Who's the highest paid K-12 superintendent in Riverside County?

Jennifer Cortez, Palm Springs Desert Sun
·3 min read

Coachella Valley Unified School District approved the three-year contract of its new superintendent last week in a 4-2 vote. Frances Esparza, who had served as acting superintendent since April, will receive a base salary of $300,000 through July 2, 2027.

The three K-12 superintendents across the Coachella Valley — including CVUSD, Desert Sands Unified and Palm Springs Unified — previously worked as assistant superintendents in their respective districts and all secured higher base salaries than their predecessors.

So how do their salaries compare to other Riverside County superintendents?

Coachella Valley Unified School District superintendent Dr. Frances Esparza was on hand as their nutrition services and transportation department supplied free meals at the Mountain View Estates in Thermal, Calif., July 12, 2024.
Coachella Valley Unified School District superintendent Dr. Frances Esparza was on hand as their nutrition services and transportation department supplied free meals at the Mountain View Estates in Thermal, Calif., July 12, 2024.

What are the salaries for each superintendent in Riverside County?

Here's a list of the base salaries for the 23 K-12 public school district superintendents in Riverside County at the time of their appointments:

Alejandro Ruvalcaba — who recently took the helm as Moreno Valley Unified School District's superintendent — has the highest base salary in Riverside County at $356,000. Gregory Sackos of Desert Center Unified School District, who earns a base salary of $152,000, serves as the superintendent/principal of the district's only school, Eagle Mountain Elementary School.

The list does not include other various pay boosts that factor into district leaders' paychecks, such as monthly auto and expense allowances, stipends, payouts of unused vacation days, doctorate degree recognition, longevity/retention bonuses, memberships to professional organizations and retirement contributions. However, Transparent California, the state’s largest database of public pay and pension data, has provided the most comprehensive data for 2022.

How do K-12 superintendents' salaries compare across California?

Although comparative K-12 superintendent salary data for California's 2023-24 school year is not yet available, the California Department of Education recently updated salary information for the 2022-23 school year:

  • Superintendents in unified school districts with 10,000 to 20,000 students earned an average annual salary of $278,268, while those in districts with 20,000 or more students averaged $319,443 per year.

  • Superintendents in elementary school districts with fewer than 1,000 students earn an average salary of $145,237. In districts with 1,000 to 5,000 students, they earn an average of $229,986. Those in districts with more than 5,000 students receive an average of $270,432. (In Riverside County, this includes districts like Romoland, Menifee Union, Perris Elementary, Desert Center Unified and Nuview Union.)

  • In high school districts with over 4,000 students, superintendents earn an average salary of $298,748. (Perris Union High School District is the only high school district in Riverside County. Presently, its interim superintendent is Joseph Williams. A contract for the permanent role has not yet been presented or approved by the board of trustees, but is expected to take place at the next regularly scheduled meeting on Aug. 21.)

The Superintendent Lab, which monitors data on superintendents, reported that 18.2% of K-12 public school districts in California experienced a superintendent transition between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years. Since the 2019-20 school year, 54.8% of K-12 public school districts statewide have experienced at least one superintendent transition.

How do superintendents' salaries fare nationwide?

A nationwide survey of 2,706 superintendents by the School Superintendents Association showed a median annual salary of $156,000 for the 2023-24 school year, with pay generally increasing at districts with higher enrollment.

The study revealed that though superintendent salaries have increased over time, they have not kept pace with inflation over the last decade. It also found that nearly 63% of superintendents have been in their current positions for fewer than six years.

Jennifer Cortez covers education in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Who's the highest paid K-12 superintendent in Riverside County?