Pay-Raise Showdown in Victorville
A new contract that will boost the salary of Victorville's elementary school superintendent to $250,000 a year -- the same as school chiefs in Los Angeles and New York City -- has infuriated parents and teachers in the High Desert district, with some clamoring for a recall of trustees who approved the deal.
The package, which will pay Supt. Ralph Baker a little more than $1.2 million over four years and provide health and dental insurance to him and his wife for life, comes when tight budgets have forced the cancellation of summer school programs in the district, along with other cuts.
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Outrage over the contract led to a rush-hour rally Friday and, before that, a contentious board meeting June 15, when hundreds jeered trustees and issued an ultimatum: Renegotiate the contract or face recall.
The Victor Elementary School District board plans to discuss the contract during a closed-door meeting Wednesday.
"We are paying attention to what the voters are saying," said board President Karen Morgan, one of four trustees who voted for the contract. "At this point, a recall is looking like a reality. It's a shame. We've been making thousands of decisions
Baker currently earns $140,000 a year -- average for superintendents of elementary school districts the size of Victorville's, according to the California Department of Education.
Starting Friday, Baker's salary will jump 78.6% to $250,000 per year. He is to receive a one-time bonus of $200,000 on Aug. 1 as well as $10,000 raises each of the next three years. Baker didn't return calls seeking comment.
Baker's salary to oversee the education of 11,000 students will be the same as that paid to Los Angeles Unified Supt. Roy Romer, who is in charge of nearly 750,000 students, and New York City schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein, who leads more than 1.1 million students.
"If you want to make comparisons, right there you can see that it's way out of line," said Trustee Monte Worle, the lone board member who voted against Baker's contract in April.
Baker, 55, who has been superintendent in Victorville for more than two decades, is widely credited by teachers and parents for improving test scores and earning national recognition for district schools.
Morgan said she wanted to reward Baker for his work and keep him from taking a private-sector job, which he has reportedly said he may do, at a time when the district is facing unprecedented growth.
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