Executive compensation

It's good to see that this isn't just a "evil big corporate" problem...

(from Erika Mellon of the Chron)

Houston ISD Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra will be $67,250 richer today when the school district distributes its latest round of performance bonuses.

Saavedra's new contract, approved by the school board in January, made him eligible for $80,000 in bonus pay based in part on students' test scores.

As head of the state's largest school district, Saavedra earns a base salary of $302,000. His bonus — 22 percent of his base pay — is more than almost all his teachers take home in a year.

"That's not going to be a morale builder," Gayle Fallon, president of the largest teachers' union, said about the superintendent's bonus.

Hmmm....My first question would be is what in the heck did Dr. Saavedra do to EARN that $67,000?

The short answer? Not much.

I realize that Dr. Saavedra has a thankless job, and I realize that running the HISD is akin to hearding cats during free crack night at the ferret hut, but I also realize that tying his bonus to test scores is unreflective of his performance as a chief EXECUTIVE officer. Let's not even get into Union Head Gayle Fallon's retort. Anyone who has read this blog knows that I take anything she says about as seriously as The Daily Show. In other words, not very. That being said, in this one case, she has a point. Dr. Saavedra basically earned his bonus on the shoulders of teachers who did the work and are paid far less. File this under the "even a blind squirrel finds a nut occasionally catagory, kind of like when Al Sharpton is on the correct side of an issue. (Not that Ms. Fallon is in any way comperable to Sharpton mind you - except in being wrong a majority of the time)

You want to have a bonus that's reflective of the job Dr. Saavedra is doing? Base his bonus on the financial performance of the school district. How is HISD doing reigning in the systemic fraud and overspending that plagues the district, and that pops up every sweeps week? How is Dr. Saavedra doing in recruiting new, and qualified teaching talent? How is Dr. Saavedra doing in securing the district's financial future? These are the questions that should be asked, not whether or not some teachers are teaching to a test.

Judge the teachers on academic performance, and get rid of the ones who don't make the grade. Judge the administrators on administrative functions, and get rid of the ones who don't make the grade.