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Despite economic woes, Paso Robles bumps superintendent’s pay

January 23, 2013
Kathleen McNamara

Kathleen McNamara

Even though the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District is one of the most financially distressed districts in California, the superintendent’s salary has been increasing.

Superintendent Kathleen McNamara has received several raises in base salary since 2009, taking it from $161,813 to $182,500 in 2012. Factoring in the district’s 12 furlough days this school year reduces her salary to $172,767. [CaliforniaWatch]

During the last fiscal year, the district was near insolvency and faced being taken over by the state unless it took “corrective action,” a San Luis Obispo County grand jury warned in a report last year.

The district is struggling with a massive bond debt repayment of more than $30 million because of two capital appreciation bonds it turned to as a way to raise money during the economic downturn.

In March, the district and the teachers union agreed that teachers would absorb a big paycheck hit to help balance the district’s stressed budget. In the agreement, teachers agreed to a pay cut of 9.72 percent over two years to help keep schools operating through 2014. Individual teachers gave up several thousand dollars from their last three paychecks of the 2011/2012 school year.

As to whether her salary is fair, McNamara told California Watch only others can make that determination.

“However,” she added, “I do feel taking the eight furlough days for the past four years and 12 furlough days this year as part of my commitment to assist in balancing the district budget was very appropriate and the right thing to do.”

 


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$14,400.00 per month? How does she do it? How does this poor lady survive on such measly salary? Perhaps next year we can eliminate sports in schools so as to give her a raise. What do you think? Is $16,000.00 a MONTH enough to survive on?


Have you ever voted in a general election where the schools were not begging for more money? I do not recall any……


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It’s not the Superintendents, but rather the School Board’s fault that she received this raise. She asked for it, they gave it to her. Blame your elected officials. They deserve the credit, but get rid of the Superintendant as well.


The school Board hires the Superintendent who runs the District. The Board must think that she is doing a great job.


Shame on them. And if not, Paso voters, shame on you.


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I just can’t believe this. Parents need to take care of this and I mean in numbers otherwise bend over and take it. When I had dealings, as a parent with her, she threatened to call the police on me because she didn’t like what I had to say. She is nothing more than a bully.


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I had joint legal custody of my daughter, when her father dis-enrolled her from Daniel Lewis Middle School and the district allowed her to sit on her fathers couch for a month, un-enrolled in anything and without my knowledge at the time. Not only was that wrong, but the district Kathy N, would not recognize my parental rights to direct the education of my daughter by requiring two parental signatures or knowledge of dis-enrollment. Only one signature required folks, regardless of court orders. Because I was made and wanted accountability, which I never got, she threatened to call the police on me because I was angry not my parental right and the right of my daughter to be educated was ignored.


I think the people who are making this decision should talk to a group full of parents first.


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Ted,


In this day and age where schools hand out condoms, allow our children to go behind their parent’s back to have abortions. Explain homosexuality to children who are not yet old enough to comprehend a relationship between a man and a woman. I’ll take Adam, Eve, and the garden of Eden for my children any day.


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euroamerican,


Yes, you’re correct! It’s far better for our children to enter the real world beleiving that we’re all born from incest of Adam and Eve’s children, and that Adam was created and formed from clay, that snakes can talk, that the first woman was made from a man’s rib, and that women are second class citizens because it was Eve that was blamed for the fall of man. (Timothy 2:11-14)


Notwithstanding, we can teach our children the concept that all sin in the A&E narrative is passed on to innocent future generations when they will have absolutely nothing to do about it, praise!


Besides, which CONTRADICTING Adam and Eve narrative for your children are you going to uphold? The one in Genesis 1:1-2:3, or the one in Genesis 2:4-3:24?


A hypothetical; somewhere in high school in this country is a student who’s going to cure AIDS, of which the irony is that this student is going to have to understand Evolution instead of Creationism.


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Only in government and especially education are you rewarded for failure.


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Apparently you haven’t read about the severance packages that are regularly handed out to corporate executives who have led business into disaster. See Hostess as just one recent example. Rewarding failure is by no means limited to the public sector.


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That even would be rare in a true free market economy. But that’s not what our economy is, so , yes, it does happen.


It’s call CRONY CAPITALISM, where government and crooks embrace in a wonderful scheme to rip the rest of us off.


So, this is not “rewarding for failure”; on the contrary, it’s a great success for those involved. It’s just a failure for the rest of us.


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She making almost as much as the transit(bus) driver…does it ever end!


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She is making as much per MONTH as some drivers are per YEAR!


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I’m talking about the guy who make 240,000 in S.F. with all his overtime….


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Something else is happening right now in Paso concerning Kermit King Elementary School. The Planning Commission voted to change the zoning to allow a high density apartment complex in the neighborhood. The neighborhood school, Kermit King is impacted. If this apartment complex is built along with another complex already approved, the kids who go here that are outside the neighborhood will have to be transferred out–this could amount to 100 to 200 kids in a school that has 500 students. It could also amount to a lot more in busing costs.


The City Redevelopment Manager aka “School Bully” told the overflow crowd that opposed this apartment complex that they could not talk about the school situation and that the Planning Commission could not consider it because of a state govt. code. However, an attorney who spoke later in the evening said that the school situation could be considered under the code because it is impacted.


The School District needs to investigate and speak to this issue that could prove costly to the schools. Are you listening, Ms. McNamara. It’s time for you to earn your new salary.


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No matter how you do the ‘math”, the superintendent salary is out of bounds compared to budget restraints and salaries for class room teachers in Paso Robles.

Does anyone else see what is going on here? Socialist, left leaning bureaucracies create an “elite upper class” within the society in government levels (education being at the top) that controls were the money goes. Check our Russia, China, Cuba, etc. as examples, the so called “people’s governement”. True Demoractic Republics have there public administrators being paid at the near level as their line staff to avoid public corruption and take over.

Check out what our Founding Fathers made for their war the Britian……..zip!


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Check out that this town is totally run by Republicans…go figure


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When you compare her charter to others in this county, not to mention the product, I would error in her favor. Dealing with today’s family culture, state budget, etc. has to be magic at best.


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“When you compare her charter to others in this county, not to mention the product, I would error in her favor.”


Huh?


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