I saw this in the Herald Mail last week and I haven't seen a topic on it yet so I was wondering what everyone thought of her new contract. http://www.herald-mail.com/?module=display...399&format=html

I for one think I am in the wrong business!!!

I think, in totality, it is too much.

She's basically the CEO of the County School system. Considering that, it seems to me that the pay and benefits seem to be just about right. Sure it's a lot more than the average Joe or Jane makes, but she's not your average Joe or Jane.

just way to much, of everything. shes not makeing the kids any smarter.

I think it's a bit too high, but not WAY too high. Coming from a family of teachers, it's difficult for me to stay unbiased. As I'm currently substituting, it would be nice to make a little more for the amount of crap I (and all other substitutes) put up with...

On another note, did anyone see the article about parents facing charges for their children's misdeeds/absences? I like this idea A LOT.

I wouldn't mind it as much if there wasn't so many extras on top of the high salary. I mean $600 a month for vehicle allowance, the fully paid health insurance, the extra $3000 a year for what the health insurance doesn't pay for, and the $10,000 for professional development. I am sure there are alot worse contracts out there for school superintendent's and I am sure there are principals in this county that is making well over $100,000 a year.

I think it is ridiculous. She is a public servant. If you wish to have golden parachutes and benes like this you shiould be working for a private company. I cannot understand the additional $600/mo. for her transportation...or the additional towards her health insurance costs. This seems outlandish! Big deal, she is a glorified manager, and not even a good steward of the county's dollars.

The other item--yes, they should prosecute parents who do not make sure their lovely urchins go to school. I have always felt that any state payments(welfare, etc) should be subject to this also, and that they should have to try to find work consistently--like every week..just like unemployment..you have to prove you are seeking employment.

Will get off my soapbox now and send my child to the bus stop! And watch him get on the bus before starting my day!

I disagree completely. IMO, teachers are not paid enough in this country. Since many parents in this country do not want to "deal" with their children, teachers end up not only educating children, but babysitting as well. Now there are school shooting, drugs, and everything else they have to deal with.

Meanwhile, in the "private companies", you have these folks sitting behind their cushy desks, taking 2 hour lunches, and making just as much, if not more, than the superintendent.

I feel that public servants should be paid higher salaries. Maybe if the jobs paid better, the incompentent workers could go elsewhere, and the public servants in this country could actually get something done. Maybe they'd stop losing children who are in foster care, or actually check up on the living conditions. But all of the people who would be GOOD at this kind of thing, are working for public companies because they pay better.

You get what you pay for! If you think the superintendent of school should be making $50K a year
then you will get someone who won't do a very good job. But you'll save some money.
Some of the perks may seem excessive but does anyone know what other superintendents get?
Maybe thats what they have to offer to get quality people. this is one area I wouldn't mind if they overpaid to get the right person. if we want to save a buck there are plenty of other areas where we could trim some fat. How about councilpersons work for free? if they want to be public servants let them volunteer their time.
you'll then see who is really just trying to help the community

Y'all are forgetting one important item! She does not work 50 out of 52 weeks per year...say the average teacher makes 40k--that is for 40 weeks of work per year. They get 9 weeks in the summer, 2 weeks around Christmas, 4-5 days for Thankgiving, 4-5 more for Easter(excuse me Winter Break, Spring Break)..how many of y'all get that kind of time off? Do you really think that Dr.(ha,ha) Morgan works during the summer? Or the teachers do?
Then they get guaranteed retirement benefits--name one company you can depend on in that department. I am sure the people who worked for Bethelem Steel thought they were fine --until the company imploded. Just like Enron...
Life is a trade-off. Security with the government--let's face it, that is what it is--is going to in general pay low but it has benefits.
I know people who have worked for the gov't for 25 yrs. and have more than 6 wks time off paid per year. I have worked for 20yrs at a co. and had 3! (ps--it was the max, and it could not accrue).

That's EXACTLY what I was going to say! Ditto to everything you said, and txex, my opinions stands - I am not forgetting ANYTHING!

I realize we've got a lot of very low-paid people living in our community who freak out whenever they see a person in a leadership position getting paid what they earn, but that doesn't mean we should be forced to settle for half-a$$ed government.

Oh heck--I gotta get back to work! Real work--not babysitting teens for 6 hrs. or hiring more liars/lawyers for the rest of you---look back & see how many new positions Morgan has established...and the cost of each..
what we really need is more local control & less fed gov't control of the schools! GET RID OF TEA & DOE...

Food for thought


What you need to be a superintendent:

12 years of college Doctorate plus 4 (About 300,000.00 of debt) Superintendants are not HCC Graduates
5-15 years of above satisfactory teaching experience
Top of your field in everything you do to even be considered


Far more jobs require less and pay much more. She is making about the average amount of all superinendants in the country. If you did all this you would want paid too.

You can't be serious! From your statements, it seems that you don't support any kind of education.

I agree, there are a lot of extras, and IMO $600 a month for vehicle allowance isn't necessary. But then again, Washington County is growing and along with that comes school growth. The superintendent is overseeing all of the schools, teachers, and students in the county; and at the rate the county is growing we need someone who is capable of handling the position above and beyond the call. So I guess whatever it takes to have someone qualified...

Oh, and txex, when you put your kid on the bus in the morning, are you sending him to a babysitter or is he getting an education? Would you want someone overseeing your kid's education that wasn't qualified to do the job, maybe someone that has a childcare course under their belt and nothing else?

