Teacher salaries vs leadership salaries

[Avalon]

Thanks to all contributors at this thread.

But PLEASE let’s not forget the central point in Mr. Hibbett’s letter.

We are NOT in a normal situation, so any normal assessment of salaries doesn’t hold.

1. Our budget is in serious deficit.
2. We have bled away at least 67% of our endowment.
3. We cannot uphold the promise of the mission.

Surely that means the focus should be on our top leaderships’ salaries. They must lead the way in making a sacrifice. Their sacrifice should be the greatest. That’s what’s called leadership.

And there is is simply no way to excuse raises at the top while the “troops'” salaries are frozen. That’s just plain wrong.

[ClassOf19]

[ClassOf19]

[Maunakea]

At last Tuesday’s meeting on campus, trustee Pacheco de Alas argued that they had to pay Andy top dollar, because otherwise he, or any other Academy head, would be “poached” by another school or institution. So apparently we need to pay the Academy head more than the president of UNM to retain him.

What nonsense. Working at an independent school is not about making money. It’s a call to service. The professional ethic is the same as that which motivates people to work at charities for much less than they would make in other professions.

There are in fact plenty of good candidates in the NAIS community who would love to serve as head of school at the Academy for much less than Andy makes. They would recognize the nobility of our mission, the opportunity to serve the needs of a poor state, and the beauty of our surroundings.

To any candidate who asked, “Why is the Academy’s compensation so much less than Andover’s, or Exeter’s, or Choate’s?” the answer should be, “You don’t understand what we do here at the Academy, and because you don’t, you are not a suitable candidate. Good luck with your search.”

I personally took my job at the Academy many years ago at far less pay than several offers elsewhere for just this reason. And many of my colleagues, a superb faculty who came from all over the country, did the same.

So, trustees, can we please dispense with this canard?

[R. T.]

It’s admissions season among the four main private schools in Albuquerque.

Consider, in thinking about the Watson-Gordon duo, that the admissions department at Academy has to find TWENTY-FIVE full-pay ($24K) candidates JUST TO PAY Watson and Gordon’s base salaries, never mind bonuses and perks (of which there are plenty).

And yet, according to Watson and the Board, our Headmaster, who oversaw the loss of $200 million in endowment, is underpaid.

Does this make sense to anyone besides the Board and the beneficiaries of this scam?

[Author]

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