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Posted on Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 2:59 p.m.

Ann Arbor Superintendent Pat Green: No one needed to ask me to take a pay cut

By Danielle Arndt

Green-Patricia-horizontal-shot.JPG

Ann Arbor Public Schools Superintendent Patricia Green said she planned to take a pay cut.

AnnArbor.com file photo

Editor's note: This is the first of a two-part interview with Superintendent Patricia Green about budget issues in the Ann Arbor Public Schools. Part two will be published Thursday morning.

Ann Arbor Public Schools Superintendent Patricia Green said she will accept a cut to her $245,000 salary to help balance the budget for the 2013-14 academic year.

Green, in an interview Tuesday with AnnArbor.com, said she was planning to take a pay cut even before the Ann Arbor teachers union president publicly challenged her to reduce her salary.

"I already shared with the board that I intended to take a cut in my pay," Green said Tuesday. "And that precedes anybody saying anything publically about it. … If I'm asking concessions from individuals in this organization, how could I not take the same thing myself? I don't need anybody to ask me to do that. Because as a superintendent I recognize, that as a leader of the school district, you don't ask people to take compensation cuts and not do it yourself."

Ann Arbor Education Association President Linda Carter recently called for Green and the rest of central administration to "step up" and take a pay cut as the district tries to negotiate reduced compensation with its unions. She said administrators' salary decreases should be at least on par with teachers' salary reductions, if not more.

"She needs to come back down here with the rest of us," Carter said last week about Green's salary, which a new database shows is the highest of all superintendents in Michigan by $31,000.

Contract negotiations are under way in Ann Arbor, school officials said. And negotiations with the district's unions are expected to play an important role in Ann Arbor Public Schools reducing its budget by more than $17 million.

Each 1-percent across-the-board pay cut that employees agree to could save AAPS $1.3 million, officials have said.

Green's total compensation in 2012 was $308,433, according to W2 tax information provided by the district.

How much of a pay cut Green will take is not known. Green said the percentages of the reductions and the terms of the concessions are all part of the negotiation process that is taking place right now with all AAPS employees.

"I don't think that detail is something we're prepared to talk about yet," she said.

Green added all of the district's employees are important and everyone — including her and the rest of central administration — has contracts. So everyone's contracts are being looked at right now, she said.

The Ann Arbor Public Schools face tough and emotionally charged cuts for the 2013-14 academic year. Among the possibilities are more cuts to music, theater, athletics, district media center staff and transportation.

This is first the first time since 2010 the district's unions have been asked to renegotiate their contracts.

"We're looking at furlough days and any compensation type of activity. We want to still try to keep as much (of the cuts) out of the classroom as we can," Green said. But she added after five years of reductions, "It's into the bone. There is nothing that is going to be pleasant. Nothing."

The district has cut its operating budget by about $70 million in the past five years, through the consolidation of transportation services, increasing class sizes, increasing pay-to-participate fees, cutting athletics, decreasing funding for art and music and decreasing pay and benefits for staff. Green said it's to the point that the cuts have taken a serious toll on a school district that is considered one of the very finest.

"What it does now is it basically starts pitting program against program and people against people," she said, adding school officials can't prevent it and can only hope it doesn't get too ugly. "... It's all valuable. Every single thing on our list this year, if these were better times, would not even come close to being considered."

Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.

Comments

boo

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 6:13 p.m.

I have a better plan, just give up $80,000 (the cost of hiring one teacher) of your salary. And you're still the highest paid employee in the district!

bluehoo

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 5:39 p.m.

How can we get the U/M administrators to take the same action? They're laying off people while also making some of the highest salaries in the country for their jobs.

harry b

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 5:30 p.m.

I don't think he ever planned on taking a pay cut until this article came out.

harry b

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 8:54 p.m.

Ha Ha Chester. I dont think your very nice.

alarictoo

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 7:44 p.m.

Maybe Harry know something we don't...? LOL! Thanks, Harry. It made me laugh, at least!

Chester Drawers

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 6:11 p.m.

Do you mean 'she?'

mady

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 2:54 p.m.

ok Pat, could you stop blowing your own horn and tell us just how much that pay cut is going to be? why all the secrecy? Hmmmmm?

Concerned Parent

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 2:43 p.m.

