Danbury Public Schools

Superintendents top Greater Danbury's public-sector salaries

Of all the local public-sector employees in Greater Danbury, school superintendents earn the most money.

They make more than the resident mayor or first selectman. In fact, some chief elected officials in Greater Danbury don't even crack the top 10 list of the highest-paid employees in their own communities.

Besides education officials, those working in law enforcement and emergency services are also rounding out the list of the top 10 paid employees in area communities.

"During good times and bad times, the school superintendent leads the pack," said Kevin Maloney , a spokesman for the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities. "Typically, the chief elected official is not the highest paid, even though in the last decade, there has been some pressure to increase those salaries to attract good candidates."

There is considerable political pressure, especially during the most recent recession, to keep salaries low, Maloney said, adding that chief elected officials are usually the first to take the hit.

Department heads and other non-unionized employees in many communities also haven't seen a raise in several years, Maloney said, while union workers are just starting to take furlough days and agreeing to other measures to reduce costs.

"A lot of town hall workers have been taking zero (percent) increases for years while employees under contract haven't been there until more recently, within the past year," Maloney said.

He added that public-sector jobs are becoming as difficult to come by these days as positions in the private sector.

"There aren't as many positions available as in the past and those who are in these positions are less prone to moving on and creating a vacancy," Maloney said.

Dan Domenech, the executive director of the American Association of School Administrators , said superintendents are commanding higher salaries for several reasons, including their high level of education and the experience that's required for the job.

"Generally speaking, their level of education is higher than most other civil service workers," he said.

Domenech also said it's becoming more difficult for school districts to find qualified candidates to serve as a district's chief administrator.

The pool of applicants is becoming smaller because people don't want the stress and pressure involved with the job, he said, adding that many superintendents are older and nearing retirement, which makes the pool of candidates even smaller.

MayorMark'sBlog: An Opportunity At Danbury High School.

1. Don’t rush.  There is no hurry. Danbury High is blessed with a great senior administrative team – that know how to run the building.  Appoint an interim Principal from our pool of current administrators, and then promote a teacher into their place. This will give you time to do a search and hiring. You will have time to get community input, conduct your interviews, and determine the right choice without the pressure of a timeline.

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