Salaries of administrators in the Mehlville School District’s Central Office range from $165,000 to $69,451.20 for the 2007-2008 school year.

The Board of Education recently voted 5-2 to approve a 6-percent pay raise to all but three returning administrators for the 2007-2008 school year. Along with that 6-percent raise, the board’s action also awarded a 3-percent raise for nearly every incoming administrator on top of those individuals’ already-negotiated salaries for the coming school year.

Vice President Karl Frank Jr. and board member Venki Palamand cast the two “no” votes as both believed an overall raise of 3 percent in-stead of 6 percent for returning administrators would be a better option.

Central Office salaries for 2007-2008 are:

• New Superintendent Terry Noble, who took that position July 1, will be paid $165,000 for the 2007-2008 school year. As decided last year by the board, Noble will also receive a $500-per-month in-district travel allowance and will be paid at the board-approved reimbursement rate for out-of-district travel. He also received $10,000 in moving expenses. Noble also will receive a 5-percent raise in his base salary for the 2008-2009 school year and another 5 percent in 2009-2010.

• Assistant Superintendent-Curriculum and Instruction Connie Hurst-Bayless will be paid $124,815, a 6-percent increase from her previous salary of $117,750. For the 2004-2005 school year, her salary was $112,183.49.

The previous year, she was paid $107,848. In 2002-2003, she was paid $104,000. During the 2000-2001 school year, Hurst-Bayless’ salary was $92,000.

• Deputy Superintendent Eric Knost will be paid $131,440, a 6-percent increase from his previous prorated $124,000 annual salary, which was awarded upon his promotion to the position last November. Knost was promoted from the position of north area superintendent, which had a $110,770 salary for 2006-2007. In the 2005-2006 school year, Knost was paid $106,000. Knost previously served as principal of Oakville Senior High School and replaced previous North Area Superintendent Jane Reed, who retired in 2005.

• Chief Financial Officer Brent Bell will be paid $106,000, a 6-percent increase above his previous salary of $100,000. Bell last year replaced former Chief Financial Officer Steven Keyser, who left the district in 2006 and was originally given a $111,300 salary in 2006-2007. In 2005-2006, Keyser earned a salary of $106,000.

• Assistant Superintendent-Supervision of Instruction Vicki VanLaere will receive a $116,600 salary, a 6-percent increase from her previous prorated salary of $110,000. VanLaere was promoted in November 2006 to that position after previously serving as executive director of human resources.

VanLaere originally was set to be paid $104,238 in the 2006-2007 school year. She had previously served as principal at Oakville Middle School.

• Assistant Superintendent-Student Services Brian Lane will be paid $106,000, a 6-percent increase from his previous salary of $100,000. Lane was promoted to that position in July 2006 after former Assistant Superintendent Cindy Lynch resigned.

Lane previously had served as Oakville High assistant principal and was set to be paid $93,323.58 for the 2006-2007 school year. That initial raise was up 5.18 percent from his 2005-2006 salary of $88,728.90. For the 2004-2005 school year, he was paid $87,306.16. For the 2003-2004 school year, his salary was $83,167.49.

• Assistant Superintendent-Human Resources Lisa Counts, a new administrative hire, will be paid $103,000 in the 2007-2008 school year.

• Director of School/Community Relations Patrick Wallace will be paid $69,451.20, which is unchanged from his 2006-2007 salary. Wallace is the district’s only administrator to not receive a raise.

More administrators’ salaries will be featured in a future issue of the Call.