Public information shared from the recent Alabama State Board of Education (SBOE) meeting is raising many eyebrows. Some individuals on the nine-member SBOE, of which Gov. Kay Ivey is the president, are pushing for a 30% raise for Alabama State Department of Education Superintendent Eric Mackey. This means his present annual salary of $292,500 would increase to $380,000. That is a $90,000 bump. Or $7,500 per month. Or $1,730 per week.
Unreasonable? Yes, but why?
I work in the business industry, as do some 163 million other working people in our precious country. How often do we hear of 20%, 25%, 30% and higher raises in our various industries?
We don’t. Why?
First, it is an excessive amount for industry. Second, once given, it remains despite changes in performance. Occasionally, when results are exceptional, industry manages this with a merit-based bonus. Everybody wins, and that’s that. Can the SBOE not consider this a more prudent route?
Along that same line, Alabama’s retirement income is calculated on the three years prior to departure, retirement or dismissal. How is such an enormous raise for Mackey fair to all the other plan participants? It is not. And once mandated, it cannot be changed. Is the SBOE aware?
Since Ivey took the reins of government in April 2017, our precious public-school teachers and Mackey have received a yearly average 3% pay increase. Presently, the starting salary for a new Alabama teacher with a BA degree is $47,600. The SBOE-proposed raise for Mackey would equal the salary of eight hard-working teachers.
Publicly available information online provides an interesting comparison between Mackey’s potential new salary of $380,000 and those of his other Southeast state superintendents.
- Georgia’s Richard Woods: $155,000
- Arkansas Jacob Oliva: $250,000
- Mississippi’s Lance Evans: $300,000
- Louisiana’s Cade Brumley of Louisiana: $311,000
- South Carolina’s Ellen Weaver: $214,000
- Kentucky’s Robbie Fletcher of Kentucky: $280,000
Suffice it to say, if approved, Mackey’s salary would be the highest.
Lastly, results matter. Alabama has seen slight improvement per the National Association of Educational Progress (NAEP), the only comparative scale for all 51 states/territories. Consider:
4th grade MATH - 51st / 4th grade MATH - 31st
4th grade READING -48th / 4th grade READING - 33rd
8th grade MATH - 51st / 8th grade MATH - 48th
8th grade READING - 48th / 8th grade READING - 46th
I know the six senior SBOE members and respect them. The people of Alabama thank the SBOE for its leadership, but we also depend on it to make fair and accountable decisions with our tax dollars.
Allen Harris is a businessman, involved in state workforce development & K-12 improvement. He can be reached at allen[email protected].
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
