What do districts pay their superintendents? A look into St. Clair, Sanilac superintendent contracts

McKenna Golat, Port Huron Times Herald
·3 min read

Superintendent contracts in St. Clair and Sanilac counties school districts may look similar, but the salaries can vary.

Holly Wetzel, director of public relations for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, said superintendent contracts are drafted with many factors in mind. These include the size of the district, student population and other district salaries.

“There’s a variety of factors that go into determining not only compensation, but additional benefits as well,” Wetzel said.

Wetzel said contracts are typically negotiated with the district’s school board, occasionally with lawyers.

The Livingston Daily reported in March the median base salary for Michigan superintendents in 2016 was $119,000 and increased to $123,000 in 2020, according to a survey by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

The average superintendent salary was $123,908.23 in Sanilac and St. Clair counties, not include Croswell-Lexington’s interim superintendent contract.

The Port Huron Area Schools superintendent contract pays the most out of the districts. According to his contract, Superintendent Theodore Kerhoulas has a salary of $169,900. His contract did not specify the amount of vacation days or sick days he has per year.

Theo Kerhoulas took on the role of Port Huron Schools superintendent on July 1, 2021.
Theo Kerhoulas took on the role of Port Huron Schools superintendent on July 1, 2021.

With a salary of $90,000, the Carsonville-Port Sanilac superintendent contract pays the least out of the school districts. Additionally, Superintendent Doug Muxlow’s contract is the only one that does not have sick, personal or leave time during the school year.

RESA’s superintendent, Brenda Tenniswood, has the most recently approved contract, with her term running from Oct. 1, 2022 to June 30, 2025. Her base salary is $156,800, which is a decrease from Kevin Miller’s, the previous superintendent, salary of $159,689. Tenniswood said one reason for the change is years of experience,

"The salary is based on a whole host of attributes, including years of experience," she said.

This will be Tenniswood's first year serving as a superintendent. Miller had 13 years of superintendent experience between RESA and Cros-Lex.

Croswell-Lexington Community Schools voted for Colette Moody to be its new superintendent on Aug. 17. Her contract is currently in development. While she served as the interim superintendent, Moody was paid $500 per day she held that position.

Below is a list of highest to lowest salaries for school districts in St. Clair and Sanilac counties:

St. Clair County

  • Port Huron: Theodore Kerhoulas, $169,900, $600 mileage reimbursement per month

  • RESA: Brenda Tenniswood, $156,800, $900.41 mileage allowance per month

  • Algonac: Al Latosz, $144,687

  • East China: Suzanne Cybulla, $140,000, $400 vehicle allowance per month; contract from July 2019 to June 2022.

  • Marysville: Shawn Wightman, $135,000, $400 mileage reimbursement per month

  • Yale: Kurt Sutton, $125,000; Salary reported from 2021.

  • Memphis: Sara Dobbelaer, $114,999.99, $100 car allowance per month

  • Capac: Jeff Terpenning, $111,419

Sanilac County

  • Marlette: $124,564 in 2020

  • Sandusky: Paul Flynn, $117,116

  • Brown City: Neil Kohler, $117,045, $500 mileage stipend per year

  • Deckerville: Michael Hugan, $102,840

  • Peck: Bill Kerr, $91,000

  • Carsonville-Port Sanilac: Doug Muxlow, $90,000, reimbursed the state mileage rate

The Times Herald did not receive the current contracts from the East China and Yale school districts. Instead, their contracts were sourced from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

Contact McKenna Golat at mgolat@gannett.com or (810) 292-0122.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Comparing superintendent contracts between St. Clair, Sanilac counties