Staff salaries rose at Valley Children’s Hospital, exec pay dropped, filing shows
While the Valley Children’s spending on many employee salaries grew in the past year, the compensation of its top executives shrank, according to a recently released tax form.
The Madera County nonprofit spent about $409 million on salaries in the reporting year that ended on Sept. 30, 2024, according to the most recent federal nonprofit tax filings. That’s an increase of almost $40 million, or 10.6%, from the previous year.
The spending on staff salaries was a reflection of the efforts to attract and retain the employee’s needed at a nationally ranked pediatric hospital, according to a statement provided by spokesperson Zara Arboleda.
The Form 990 also shows 4,075 employees, an increase of 118 more than the previous year.
The filing uses W-2 forms from 2023, according to the spokesperson, so the salary spending was gathered from data that preceded the public debate last year over the compensation package of Valley Children’s Healthcare CEO Todd Suntrapak, who earned a total compensation, including salary and benefits, of more than $5.1 million in 2022.
The amount spent on the “current officers, directors, trustees, and key employees” like Suntrapak dipped by 15.5% from the previous year to $13.7 million.
“Valley Children’s executive compensation reflects ongoing needs, personnel transitions and commitments,” the nonprofit’s statement said. “These fluctuations are normal for any significant business.”
The latest tax filings show Suntrapak made a base salary of $1.69 million, the same as the year before, and his total compensation rose to about $3.2 million from $3 million the prior tax year.
Suntrapak’s total compensation topped $5.1 million in 2022 and $5.5 million in 2021. He was the third-highest paid CEO of a nonprofit children’s hospital in the country in 2021.
He was also given a forgivable $5 million home loan in 2022. The same year, he purchased a $6.5 million home in Carmel, Monterey County property records show.
More money went into paying non-executives at Valley Children’s. according to the latest data. The “other salary and wages” was $302 million, an increase of $33.2 million (12.3%) from the previous year.
The nonprofit also saw a 191% increase in contributions and grants from the previous year at $27.5 million, according to the latest filing.
A large amount of that came from a $15 million anonymous donation to establish the hospital’s CAR T-Cell Therapy and Bone Marrow Transplant Program, which is meant to allow children in the Valley to get specialized cancer treatments closer to home.
Arboleda noted the Form 990 shows “community benefit spending,” which is defined by the IRS, at more than $95.8 million. The previous year’s spending was $66 million.
The administration touted the hospital’s service in a news release that featured William Chaltraw, president and chief administrative officer.
“Valley Children’s is proud of our ability to manage to and fulfill our mission year-in, year-out,” he said in a news release. “The current filing details our commitment to the Central Valley community and how we provide best-in-the-nation care for our kids.”
Editor’s note: This article has been updated.
This story was originally published August 15, 2025 at 3:54 PM.
CORRECTION: A previous version incorrectly referred to Valley Children’s Healthcare CEO Todd Suntrapak’s ‘total compensation’ as ‘salary.’ Suntrapak’s total compensation, which includes base salary, incentives, bonuses and other benefits, increased for the period ending Sept. 30, 2024, but his base salary did not change
