Putnam Mulls School Superintendent Raise

Putnam County school board members are weighing whether to give the superintendent a raise and extend his contract for another four years.

The board is scheduled to vote on the contract tonight. The new contract for Superintendent Chuck Hatfield would take effect starting July 1, 2008.

At $94,500, Hatfield’s pay ranks 18th among the state’s 55 counties. He became superintendent in 2004, and his contract expires June 30, 2008.

The state Constitution does not allow board members to change Hatfield’s pay during the term of his existing contract, but they can vote on the terms of his next one.

School board members said they could not reveal the specific terms of Hatfield’s next possible contract until the vote tonight. But some have expressed concern that his pay is not competitive with other counties.

Since April, at least three other school systems have tried to recruit Hatfield, said board President Debbie Phillips.

"We would like to make sure that he’s not going to be tempted by another community," she said.

Many boards are recruiting from outside their counties because qualified superintendent candidates are in short supply across the state, said Howard O’Cull, director of the West Virginia School Boards Association.

"A seasoned individual, a veteran like Mr. Hatfield, is very valuable to the board because he knows the system," O’Cull said.

Hatfield has worked for the county schools for 34 years, serving as a teacher, principal and in several high-level administrative positions.

When boards raise superintendent pay, they often face backlash from the public, O’Cull said. But he predicted salaries would increase only because of market demands.

"I think boards are going to have to pay much more for superintendents in the future," he said.

Some boards are enhancing contracts by giving superintendents extra benefits such as a car, extra vacation days and better 401(k) terms, O’Cull said.

By state law, school boards set superintendents’ salaries. Other personnel’s pay is based on a formula that includes years of service and education. If Hatfield had stayed in his previous position of deputy superintendent, he would be making more than $104,000.

"He already has people under his supervision who are in a higher pay range than he is," said Sam Sentelle, a board member and former Putnam superintendent.

The Putnam school board last raised the superintendent salary in 2002, Sentelle said.

Phillips said she wants to deal with Hatfield’s contract as soon as possible because the board will have "a really full plate" in the coming school year, dealing with issues such as the new elementary school and rezoning.

"We want to stabilize the top position," she said.

In the 2006-07 fiscal year, Berkeley County ranked highest in superintendent pay, at $115,335. Grant ranked lowest, at $69,000.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Putnam County Board of Education office in Winfield.

(c) 2007 Charleston Daily Mail. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.