JCPS has hundreds of employees making over $100K. Here's who makes the most
There are more than 16,000 employees who help run Kentucky's largest school district, who collectively earn about $857 million each year.
To operate a school system with about 96,000 students, Jefferson County Public Schools employs thousands of teachers and hundreds of administrators alongside health care professionals, bus drivers, academic specialists and employees who ensure the upkeep of about district 200 properties.
Payroll records requested by The Courier Journal show what each JCPS employee earned during the 2022-2023 school year. Records show roughly 900 employees earned more than $100,000, with the highest-paid employee now earning more than three times that.
Superintendent Marty Pollio is paid $350,244 annually since the board approved his raise in July. That rate is about $186,000 more than Gov. Andy Beshear's salary and about $150,000 more than the district's second-highest paid employees.
So, who - after Pollio - is paid the most to keep the system running?
1. Pollio's chiefs
There are 11 members of Pollio's executive staff, as well as the district's general counsel, who earned between about $189,000 and $198,000.
On the high end, earning $198,635 are:
John Marshall, chief equity officer
Dena Dossett, chief of the Accountability, Research, and Systems Improvement Division
Aimee Green-Webb, chief of Human Resources
Katy Deferrari, chief of staff
Kermit Belcher, chief information officer
Kevin Brown, general counsel
After that, are four employees who earned $195,032. They are:
Cordelia Hardin, chief financial officer, who is now retired.
Chris Perkins, who was chief operations officer but is now a "special administrator."
Kim Chevalier, chief of Exceptional Child Education
Robert Moore, chief of schools
Meanwhile, Chief Academic Officer Terra Greenwell earned $193,167. Carolyn Callahan, chief of communications, was paid $189,565.
2. Assistant superintendents
The second-highest paid group of employees are eight of the district's assistant superintendents. Each was focused on academic achievement or support and earned between about $171,000 and $186,000. They are:
Alicia Averette, assistant superintendent for student support services, $185,799
Paige Hartstern, assistant superintendent for elementary schools, $185,799
Nathan Meyer, assistant superintendent for Accelerate Improvement Schools, $183,313
Robert Fulk, who was an assistant superintendent before recently becoming CFO, $180,008
Lamesa Marks-Johns, assistant superintendent for elementary schools, $179,138
Joseph Ellison, assistant superintendent for high schools, $176,789
Jessica Rosenthal, assistant superintendent for elementary schools, $172,532
Jill Handley, assistant superintendent for English Language Learners, $171,818
3. High school principals
After those eight assistant superintendents, the list of highest-paid employees becomes less categorical, with some executive administrators earning more than the other assistant superintendents and some high school principals earning more than both.
The highest-paid principals earned about $169,500 leading the following schools:
Jason Neuss, Ballard
Angela Parsons, Brown
Tamela Compton, Central
Rebecca Nicolas, Fern Creek
Michael Newman, Manual
Jason Detre, Moore
Sarah Hitchings, Waggener
At the other end of the spectrum, Doss High's Principal Julie Chancellor earned about $151,000, and Shawnee Principal Kym Rice earned roughly $155,000.
More: Who are Louisville's 10 highest-paid city employees? Hint: Mayor Greenberg's not on list
Contact reporter Krista Johnson at kjohnson3@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: JCPS salaries: Here's who makes the most at Kentucky school district