DOE leaders get raises averaging 3.5 percent
The Board of Education approved merit-based raises averaging 3.5 percent Tuesday for nearly two dozen senior Department of Education executives.
The board previously rejected a proposal from schools Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi seeking across-the-board 4.5 percent raises for 23 of her top executives including the department’s deputy superintendent, six assistant superintendents and 15 complex-area superintendents.
After some BOE members questioned the approach of across-the-board increases, the department came up with a revised recommendation that ties individual raises to performance:
>> Two executives rated as “fully meets expectations” will receive a 2.4 percent raise based on cost-of-living increases.
>> Sixteen executives rated as “exceeds expectations” will receive a 3.4 percent adjustment.
>> Five executives rated as “exceptional” will receive a 4.15 percent increase.
The Board of Education is authorized under state law to set the salaries for these positions, without exceeding that of the superintendent, who earns $200,000. Matayoshi, who received an “exceeds expectations” rating from the board in September, is not included in the raises.
“We’re happy that they’re getting an increase because I think it’s well deserved,” Matayoshi said after the board vote. “It recognizes the hard work and achievements of the complex-area superintendents and assistant superintendents. It was agreed that if they’re performing their job well, they should at least get a cost-of-living increase, which is that first level, and then after that, if you’re at the next level, you get a little more, and if you’re at the top level, then you get a little more.”
Matayoshi said the average raise amounts to 3.5 percent, with an average dollar increase of $4,839. Altogether the raises will cost $110,675 — about $33,000 less than the original across-the-board proposal would have cost — and be effective retroactive to July 1.
With the increases added, the deputy and assistant superintendents will be earning salaries ranging from $143,023 to $166,681. The deputy superintendent acts as chief academic officer for the department while the assistant superintendents run central offices that oversee human resources, fiscal services, information technology, school facilities and support services, curriculum and instruction, and strategy and innovation.
Complex-area superintendents, meanwhile, oversee the 15 school districts statewide. The department’s complex-area superintendents will begin earning salaries ranging from $129,250 to $157,676 after the raises are added.
By comparison, salaries for school principals, who are unionized, range from $102,000 to $185,400, according to the DOE. Officials have said that 13 principals earn more than the deputy superintendent, and more than 20 principals make more than the senior assistant superintendent.
22 responses to “DOE leaders get raises averaging 3.5 percent”
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Only in a Kool-Aid governed state.
And who gives these “exceptional” and “exceeds expectations” ratings? Because the educational results do no match the ratings being given.
When you are only rated on showing up for work, keeping a chair warm, answering a few questions and emails, these are the low standards DOE sets for its bureaucrats to receive a pay raise. DOE willfully fails to understand how like respect, pay raises must be earned.
DOE does not have leaders who put the needs of others before theirs, lead by example, have high integrity and morals. DOE has nothing but professional, career bureaucrats. They have one and only one priority. Taking care of #1.
Students? Keiki? Not their problem.
“merit-based” raises? They should all be fired like Matayoshi was.
They will be, when Matayoshi leaves so will her band of merry men.
Expensive paper shufflers in a very bloated DOE.
Now these high caliber performers should roll there sleeves up and pounce on the air conditioning of class rooms. Seems that if they turn off air conditioning in their offices until they get all the rooms done would help to get the project done. After thats done maybe then they can have some recognition of a job well done. Until then they will b happy to receive their salaries . They will sway the people that they are doing everything they can. When fans were donated to schools it was not brought about by these leaders of education. They were sitting in there offices studying the situation. Pathetic and also lazy !
Uhhh, these are not high caliber performers. They are clueless career bureaucrats who have yet to do an honest day’s work. They will never leave their cush chair, aircon office and actually go outside to break a sweat and do real work. Not in their DNA.
Exactly why DOE has a decades long track record of debacle after debacle, willful failures, never putting Keiki first. Only taking care of fellow DOE bureaucrats so they can coast to retirement.
10th world at best.
I don’t believe that 21 officials were rated more than satisfactory. But ok- now if their ratings next year is satisfactory then they should take a pay cut right?? Matayoshi and her administration have not been more that satisfactory since she has been there-lets be honest and show the public in writing in writing fact where these accomplishments have been done. I believe they should get pay raises because of cost of living but when you people they to say people did exceptionally over and above their expections are false then all persons who are rated as such should maintain such level to just be satisfactory the following year.
One has to wonder why our taxpayer funded DOE willfully failed to show taxpayers what the standards were and how they were met. Until DOE is transparent they lack credibility. Just another failing Nei government agency, a money pit to taxpayers.
When will Nei government bureaucrats ever learn to lead by example, honestly do their jobs above standard? Sad to say not in our lifetime.
Why do principals make $185,000, and why are they unionized?
And part of the rationale for the CAS raises is that some principals make more than their bosses. Seems the BOE should look at fixing this dysfunctional set up. Though there may be pockets of excellence in general DOE performance has been below average and if you measure by results, there should have been very few raises at all.
There is a reason for that. I recall sitting with Dr. LeMahieu when he was Superintendent. His feeling was that the people who had the most responsibility for the education of children should receive the highest salaries. He felt that those people were the ones at the school level. It was his policy that Principals had the opportunity to access a higher pay range than Ass’t Sup’s and others in State administration. (It’s one of the reasons my wife refused a CAS appointment though everyone thought she would be excellent.) I think on a whole he was correct. Those closest to children in the educational system really ought to be paid more than for example, someone who oversees the awarding of contracts.
The reason for the unionization of EO’s (except for those at the CAS and Superintendent levels who are appointed and exempt) is mostly historical. Many EOs have said that they are fine with being union exempt as long as there are due-process guarantees that offer some protection against capricious personnel action.
So it’s really the teachers who should be paid the most, then principals, then DOE administrators.
You’re on spot CELLODAD!…Totally agree!
Agree with Ryan. There are many principals who never leave their office and are virtual unknowns at their school. How is that being responsible for kids?
Why are they getting raises when government always say we don’t have money. These supv.’s are over paid for not doing their jobs, just like Matayoshi.
Just have the CAS run their district and do away with the Oahu DOE and I’d bet the system will run as well as now or better
The DOE is not a high-performance organization and therefore their leadership doesn’t deserve merit increases. I would rate them MEDIOCRE. The DOE is an over-sized behemoth with far too many “paper shufflers”. The State and our children who attend public school would be far better off if the DOE was privatized, but that’s wishful thinking and will never occur in a union-based state economy. Too bad because our children are the ones who suffer. There are some exceptions, but most of our public schools are far below par.
There goes our money for education.
They gave pay raises to people without naming names? C’mon SA, do some research. Then we can see who these people are and if they really deserve raises. What specifically did they do to deserve it? And did ANY executive get a below average or poor rating? Or was it everyone gets a raise for just showing up to work?