"I have taught in Washington County for more than 30 years. The perks given to Dr. Morgan are outrageous, and the school board should be investigated. I don't have a computer that works, the school parking lots at our school and many schools look like the Grand Canyon. I'm talking about potholes. It's the teachers' hard work is why test scores are up, not Morgan, but yet we are told by our board administrators that we are unprofessional and no teaching is going on. It would be nice for our school board and administrator to publicly say 'thank you' to Washington County teachers. I would be very happy if they would just reward me with a coupon for a big kid Happy Meal. This is a Washington County hardworking teacher from Hagerstown."

See Mail Call..

Sweeties---I send my 4.0 student to school, and I am here when he gets home. He does not go to daycare. We moved here because Monkey County Schools were full of more garbage than the ones here. I take alot of interest in my childrens' education-right I have more than 1. I see them both off to school, he just goes later than she does.

Having said that, alot of teachers I have met seem to be only slightly more than babysitters. Do not forget that an education degree is the easiest one to obtain in at most colleges. Thus, I do not have a degree in that major. I have a real degree..in fact more than one.

I find your whole posting to be very condescending. Just because a teaching degree is easier to obtain than other degrees, doesn't make the job any easier. Nor does it give you the right to say it's not a "real" degree. Not ALL teachers are glorified babysitters. Some truly love their job and work hard at it. And I don't care how many degrees you have, or what they're in. I think you should try substitute teaching for a month and then see if you still feel the same way.

It was in response to Biggins & Naomi.

I quoted the mailcall to show that the Morgan deal is not even supported by the teaching establishment.

Sorry the tone was 'condescending' but do you pay an engineering degree more than a teaching degree? Answer: Of Course.

And many subsitutes I have witnessed personally barely graduated. So, no I would not want to teach as a sub.

No, I am not against education, just overpaying and overglorifying the teaching profession and the establishment, i.e. Dept. of Education, NEA...all they ever do is want to throw more money at the problem. It is not a solution. The answer is back to basics. Teach and fail the students who fail.

I have seen no evidence that her salary package is on par with similar counties, nor evidence that her qualifications or staff is on par with her peers in those counties. I seem to recall she hired quite a few high $$ support staff to help her.

I think she makes more than the President or the Homeland Security director.

And, of course, she had to have her own private bathroom -- sharing one with others was beneath her.

Call me skeptical.

And, BTW, a grand education or degree does not necessarily make for a great teacher. IMO this is given too much weight over more practical matters when it comes to teachers.

The president, after giving himself a raise, makes double her salary, $400,000 year. And he certainly isn't worth that!

Snoop dog, may I suggest you get your facts before you start relying on them.

I never said I support the salary; I said I thought it was too high, but not too far off base. As I said before, I have several educators in my family, and none of them are extremely fond of Dr. Morgan.

I'm not substitute teaching because I like it; I need some type of income while I'm waiting on application results, background checks, etc. from "REAL" jobs. I have to disagree still because subbing has given me an even greater APPRECIATION for educators.

PHISH now you know the President can't just give himmself a raise. It is more in likely Congress wanted a raise and in order for them to get it and not look stupid they put in for raises for everyone. Think about as bad as President Bush is hated if he was the one pushing it we would never be hearing the end of it. As for what the president makes like him or not my attiude is that job deserves it. Certainly harder than any corporate CEO job in the world.

As for Morgan that contract is a joke. I still cannot figure out why she needs a car allowance? Let her get milage reimbuirsed for on the job use fo her car and that is it. She should have to pay for her car like every other citizen does.


Tony

Tony

See this.
http://www.schoolspring.com/super/superVie...a%3D2%26row%3D1

also, Wmspt, PA with a larger pop. has an opening for this position & pays 120k...so, now is she overpaid????

Relying? I did not state a fact -- I was relying on fallible memory. That's why I said "I think". Okay?

SHD makes $148K, POTUS $400K.

Can someone list Dr. Morgan's salary and very substantial perks?

here is how I see it. does anyone know if she asked for all that or if thats what was offered to her?
if all of you are just speculating that she demanded that I'd like to see some facts to back that up.
If the county offered that to her because they wanted to make sure she stayed what are you busting her proverbial balls for? if your boss came up to you and said hey snoop or txex we think you are doing a fantastic job and we want to make sure you are happy here and stay with us. we want to offer you (whatever the offer was) which one of you is dumb enough to say I'd love to stay but thats way too much?

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR$$$$

williamsport PA? why don't you show us test scores, graduation rates and other stats we can compare
then we can form an intelligent decision on who is over or under paid. If you don't care about the quality of the county childrens education then lets save some real money! I don't know jack about running a school district but I'll do it for $85K and the perks. Do you all feel comfortable with that? I can start next week

$83k and half the perks can start mon.

Undercutting me are ya? before you know it some wino will take the job for a 12 pack
and then everyone will be happy!

I think they were in the original article, but now it's been archived and I'll be darned if I'll pay this stinkin' paper a penny to go read it.

Or they will hire an illegal and piss off B.

I looked it up they are:


"$158,000 salary next fiscal year

full-paid health and vision insurance

reimbursements of up to $10,000 for professional development activities

up to $3,000 for medical expenses not covered by the health plan

the board will contribute $26,500 annually to a tax-sheltered annuity for Morgan

vacation, personal and sick days as many as 64 days a year

the new contract will guarantee Morgan raises of at least 5 percent a year ( Her old one raises were for performance)

10 percent in bonuses, based on factors such as student achievement.

$600 vehicle allowance

unused personal days could be converted into a retirement plan"

All of that is quoted from HM. Pretty darn good contract for her.

Tony

samy0

Home of the little league world championships. It was also the wealthiest city in the latter 1800's due to logging. Just like H-town, it had glory days gone by...

Tony--
Thanks--geez, it looks like she got all the teacher's potential bonuses given to just her..poor us taxpayers...can we find her another job and get rid of her???