Connecticut is $166,000, many school leaders make more than that, the report states. In West Hartford, for instance, Superintendent Karen List makes $230,000 annually with a tax-sheltered annuity included. That makes her the 14th highest paid superintendent in Connecticut.


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