South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

South St. Louis County News

St. Louis Call Newspapers

Mehlville board votes to renew administrators’ pacts for 2016-2017

Board will consider pay raise for administrators on May 12
Chris Gaines
Chris Gaines

After freezing all employees’ salaries last year, the Mehlville Board of Education recently renewed contracts for administrators without promising them a raise yet.

The board has not yet extended the contract of Superintendent Chris Gaines, who signed onto a three-year contract when he came to the district last year.

Gaines is making $205,500 for this year and as outlined in his contract, will make the same next year.

On a motion from board member Jamey Murphy, the board voted unanimously to approve the contracts during a closed session before board member Lori Trakas left the board. Board Secretary Lisa Dorsey was absent for the 6-0 vote.

Murphy’s motion called for the district to “approve administrator salaries as they are currently being paid” and promised the board would review a pay raise for administrators at the May 12 meeting.

The district is spending $250,000 less on Central Office salaries for the current school year than in past years, after cutting the assistant superintendent position previously held by Lisa Counts, who followed former Superintendent Eric Knost to Rockwood this year.

• Brian Lane, deputy superintendent, $139,471. As assistant superintendent last year, Lane made $124,471, up from $122,030 the previous year.

• Tina Plummer, assistant superintendent, $120,456, up from $118,094 two years ago.

• Jeff Bresler, assistant superintendent, $120,456, up from $116,650 as executive director of student services last year.


• Marshall Crutcher, chief financial officer, $117,300, up from $115,000 two years ago.

• Paul Westbrook, director of technology services, $102,000, up from $84,100 as Bernard Middle School assistant principal. Midyear, Westbrook replaced former IT Steven Lee, director of technology services, who made $109,118, up from $106,978 two years ago. Lee retired after working for the district for more than three decades.

• Mark Catalana, executive director of human resources, $100,000, up from $91,000 two years ago as director of human resources.

• John DeWalle, director of the Witzel Alternative Academy, $77,520, up from $76,000 as director of programs two years ago. If the district goes forward with the school of innovation next year, this position would end as the Witzel Academy folds into the high schools.

• Pollie Richardson, SCOPE/SSLCMS principal, $115,233, up from $112,974 two years ago.

• Jan Kellerman, Oakville High principal, $120,846, up from $118,476 two years ago.

• Ross Bullington, Oakville High assistant principal, $94,164, up from $92,500 two years ago.

• Brian Brennan, Oakville High assistant principal, $94,350, up from $92,318 two years ago.


• Matthew Willett, Oakville High assistant principal, $87,000, up from $63,894 as an administrative intern two years ago.

• Denise Swanger, Mehlville High principal, $125,049, up from $122,597 two years ago.

• Jason Landherr, Mehlville High assistant principal, $88,740, up from $87,000 two years ago.

• Andrew Ross, Mehlville High assistant principal, $87,000, up from $59,672 two years ago as an administrative intern.

• Greg Ruzicka, Mehlville High administrative intern, $58,416. Previously, Ruzicka was a teacher.

• Lori Sullivan, Bernard Middle principal, $103,530, up from $101,500 two years ago.

• Mike Salsman, Oakville Middle principal, $113,753, up from $111,523 two years ago.

• Patrick Bellinger, Oakville Middle assistant principal, $87,923, up from $86,199 two years ago.

• Jim Kern, Margaret Buerkle Middle principal, $103,530, up from $101,500 two years ago.

• Michelle Wood, assistant principal at Margaret Buerkle Middle, $81,000, up from $66,964 as an administrative intern two years ago.


• Adam Smith, Washington Middle principal, $108,235, up from $106,114 two years ago.


• Andrew Kuhnert, Washington Middle assistant principal, $81,000, up from $60,329 two years ago as an administrative intern.

• Scott Andrews, Hagemann Elementary principal, $121,416, up from $115,114 two years ago.

• Jeremy Booker, Blades Elementary principal, $102,354, up from $96,425 two years ago.

• Patrick Keenoy, Rogers Elementary principal, $96,900, up from $95,000 two years ago.


• Scott Clark, Forder Elementary principal, $104,659, up from $98,685 two years ago. Clark, the principal of the proposed school of innovation that could open for the 2017-2018 school year, is planning for the new school for no extra pay while also serving as principal at Forder.


• Andrea Deane, Beasley Elementary principal, $99,828, up from $97,871 two years ago.

• Chad Dickemper, Oakville Elementary principal, $104,659, up from $98,685 two years ago.

• Shannon Pike, Point Elementary principal, $99,000, up from $95,625 last year as Mehlville High assistant principal and up from the $98,354 made by former Point Principal Dan Gieseler.

• Shannon Henderson, Trautwein Elementary principal, $99,000. Henderson replaced retired Principal Donna Wagener, who made $108,786 two years ago.

• Dave Meschke, Wohlwend Elementary principal, $108,528, up from $102,478 two years ago.

• Kristy Roberts, Bierbaum Elementary principal, $113,025, up from $110,809 two years ago.

• Whitney Maus, assistant principal splitting her time between Trautwein Elementary and Point Elementary, $77,000, up from $49,016 two years ago as an administrative intern.


• Kelly Roberts, Bierbaum Elementary assistant principal, $77,648, up from $76,125 two years ago.

• Laurie Tretter-Larkin, assistant principal at Blades Elementary, $75,000, up from $60,225 two years ago when she was a half-time administrative intern and half-time music teacher.



• Alicia Landers, director of curriculum technology, $98,354, up from $96,424 two years ago.



• Sherri Lange, director of federal programs, $93,177, up from $91,350 two years ago.



• Becky Czuppon, director of activities at Oakville High, $84,423, up from $82,768 two years ago.



• Ann Westbrook, director of early childhood, $82,824, up from $81,200 two years ago.



• Amanda Zink, director of secondary curriculum, $82,824, up from $81,200 two years ago.



• Sarah Fahrner, director of elementary curriculum, $77,648, up from $76,125 two years ago.



• Tim Champion, director of activities at Mehlville High, $72,420, up from $71,000 two years ago.


• Barb Ehlen, director of Parents as Teachers, $$69,314, up from $67,955 two years ago.



• Steve Habeck, director of facilities, $95,000, up from $87,569 last year and $86,275 the previous year.



• Steve Meyer, assistant director of technology services, $77,648, up from $76,125 two years ago.



• John Wolff, director of communications and public relations, $75,060, up from $73,588 two years ago.



• Dan Gilman, director of transportation, $73,558, up from $72,116 two years ago.



• Katie Koester, director of food and nutrition services, $66,024, up from $64,729 two years ago.



• John Tucker, assistant director of facilities, $59,570, up from $58,402 two years ago.



• Mike Peiffer, transportation manager, $54,602, up from $53,795 two years ago.

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