Clovis schools superintendent gets pay raise - her first since taking over the district
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Hello education readers,
Clovis Unified schools Superintendent Eimear O’Farrell last week received a pay bump for the first time since taking over the district in 2017, putting her salary on par with other superintendents from similar-sized school districts in California.
The pay raise was approved unanimously — and without comment from CUSD board members — during Wednesday’s board meeting. The board made no comments at the time of the approval.
“Eimear has done an amazing job leading us through the toughest, most difficult time in our educational system. She’s always advocated for fair wages for staff. It was never perceived as her advocating for herself,” CUSD school board president Steven Fogg told the Education Lab.
O’Farrell’s salary will go from a base pay of $230,000 a year to $268,000, plus a longevity pay of $18,975, bringing her total pay to $286,975.
The median salary for superintendents working in similar-sized school districts is $287,121, according to a district survey.
According to federal data and the School Superintendent Association, women only make up 24% of the nation’s school superintendents.
Recent research by Education Week found there are also fewer female principals in schools and they’re generally paid less than their male counterparts.
Fogg said the school board is happy with O’Farrell’s performance during the pandemic.
Last year, CUSD reported 95.2% graduation rates for the 2019-2020 school year compared to 93.9% in 2018-2019.
Going forward, Fogg said, the school board president will re-evaluate the superintendent’s pay annually.
“In the future, our board will be able to be more proactive in making sure our superintendent’s salary stays on par on an annual basis,” Fogg said.
A sad loss for Fresno schools
Colleagues described her as “champion” for Fresno students and a “tireless advocate.”
Last week, longtime Fresno Unified Trustee Carol Mills died after a battle with ALS.
Mills, who served for 17 years as the trustee for area 5, also worked as a lead appellate court attorney with the Fifth District Court of Appeal. She was re-elected in 2020.
In her autobiography, Mills wrote that she was raised by hardworking “blue-collar” parents who never had the opportunity to attend college. Her father grew up in an orphanage.
“I was the first in my family to graduate from college,” she said. “I overcame a speech impediment and pursued a law degree and a career as an attorney.”
You can read the full story from the Ed Lab’s Ashleigh Panoo here.
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This story was originally published July 26, 2021 at 11:20 AM.