Gosh, anyone that doesn't go to their employer asking for a pay cut is crazy. I asked my boss two weeks ago how I could go about being paid less. Needless to say, everyone needs to try asking for less.

concernedmom

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 2 p.m.

I for one am impressed with Ms. Green. She actually "showed up" at a recent PAC meeting for parents who have kids with ADHD was very supportive, informed and compassionate. She had more knowledge of the needs of these kids than most teachers have - unfortunately. She may not be a favorite with the teachers' union but she sincerely cares about the kids and that's what counts with me. Does she deserve her current salary? I am not an expert, but as far as salaries are concerned, it is always painful to deal with budget cuts and everyone starts pointing fingers. It happens in the corporate and government worlds as well. Since we're throwing around salary quotes, there is a very enlightening Ann Arbor News PDF file from 2006 entitled "Highest paid School Employees" on the internet. It appears that the highest paid teacher that year made about $100,000. Not too shabby. I wish this list would come out yearly as I think it would help people assess the true picture regarding teachers' salaries and the school budget in general.

Brad

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 2:07 p.m.

http://www.annarbor.com/news/number-of-employees-earning-100000-in-annual-pay-declines-at-ann-arbor-schools/

Brad

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 1:33 p.m.

"And that precedes anybody saying anything publically about it" Pat Green "I did it, nobody saw me not do it, you can't prove anything" Bart Simpson

DonBee

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 1:27 a.m.

Want to fix the budget? 1) Stop assuming revenue will rise by about 5% a year, assume that revenue will be flat to increasing 1 percent per year, build the budget and negociate contracts based on that assumption. 2) Fix the rental rates on buildings and grounds - Current rent on the Dixboro school is way too low for market, or better yet sell the school and then AAPS can stop sending a truck there to do maintenance most days. 3) Fix the building administration situation, if the administration is appealing, the schools will fill, until then people who live in those areas will choose charters or home schooling over putting their children in those buildings. 4) Revenue whether it makes sense to transfer $3 million of operating funds from the general fund to athletics, yes, physical education and team sports are important, but do we really need to try to compete with UofM for the variety of sports and the level of coaching? Maybe it is time to make more sports club sports. 5) Think about the number and length of breaks in the school year. The more weeks the district is operating the more it costs to run the buildings, Consolidation of the year could cut 2 to 3 weeks off the end of the school year. 6) Use the sinking fund money not for athletic facilities and a new "rug" for the field at Skyline but for energy efficiency improvements, that has a long term payback on the general fund 7) Move online classes out of community back into each of the buildings, run the program from the home building for each school - encourage online classes for subjects where there are 8 of fewer students. Michigan Virtual is very good. 8) Invite home school students to take classes at the middle school and high school, some will come back full time and the district can capture partial funds for the others. 9) rationalize the building and general administration 10) Put AATech and Roberto Clemente in one building - do not combine the programs, but combine the administration

C'est la vie

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 12:52 a.m.

Same old photo of Pat Green. Then again, she's not giving a whole lot of photo ops, now is she?

JRW

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 12:29 a.m.

"Ann Arbor Public Schools Superintendent Patricia Green said she will accept a cut to her $245,000 salary to help balance the budget for the 2013-14 academic year." This states her salary is $245,000 for the current year. ******************* Green's total compensation in 2012 was $308,433, according to W2 tax information provided by the district. What constitutes the total compensation on the W-2 that brings the 245,000 to 308,000? *************************** I doubt she will take more than 1-2% off that salary as her "cut" = $2450 to $4900. Pretty paltry given her very high salary. It's all about PR.

alarictoo

Fri, Mar 8, 2013 : 3:42 p.m.

@AMOC - Look at the PDF. the $308K is fully explained there, and moving expenses are not part of it.

AMOC

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 8:24 p.m.

One of the items that likely contributed to that difference is that AAPS reimbursed Patricia Green for some or all of her moving expenses. The IRS considers most employer-paid reimbursements for moving expenses to be taxable income, so those amounts show up on her W2. Since this was a one-time item in her contract, it's likely her total compensation for 2013 will be several tens of thousands of dollars less, even before any pay cut.

alarictoo

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 7:39 p.m.

@JRW - "What constitutes the total compensation on the W-2...?" It is all in here, at the top of the second page: http://www.annarbor.com/2013/02/26/Scanned_Document2013-02-25-160655.pdf

jns131

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 12:27 a.m.

