Superintendents at most schools in county got pay hikes this year

Sep. 8—Teachers in Cherokee County school districts have received salary increases over the past year, and several superintendents have marked upticks in their income, as well.

While the Oklahoma Department of Education has data available for the public to see what superintendents are paid, there is no minimum for their salaries. Tahlequah Public Schools Superintendent Tanya Jones said she believes the reason for not having an established minimum is due to significant differences in budgets from district to district.

"There are some districts that have very different needs," Jones said.

Jones said superintendent salaries are determined through negotiated agreements with the respective boards of education, and can be based on performance and length of time working for the district. In August 2023, Jones received a raise in her base salary, which is now $155,400.

"Every year, I have the ability to go in an negotiate my own contract, so my first year, I had a three-year contract. Last January is when we did that," Jones said. "I'll be rehired every January. I already have a contract through June 20, 2026, but my intent would be to go in every year and renegotiate that to add another year, so I always have a three-year contract."

Hulbert Public Schools Superintendent Jolyn Choate's base salary was raised to $108,000, plus benefits, July 1 of this year. As with other districts, Choate's salary is negotiated with the board of education.

Choate said her district pays her professional dues, retirement, vision, health, and dental. She said salaries and benefits are dependent on the experience of the superintendent and size of the school.

Jones said salary negotiations can be a difficult process — not something she is used to doing, after being on a pay scale for 27 years.

"When you're trying to negotiate for yourself and talk about it, it is hard to stand up for yourself and say, 'Hey, I do a really good job and I deserve this.' I mean, that's not second nature. It's odd to have to do that and try to defend yourself to others and show your value with a monetary amount. It's not a typical practice."

Jones said the Tahlequah board gave her a raise through research, by looking up the average superintendent salaries for 10 schools larger and smaller than TPS to get a good basis for her pay.

"According to what I could find on the state department's website — that's where the figures came from — of the 21 school districts I looked at, I was $30,000 below the average of those 21 superintendents," Jones said. "I took the districts above us out and used Tahlequah as the top, and then the next 10 school district in size — so the 10 smaller than us — and I was still $20,000 below everyone."

Dana Eversole, a member of the Tahlequah School Board of Education, said that every December, the board evaluates the superintendent, and then during the January board meeting, members go into executive session to discuss the evaluation and salary. Eversole said the board members do research on Oklahoma superintendent salaries and they take benefit packages into consideration, which can include a gasoline allowance, a school car, phone bill, and more, depending on what the superintendent needs.

While benefit packages, hours, and performance are often taken into consideration, Eversole said the district's financial situation is also studied.

"We're not going in blind; we know what it is and we take a lot of time to do the evaluation," Eversole said.

Keys Public School Superintendent Vol Woods said that while some people may renegotiate their contracts yearly, others wait to do so every three years. Woods' salary was also increased to $150,724.60.

"Since I'm already retired from the state, I don't get any retirement benefits, so everybody else in the district except for us retirees don't get a retirement benefit. If I was a younger man and drawing a salary, then on top of that, I'd get retirement," Woods said. "The only thing I get on top of this is my health insurance, which they do for all employees."

Woods said being a superintendent is a 24/7 job.

"I would hope that the community sees the work and the hours and the work that I put in," Jones said. "The hourly wage is not as high as someone would expect because this is truly and absolutely a 365 day a year, 24 hour a day job."

The 2022-'23 report from the Oklahoma State Department of Education lists total compensation, including benefits, for other Cherokee County superintendents. Some may have received raises since this compilation was published.

Paul Pinkerton was paid $94,193 at Lowrey; Norman (Keith) Fisher made $94,603 with Norwood; Ginger Knight earned $132,845 at Woodall; Emmett Thompson with Shady Grove was paid $82,645; Rodney (John) Cox made $124,373 with Peggs; Larry Ben was paid $127,011 by Grand View; Stephen Haynes with Briggs made $149,578; Marilyn Dewoody earned $116,569 at Tenkiller; and Ramona Ketcher made $128,859 with the Cherokee Immersion Charter School.

The OSDE has not updated its figures for the 2023-'24 academic school year.