Just as they did last year, Mehlville School District administrators, including Superintendent Eric Knost, will receive a 1.5 percent salary increase for the upcoming school year.
Mehlville Board of Education members voted 6-1 on June 20 to grant a salary increase to administrators for the 2013-2014 school year, with board Secretary Rich Franz opposed.
At the same meeting, the board unanimously approved a 1.5-percent raise for Knost, making his salary $190,592.
At the meeting, board President Mark Stoner said the board generally supported a 1.5 percent increase as a show of support for what administrators are accomplishing.
“We have had some differences in where that (increase) may be, or even if there should be increases at all, just so the public knows,” Stoner said. “We felt that the administrators were adequately provided for currently, but yet we did want to show that we do appreciate the administrators and everything that they do. From a percentage standpoint, it may not be as much as some of our other areas, but from an absolute dollar standpoint, it’s a good increase.”
The district saves some money on administrative costs this year due to the high number of administrative interns who are filling vacant assistant principal positions.
Administrative interns are typically teachers who want to get their start as an administrator and are willing to take a lower salary for a year or two to gain on-the-job experience.
The district pays the intern their teacher’s salary plus an administrative stipend that ranges from $7,500 to $15,000.
The board also unanimously approved a step increase in salary for classified employees, along with a 2-percent increase for employees who were “topped out” on steps. Classified employees also received a step increase last year. The increase in classified salaries adds $350,000 to the district’s 2013-2014 budget.
“Your first day of school you’re greeted by a classified staff member, that’s a bus driver … Whenever you call the school, you’re talking to a classified employee,” board member Ron Fedorchak said. “They make the operation work, and they’ve always been very appreciative that we take care of them in the manner that we do.”
Besides Knost, salaries for Central Office administrators for the 2013-2014 school year are:
Lisa Counts, assistant superintendent, $122,030, up from $120,227.
Brian Lane, assistant superintendent, $122,030, up from $120,227.
Tina Plummer, assistant superintendent, $118, 094, up from $116,349.
Marshall Crutcher, chief financial officer, $115,000. Crutcher is new to the position, replacing CFO Noel Knobloch, whose retirement was effective June 30.
Jeffrey Bresler, executive director of student services, $114,353. During the 2012-2013 school year, Bresler was the Rogers Elementary principal at a salary of $111,863. Bresler replaces Scott Hayes, who had the same position under the previous title of executive director of special services and made a salary of $109,479.
Steven Lee, director of technology services, $106,978, up from $105,397.
Mark Catalana, director of human resources for 2013-2014, $91,000, up from $87,000 as interim director of human resources for 2012-2013.
Salaries for Witzel Alternative Academy administrators for the 2013-2014 school year are:
John DeWalle, director of programs, $76,000. Last year, DeWalle was an administrative intern of programs at a salary of $66,859.
Salaries of high school principals and assistant principals for the 2013-2014 school year are:
Pollie Richardson, SCOPE/SSLCMS principal, $112,974, up from $111,304.
Janet Kellerman, Oakville High principal, $118,476, up from $116,725.
Ross Bullington, Oakville High assistant principal, $92,500, up from $88,550 when Bullington was assistant principal at Buerkle Middle School for the 2012-2013 school year. Bullington replaces Janet Anthony, who retired. She made $106,673.
Brian Brennan, Oakville High assistant principal, $92,318, up from $90,954.
Matthew Willett, Oakville High administrative intern, $63,894. Willett was previously a teacher at Oakville High.
Denise Swanger, Mehlville High principal, $122,597, up from $120,785.
Shannon Pike, Mehlville High assistant principal, $93,750, up from $92,365.
Jason Landherr, Mehlville High assistant principal, $87,000, up from $60,475 as a Mehlville High administrative intern last year.
Andrew Ross, Mehlville High administrative intern, $59,672. Ross was previously a Mehlville High teacher. Ross replaces Angelo Colona, who retired as Mehlville assistant principal this year. He made $107,440 in the position.