So what about Balas? Cut the surplus in Balas. If Green is doing this? Then so shall Balas. Leave everyone else alone.

Scott Reed

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 12:18 a.m.

That is still WAY too much money. I'm sure there are many people equally or more competent who would do the job for a THIRD of what she makes. Shouldn't these overpaid administrators be feeling a deep sense of shame?

mady

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 2:51 p.m.

Scott, they should, but count on it they don't.

Floyd

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 12:13 a.m.

Pat Green's idea of balancing the budget is to fire all the librarians while she holds court with a cabinet of a dozen superintendents. How about we fire the clown cabinet and keep some libraries open for our children!

kuriooo

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 10:31 a.m.

I'd rather share principals at schools than eliminate librarians..

Scott Reed

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 12:19 a.m.

Yes! We need more people who actually DO WORK and fewer bloated administrators.

dancinginmysoul

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 11:56 p.m.

I'm glad to see the Superintendent of the school system using kindergarten logic. Way to hold the bar high there Pat.

Jack

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 11:49 p.m.

How about asking Dr. Green to give up the outrageous >$58,000 contribution to her pension?

Goober

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 9:36 p.m.

We have been taken to the cleaners - by our own school board, no less. If Green was doing the job, it might not be an issue. But, with these results - I am taking my cleaning else where!

alarictoo

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 7:35 p.m.

The PDF is here: http://www.annarbor.com/2013/02/26/Scanned_Document2013-02-25-160655.pdf

alarictoo

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 7:35 p.m.

If you check the PDF file that annarbor.com did recently with information on AAPS staff making $100K plus, the most interesting number in Pat Green's line is the $2,912.70 for life insurance. The most being paid for anyone else on the 2013 list is $336.00. Either they are paying for a LOT more life insurance on her, or she has some very large risk factors.

Floyd

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 11:43 p.m.

Here is Pat Green's plan: cut drama in Ann Arbor by 100 percent, but continue funding JV sports with 2 million dollars. Close Community High, the school with a program that is overwhelmingly successful and which parents in this town want, but keep the rising scholars program which is dismal and functionally bankrupt. Shove Clemente into the still overcrowded Pioneer, but only reschedule the nearly empty halls of Skyline. This woman is out to lunch, and so is the board who hired her. It's time for a REVOTE. Vote out the board!

kris

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 7:23 p.m.

Huh? "the nearly empty halls of Skyline" Have you actually ever been there Floyd?

PhillyCheeseSteak

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 12:42 p.m.

Floyd - I would just like to point out that Skyline H.S.'s halls are not "nearly empty". Skyline is only about 100 students under its full capacity.

Joel A. Levitt

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 11:25 p.m.

This year there is no choice but to cut. For the long term, the state constitution must be amended to permit the imposition of a graduated income tax. We will either pay for our children's education or turn into a second Mississippi.

TheDiagSquirrel

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 11:08 p.m.

She would have never considered cutting her salary if it wasn't for the incessant complaints from the community. See, Annarbor.com commenters DO have some influence ;)

Sonoflela

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 11:01 p.m.

It is quite obvious that someone did have to ask for Dr. Green. She could have done this when this discussion began over a year ago.

Spicy Whitey

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 10:29 p.m.

Does Pat Green even live in Ann Arbor full-time?

Floyd

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 11:35 p.m.

Pat Green lives with her husband on the east coast and work part time in Ann Arbor.

Danielle Arndt

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 10:51 p.m.

This story addresses the superintendent's residency: http://www.annarbor.com/news/education/spokeswoman-ann-arbor-schools-superintendent-works-5-day-week-flies-to-maryland-on-weekends/

RUKiddingMe

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 10:26 p.m.

I hope we keep a close eye on the ACTUAL pay cut, and whether or not it's OFFSET by OTHER gains (e.g. changes in pension, retirement, perks, etc.). History is full of very loud "I'M GOING TO DO THIS"'s and very quiet "it turns out i never did that"'s.

patersa

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 10:21 p.m.

