Heavy Superintendent Buyouts Raise Controversy

An Education Week (9/8, Samuels) article discusses a number of recent cases in which superintendents and high-ranking education officials have left their positions with hefty severance packages, noting that "Arlene Ackerman's $905,000 settlement with the Philadelphia district grabbed headlines, but she isn't the only Pennsylvania superintendent who has been shown the door in recent months with a generous settlement in hand. According to media reports, William Hall, who led the 3,050-student Gettysburg district, left in February with $542,000." The piece details a number of similar cases in districts nationwide, explores the impact of ironbound contracts in superintendents' compensation, and steps that are being considered to limit the escalation in high-level administrator pay.