Comments on: What You Pay For http://www.showmedaily.org/2008/08/what-you-pay-for.html Advancing liberty with responsibility by promoting market solutions for Missouri public policy Tue, 22 May 2012 19:02:29 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Audrey Spalding http://www.showmedaily.org/2008/08/what-you-pay-for.html/comment-page-1#comment-435 Audrey Spalding Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:42:35 +0000 http://www.showmedaily.org/?p=1129#comment-435 PRenea, Thank you for your comment. Your point is excellent -- I didn't discuss the cost of living differences, and I should have. After reading your comment, I went ahead and looked up the cost of living differences between the two districts. The cost of living in the richer school district is about 20 percent lower than the United States average, while the cost of living in the poorer district is about 30 percent lower. (Those numbers are from bestplaces.net, an organization that gets its numbers from U.S. governmental organizations, such as census data) So, while the cost of living may be some of the difference, I feel confident in saying that it doesn't account for one superintendent receiving salary that is nearly double what the other is paid. Of course, urban and rural school districts face different problems. But they both face problems -- neither one is exempt. The richer school district is a suburban one, while the poorer one is more rural. I don't think that difference makes the richer school district superintendent's job exceptionally more difficult than the poorer one. Ultimately, I agree with you. We should look at the cost of living differences, and special difficulties different superintendents face when making comparisons. However, in this case, I don't think those differences are nearly enough to justify the higher pay. PRenea,

Thank you for your comment.

Your point is excellent — I didn’t discuss the cost of living differences, and I should have. After reading your comment, I went ahead and looked up the cost of living differences between the two districts. The cost of living in the richer school district is about 20 percent lower than the United States average, while the cost of living in the poorer district is about 30 percent lower. (Those numbers are from bestplaces.net, an organization that gets its numbers from U.S. governmental organizations, such as census data)

So, while the cost of living may be some of the difference, I feel confident in saying that it doesn’t account for one superintendent receiving salary that is nearly double what the other is paid.

Of course, urban and rural school districts face different problems. But they both face problems — neither one is exempt. The richer school district is a suburban one, while the poorer one is more rural. I don’t think that difference makes the richer school district superintendent’s job exceptionally more difficult than the poorer one.

Ultimately, I agree with you. We should look at the cost of living differences, and special difficulties different superintendents face when making comparisons. However, in this case, I don’t think those differences are nearly enough to justify the higher pay.

]]> By: PRenea http://www.showmedaily.org/2008/08/what-you-pay-for.html/comment-page-1#comment-434 PRenea Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:58:00 +0000 http://www.showmedaily.org/?p=1129#comment-434 The demographics of the community should also be considered, as well as many other factors. For example, as we often hear, the cost of living in suburban and urban areas is traditionally higher, as is the average wage in suburban areas. Discipline, transportation and other issues differ greatly between urban, suburban and rural districts and among districts of varying sizes. Many of these issues are intensified in larger districts and in urban and suburban districts, thus requiring greater attention. A much broader brush must be used when attempting to paint this portrait. The same brush does not fit all. The demographics of the community should also be considered, as well as many other factors. For example, as we often hear, the cost of living in suburban and urban areas is traditionally higher, as is the average wage in suburban areas. Discipline, transportation and other issues differ greatly between urban, suburban and rural districts and among districts of varying sizes. Many of these issues are intensified in larger districts and in urban and suburban districts, thus requiring greater attention. A much broader brush must be used when attempting to paint this portrait. The same brush does not fit all.

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