Why does it feel as though Ann Arbor News likes to attack the schools and specifically Dr. Green? "The district has cut its operating budget by about $70 million in the past five years" This may be a factual statement but it fails to recognize that the $70 million in cuts in the past 5 years is not the district's choice. They were forced to cut funding due State budget cuts to public education. For some reason, no one at the Ann Arbor News seems to want to hold the State Government accountable for continual cuts to funding of what should be the most fundamental right of a US citizen, the right to an good education. Government funding on prison's seems to increase while school funding decreases. The lack of full investigation to the root cause of the problem and attacking nature of the articles leads me to conclude the paper is more interested in generating clicks and advertising dollars than providing details for what is happening in our society as it relates to education. This is the same approach that has kept the National Enquirer in business, catchy headline, factually accurate but all fluff.

Jack Panitch

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 4:32 p.m.

DonBee: Wouldn't it be helpful to show the numbers here? I suspect there is no "lie" being told: just two different conversations about two different things. If everyone else is talking about the source of funding available to pay teachers and others, and you come into the same conversation and shift the focus to overall dollars, then both conversants could easily be telling the "truth," and one party has just attempted to hijack the conversation. If you are lumping in the tech millage and other locally sourced revenue streams that can't be used to pay salaries, you might be correct about overall dollars, but that wouldn't be relevant to any discussion of classroom ratio's. So, maybe we could start with your numbers and have a straightforward discussion to parse this out. Also, in the Governor's proposal, money is being diverted from the classroom to MPSERS, which, roughly translated, means less money to pay current teachers and higher student to teacher ratio's in classrooms.

DonBee

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 1:17 a.m.

patersa - Funny the actual spending is up over that 5 year period. The budget is NOT the actual expenditures, it what the school district WANTS to spend. There is only 1 year that the total revenue has gone down at AAPS, that was this year, the Governor has already asked to restore that cut and more for this year. This little "lie" continues to be said around the community.

patersa

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 12:47 a.m.

Paula, as a parent in the District I would think you should be more focused on the cause of the budget cuts and less on salary of our Superintendent . Please review how many articles in the past years have focused on state cuts to education and how many are focused on pay of the people tasked with educating our future. Has the news ever written an article about what % of our local taxes earmarked for education actually get sent back to our district and how the state distributes tax payer money for education? Brady Hoke makes how many millions(at a public education institution)for coaching a game yet people don't get nearly upset about that as they about the people tasked with educating our kids. Teachers, District administrators and most associated with our school system are underpaid and under appreciated. Articles like this may generate clicks but they do not help solve or address the real problem. Period.

Floyd

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 11:33 p.m.

Eagleman, No part of the constitution grants people the right to "freedom from government." Quite contrary to your claims, Americans have been granted the right to a public education since Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers, articulated the public need for citizens of our Republic an education provided by the state. We have honored that tradition for the past three centuries.

Paula Gardner

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 11:24 p.m.

I feel like the state's role in school finance is a part of every story on the district budget. I'll take a look at the past couple of years of articles to see if that perception is wrong.

Ricardo Queso

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 10:50 p.m.

Perhaps you should ask why dollars are (state) allocated per pupil and not on a cost of living basis in each district. That a rural UP district would get the same funding is absurd. The second question you need to ask is how the University plans to compensate AAPS for the ongoing acquisition of property and resultant drop in school millage revenue. And please, no straw man argument that the high salaries at the U make the AAPS an attractive place to live leading to higher assessed values.

eagleman

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 10:44 p.m.

No, an education ought not to be the "most fundamental right" a person has. I hope you are kidding. If not, then it is you who needs an education. The most fundamental right people have is the the right to live free from governmental interference. That is what the Bill of RIghts grant us. Education is not one of those rights.

ChrisW

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 10:20 p.m.

The budget process is going to be a mess. The state won't give the school system more money or let it raise taxes. The teachers won't take less. The parents want buses to pick up their kids and don't want the local elementary to close. It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion knowing there's nothing that can be done to stop it.

Jack Panitch

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 1:09 a.m.

Understandable viewpoint, but too fatalistic. Here are three things we all can do: 1) Go to the Michigan Parents for Schools web site, start reading, and then get involved; 2) attend meetings of the Ann Arbor PTO Council, express an interest in advocacy, and get involved; 3) attend the State Board of Education's forum on K-12 funding and education reform at Pioneer High School's Little Theater at 6:00 p.m., Monday, 3/11, listen to the panel discussion (including SBE President John Austin, SBE Member Eileen Weiser, MSU Prof David Arsen and Attorney Paul Ruddell, the principal drafter of a Governor-Snyder-requested rewrite of the K-12 funding statute) and get additional advice for getting more involved. This latter option is intended to be a balanced panel discussion with the State Board of Education doing outreach to obtain parents' views about education reform efforts in Lansing. I also understand that Trustee Simone Lightfoot is hosting a program on K-12 reform with Representatives David Rutledge and Adam Zemke tomorrow (3/7) night at the Arrowwood Community Center.

jns131

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 12:30 a.m.

