The Department of Education’s six assistant superintendents will see their six-figure salaries go up an average 3.6 percent while the deputy superintendent will see a 16.6 percent boost under raises approved by the Board of Education on Tuesday.

The salaries of the department’s 15 complex-area superintendents will also increase, on average by less than 1 percent.

The raises — the first in seven years for the executive positions — were approved retroactive to July 1.

BOE Chairman Don Horner stressed that the one-time raises were based on performance.

"The board is appreciative of the dedication and accomplishments of the management team," he said. "The salary adjustments reflect their excellent prog­ress in executing our (strategic plan)."

The assistant superintendents — who include the DOE’s chief officers in charge of fiscal services, instruction, strategic reform, human resources and information technology — had been earning between $115,000 and $120,000, and $115,833 on average, according to the DOE.

The salaries for those positions will increase to $120,000, amounting to a 3.6 percent raise on average.

Complex-area superintendents — who oversee two to four school complexes, each including a high school and its surrounding feeder schools — had been earning between $115,000 and $135,564, and $118,973 on average. (Some retained higher salaries from their former jobs as unionized principals.)

The salaries for those positions will increase to $120,000, which amounts to less than 1 percent on average for current complex-area superintendents.

Pay for the deputy superintendent post — held by Ronn Nozoe since 2010 — will increase to $140,000 from $120,000.

The executive salaries are set by the Board of Education but cannot exceed the superintendent’s pay, which is capped by state law at $150,000. (The board will be seeking a pay raise for the superintendent post when state lawmakers convene in January.)

Board members and legislators have expressed concerns about pay disparity between executives and principals.

School principals — represented by the Hawaii Government Employees Association — have seen net salary increases of about 10 percent over the past seven years. The salary range for a DOE high school principal is $101,240 to $155,782, with the average high school principal earning $124,535. Two principals currently earn more than Mata­yo­shi.

The management raises were recommended by the board’s Human Resources Committee, which analyzed the performance of the leadership team and compared national salaries and wages in public schools.

Altogether the raises will cost about $91,000 annually. This year’s increase will be paid with existing funds, according to a memo that Jim Williams, chairman of the board’s Human Resources Committee, gave to Horner on Tuesday.

"Some may view the increase as unreasonably high," the memo said. "Nonetheless, given the tremendous work that the department has undergone, the contributions these individuals have made to the success of these efforts and the high level of skill that these individuals are required to possess, competitive salaries are necessary to ensure that strategic goals are met."

The memo highlighted some achievements "within the last three years under current leadership":

» Test scores have improved: Hawaii State Assessment scores have increased 8 percent in reading and math over the past three years; scores on the National Assessment of Educational Prog­ress have increased by 30 percent and 23 percent in math and reading proficiency, respectively.

» Students are better prepared for college and careers: About 54 percent of 2012 public school graduates went on to two- or four-year colleges, up 4 percentage points from 2010; fewer graduates are needing remedial courses in college; more high-schoolers are taking Advanced Placement courses.

State Rep. Takashi Ohno, vice chairman of the House Education Committee, said it’s critical for the Department of Education to be able to recruit and retain quality leaders.

"As a state we oversee more than 180,000 students, and it’s imperative that we keep the best and brightest in the field working to educate these kids," said Ohno (D, Nuu­anu-Alewa Heights), a former public elementary school teacher. "The department has undergone numerous audits and reforms in an effort to transform public schools, and that has resulted in added responsibilities."

Nationally the average deputy superintendent of school districts with at least 25,000 students earned $149,676 and as much as $207,000 in 2010-11, according to an Educational Research Service survey Williams cited in his memo.

The average assistant and complex-area superintendent of school districts with at least 25,000 earned $129,951, the survey found.

Ohno added that for the most part, the DOE raises "seem to be in line with" collectively bargained increases approved for other public employees this year.

Public school teachers this year approved a four-year contract that calls for annual salary boosts of at least 3 percent through a combination of across-the-board increases and pay grade step-ups in alternating years.

The contracts for 14,000 white-collar workers in nonsupervisory jobs and more than 850 white-collar supervisors represented by HGEA call for a 4 percent salary increase effective in July 2014. A separate contract for 800 blue-collar supervisory workers includes a 4 percent increase this year followed by a 2 percent raise next year.

The state and counties agreed to 2 percent raises twice a year for about 8,000 blue-collar workers represented by the United Public Workers union through 2017.