Middle school principal and assistant principal salaries for 2013-2014 are:
Lori Sullivan, Bernard Middle principal, $101,500, up from $100,000 last year.
Paul Westbrook, Bernard Middle assistant principal, $82,451, up from $81,233.
Michael Salsman, Oakville Middle principal, $111,523, up from $109,875.
Patrick Bellinger, Oakville Middle assistant principal, $86,199, up from $84,925.
James Kern, Margaret Buerkle Middle principal, $101,500. Kern was previously an assistant principal at Oakville High, where he made $95,952 in the 2012-2013 school year. He replaces John Weber, who is returning to teaching, in the principal’s position. Weber made $104,545.
Michelle Wood, administrative intern at Margaret Buerkle Middle, $66,964. Wood was previously a social studies teacher at Oakville High.
Whitney Maus, administrative intern splitting her time between Trautwein Elementary and Margaret Buerkle Middle School, $49,016. Maus was previously a third-grade teacher at Blades Elementary.
Adam Smith, Washington Middle principal, $106,114, up from $104,545.
Andrew Kuhnert, Washington Middle administrative intern, $60,329. Kuhnert was previously a teacher at Buerkle Middle School.
Elementary school principal salaries for the 2013-2014 school year are:
Scott Andrews, Hagemann Elementary principal, $115,114, up from $113,413.
Jeremy Booker, Blades Elementary principal, $96,425, up from $95,000.
Patrick Keenoy, Rogers Elementary principal, $95,000. Last year, Keenoy was assistant principal at Washington Middle School, where he made a salary of $91,473.
Scott Clark, Forder Elementary principal, $98,685, up from $97,227.
Andrea Deane, Beasley Elementary principal, $97,871, up from $96,425.
Chad Dickemper, Oakville Elementary principal, $98,685, up from $97,227.
Dan Gieseler, Point Elementary principal, $96,425, up from $95,000.
David Meschke, Wohlwend Elementary principal, $102,478, up from $100,964.
Kristy Roberts, Bierbaum Elementary principal, $110,809, up from $109,171.
Kelly Roberts, Bierbaum Elementary assistant principal, $76,125, up from $75,000.
Donna Wagener, Trautwein Elementary principal, $108,786, up from $107,178.
Laurie Tretter-Larkin, half-time administrative intern at Blades Elementary and half-time music teacher, $60,225, up from $53,489.
Certified director salaries for 2013-2014 are:
Alicia Landers, curriculum technology director, $96,424, up from $95,000.
Sherri Lange, director of federal programs, $91,350, up from $90,000.
Becky Czuppon, director of activities, $82,768, up from $81,545.
Ann Westbrook, director of early childhood, $81,200, up from $80,000.
Amanda Zink, director of secondary curriculum, $81,200, up from $80,000.
Sarah Fahrner, director of elementary curriculum, $76,125, up from $75,000.
Tim Champion, director of activities, $71,000. He replaces Robert Kern, who made $73,182 in the position.
Barbara Ehlen, director of Parents as Teachers, $67,955, up from $66,951.
Classified director salaries for 2013-2014 are:
Steve Habeck, director of facilities, $87,569, up from $86,275.
Steve Meyer, assistant director for technology services, $76,125, up from $75,000.
John Wolff, director of communications and public relations, $73,588, up from $72,500.
Dan Gilman, director of transportation, $72,116, up from $71,050.
Lisa Furey, director of accounting, $71,096, up from $70,045.
Katie Koester, director of food and nutrition services, $64,729, up from $63,772.
John Tucker, assistant director of facilities, $58,402, up from $57,539.
Alex Fees, communications and public relations specialist, $58,000. Fees came to the district this year from KSDK, where he was a reporter for many years.
Mike Peiffer, transportation manager, $54,602, up from $53,795.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to reflect Knost’s correct salary for the 2013-2014 school year.