Are we in Ann Arbor or Washington? This is beginning to look like a stale mate.

jcj

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 11:39 p.m.

Yes because your Democratic city council and B.O.E. have done such a goood job L.O.L. Not to mention Gov gram cracker.

Joel A. Levitt

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 11:35 p.m.

Sure we can do something about it. We can campaign for a graduated income tax, and we can vote Republican's out of office. We have all the power there is.

Paula Gardner

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 9:51 p.m.

As an AAPS parent, I'm happy to see Pat Green agree to this interview. I believe that the community needs to hear directly from her as we move forward on the budget and other issues in the district.

kris

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 2:01 a.m.

I am just utterly shocked that it's taken this long. Surely some teacher or professor can use this example as a case study in a PR class.

Salbolal

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 1:48 a.m.

This is one of the first times we've actually heard a quote from Dr. Green. Usually, she asks her staff to answer for her, and they take the verbal public abuse.

kuriooo

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 1:01 a.m.

Agreed - I think she really needs to do some PR work with the community. Glad she agreed to this.

jcj

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 11:37 p.m.

We definitely need to hear from her.Too bad it was not sooner.

talker

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 9:13 p.m.

Any cut less than $50,000 is not sharing the pain, IMHO.

jcj

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 8:59 p.m.

Honest Judge was on my way to the police station to pay that fine!

Mike

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 8:57 p.m.

She's in that new "rich" category so if she's smart she'll agree to a pay cut to get her in a different tax bracket. This isn't really her fauld, it is the fault of the board who hired her at such an exorbitant salary........the teachers are next. Even with pay cuts the whole sytem is unsustainable. What about getting rid of Washtenaw Intermediate School District? It had a purpose in a different era and is one of those programs that has re-invented itself to stay around (at great expense). There are over 50 of these districts in the state. I really don't see why we need them anymore, except that the unions would not want to see those jobs go away.

alarictoo

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 7:21 p.m.

The only part of that statement I agree with, @Mike, is: "This isn't really her fault, it is the fault of the board who hired her at such an exorbitant salary..." The BoE went on their search with a salary figure already in mind, and that is what they(we!) paid. The question of importance at this point is: Are we getting our moneys worth?

A2NativeGirl

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 9:01 p.m.

Mike, do you really know what WISD does? Before you make a broad sweeping statement like that, you need to educate yourself!

brimble

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 8:53 p.m.

In the abstract, is a superintendent three times as valuable as a classroom teacher? Is he or she twice as valuable? Is any administrator more valuable to the education of students or to the taxpayers in general than a classroom teacher? Why not adopt the pay rule that no administrator could receive pay higher than the highest paid teacher in the district? The results would be very interesting.

Joel A. Levitt

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 11:42 p.m.

Is a corporate CEO 360 times more valuable than a janitor? No! Is a school superintendentthree times more valuable than a classroom teacher? Yes!

johnnya2

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 11:19 p.m.

Only if we are willing to do that for ALL CEO's of all organizations. Good luck filling the positions by the way. Why would I want to have the added work of a superintendent if I can be a teacher and make the same pay? Talk about communism or socialism. What you are suggesting is EXACTLY that. Maybe you think you know what the job entails, but you havent a clue. I would say if all CEO's were making a multiplier to their rank and file employees that Green is, the world would be a better place.

Dhurandar Bhatavdekar

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 11:08 p.m.

Everything foobar says is correct, EXCEPT that is not directly the "market" that decides the monetary compensation - it is a few individuals involved with the decision. However, this value decided by a few vested individuals becomes the new "market" value. There is a market, and then there are market makers.

eagleman

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 10:37 p.m.

foobar417 nails it. Brimble, a superintendent has far more responsibility than a teacher. What decisions they make impact every person in a school system. A teacher's decision only impacts their students. You really cannot compare the two.

foobar417

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 10:33 p.m.

