Dr. Mark Jackson, superintendent of Burleson ISD, is the highest-paid superintendent of schools in Johnson County, according to information published by Texas Association of School Boards and Texas Association of School Administrators and data collected by the Times-Review.

Jackson’s annual contract calls for a salary of $186,945 plus $4,440 for insurance and a $600 cell phone stipend, for a total package of $191,985.

Burleson ISD enrollment is 9,924. In statewide districts with enrollments between 5,000 to 9,999, the average salary is $166,913.

According to a press release from The Education Reporter, a publication of TASB and TASA, “Across our state, superintendent compensation trends in 2009–10 mirror what is happening in teacher pay — smaller increases in base salary and greater use of bonus pay for strategic purposes. As districts are forced to tighten their budget belts, more thoughtful approaches to using scarce payroll dollars are emerging. The survey reveals interesting findings about compensation practices for superintendents in our state.

“Survey highlights are posted on the TASB Web site. Complete reports can be purchased through the TASB Store. Also check tasb.org for a wealth of resources and information about public education and school governance.”

The No. 2 paid superintendent in the county is Dr. Ronny Beard of Cleburne, which has an enrollment of 6,911. Beard receives $152,500 per year.

Superintendent Ray Dane of Joshua, with an enrollment of 4,700, receives $147,000 in salary, $2,700 in insurance and $600 in miscellaneous allowance for a package of $150,300.

Superintendent Dr. Chester Juroska of Alvarado, with an enrollment of 3,300, receives $139,187 in salary, $6,000 in vehicle compensation and $14,964 in insurance for a package of $160,151.

Superintendent Paul Smithson of Godley, with an enrollment of 1,565, receives $14,104 in salary, $4,920 for vehicle, $2,700 for insurance and $780 in miscellaneous allowance for a package of $142,504.

Superintendent Keith Scharnhorst of Grandview, with an enrollment of 1,120, receives $103,000 in salary, $7,500 for vehicle and $14,964 for insurance for a package of $125,464.

Superintendent Tim Wright of Rio Vista, with an enrollment of 849, receives $96,000 in salary, $250 per month in car allowance and $75 per month in cell phone allowance for a package of $99,990.

Outgoing superintendent Kevin Sellers of Keene, with an enrollment of 833, receives $98,000 in salary and $5,000 for vehicle expenses for a total package of $103,000. Incoming Keene superintendent Dr. Darlene Callender will receive $107,000.

Crowley superintendent Greg Gibson is among the highest paid superintendents in North Central Texas.

Crowley ISD enrollment is 15,000. Gibson receives $179,449 in salary, $7,20 for vehicle, $11,252 for insurance and $1,200 in miscellaneous allowance for a package of $199,081.

Some county school districts post superintendents’ contracts on their district Web sites, and some do not.

The Texas Association of School Administrators document, “Internet Postings Required for School Districts,” districts are allowed to publish the superintendent’s contract on the district’s Web site “in lieu of submitting it in the district’s annual financial management report.”

The Education Reporter continued, “Making sense of the data requires understanding the diverse characteristics of Texas public schools and our survey participants. Superintendent pay is largely based on district size, and Texas has extreme diversity in that regard. The student enrollment of survey participants ranges from less than 100 students to more than 200,000. The representation of districts is very high across all enrollment groups.

“Eighty percent of all Texas districts, a total of 826, responded to the survey. In fact, every enrollment category had at least an 80 percent response rate with the exception of districts under 500 students. Among the 826 districts responding, 30 (3.6 percent) reported having an interim superintendent and are not included in the data analysis.

“Superintendent compensation packages come in all shapes and sizes. Local boards should not make comparisons using statewide data but rather should use a subset of comparably sized districts. Nevertheless, it is interesting to note the typical profile of a majority of the superintendents in our state. During school year 2009–10, more than 50 percent of superintendents fit the following profile:

“Earn an average salary of $117,372; have been in their current job for four years; have employee plus family health insurance, with 66 percent paid by the district; receive an allowance of $1,182 for cell phone and Internet service. Other benefits are those required by state or federal law.

“Interestingly, the turnover rate for superintendents is about the same as teacher turnover. For 2009–10, the superintendent turnover rate among responding districts was 15.4 percent. The state teacher turnover rate measured in 2007–08 was 15.2 percent.

“School boards gave their continuing superintendent a pay increase of 3.7 percent on average this year. At the same time, an increasing number of superintendents received no pay increase. Twenty-four percent of superintendents had their pay frozen, up 4 percent from the prior year.

“Although the average base salary is $117,372, the variance among districts is extreme, reflecting the diversity of district size in our state. Average salaries for superintendents range from a low of $81,985 in the smallest districts up to $277,223 in districts with more than 50,000 students. Half of all superintendent salaries in the state are below $102,000.”