This makes no sense. All jobs are paid according to the scarcity of the labor pool and the potential magnitude of the upside / downside of performance, not some abstract measure of "value". Are great football coaches more "valuable" than great English professors? Probably not, but they sure are paid more because in economic terms their impact is far more significant. Whether you wish it to be so or not, there are a limited number of candidates capable of running a school district like AAPS. The downside to a bad teacher is little teaching in that one class. The downside to a bad superindendent has the potential to serverely disrupt many classrooms. As such, the market finds the appropriate salary. If we had your proposed pay rule, we would not attract a qualified superintendent.

LuvAA

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 8:49 p.m.

Her performance review by the BOE is coming up shortly in the next week or so...hmmm...wonder if this gets her points?

alarictoo

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 7:11 p.m.

Don't take this wrong #ConcernedMom, but I think it would be really interesting to see some reviews of parents, too. There are a lot of kids coming to school where the parent(s)/guardian(s) at home are either not involved in the education process, or do not think education is valuable. The most important part of a child's education, and educational experience, is their parent(s)/guardian(s) and their involvement in the process. I am not saying there are no bad teachers. But, there are a LOT more parents involved in the education process than there are teachers.

concernedmom

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 2:35 p.m.

I would love to see the reviews of my kids' teachers!!!! (If they actually happen). I am waiting for those reviews to be more stringent, meaningful and made public. I really wish we as parents could give reviews of AAPS teachers. They certainly have no problem pointing the finger at either the family, the superintendent or the governor. It's time for teachers to step up and be accountable for both their behavior and performance in the classroom.

Danielle Arndt

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 9:54 p.m.

LuvAA, the board is having an informal, mid-year review with Green soon. However, the formal evaluation traditionally is not until June. The informal review will take place in a closed, executive session prior to the next board meeting.

Goober

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 9:27 p.m.

The board loves her. I'll bet she gets a glowing review regardless of the financial and head count snafus. We have to remember that not even the school board believes head count and financial performance to budgets are both important. If so, they would have had frequent, routine reviews to insure all is well. This is what most, good management teams do - routinely review performance to goals.

Martha Cojelona Gratis

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 8:41 p.m.

Actually, we did need to ask you or you would have announced this before people found out what your salary is.

Orangecrush2000

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 12:17 a.m.

"Throw around money that is not their own." Yes... In my opinion, this is the main financial problem with public employment.

Goober

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 9:23 p.m.

If the info as reported by ArgoC is correct, it looks like school boards like to throw around money that is not their own, eh?!

ArgoC

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 8:51 p.m.

Her salary has been public since before she was hired. In PA she was making $163K when she was hired in 2005. Her replacement back in PA was hired at $190K.

ArgoC

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 8:39 p.m.

According to old articles, the Board of Education originally set the salary at that highest-in-the-state level when they started the superintendent search back in fall of 2010? I'd love to know the reasoning for that. Is Michigan as a whole just not competitive for this position?

ArgoC

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 : 2:14 a.m.

Wow, that other article contained far more information than I expected. Thank you!

Danielle Arndt

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 9:49 p.m.

ArgoC, this previous story talks more in depth about the board's reasoning and how the initial salary was set: http://www.annarbor.com/news/education/across-the-board-salary-cuts-for-fall-being-discussed-at-ann-arbor-public-schools/. And I think the board would probably think, yes, Michigan is not competitive for superintendents, hence the national search. The AAPS board members wanted the best of the best and to attract a sitting superintendent with experience handling challenges similar to Ann Arbor's, such as the achievement and discipline gaps. Thanks for reading!

applehazar

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 8:34 p.m.

Hey Pat! Step up and give us a $$.

Alan Goldsmith

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 8:34 p.m.

"Green's total compensation in 2012 was $308,433, according to W2 tax information provided by the district." So what is one per cent of this? Lol.

Dhurandar Bhatavdekar

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 11:02 p.m.

One less sandwich at zingermanns

Alan Goldsmith

Wed, Mar 6, 2013 : 8:32 p.m.

"Green, in an interview Tuesday with AnnArbor.com, said she was planning to take a pay cut even before the Ann Arbor schools teachers union president publicly challenged her to reduce her salary." And the public relations campaign begins. Perhaps she can cut her salary to the same llevel the last Superintendent made? With the 'voluntary' pay cut, will she still rank as the highest paid superintendent in the State of Michigan?