As clear as mud
This week's column.
How much does outgoing Guilford County Schools Superintendent Terry Grier make?
It depends on whom you ask.
According to a recent News & Record story, Grier is paid $226,932.94 a year, plus benefits and other perks that bring his total annual compensation to $372,193.57.
According to an editorial in the same edition, Grier is paid $202,903 a year, plus perks and benefits.
Both figures came from the same source: Grier's employer, Guilford County Schools.
"So, which is it?"we asked school officials.
Both, they said. And possibly neither, depending on what you include in those figures.
Or what you leave out.
Uh, come again?
During a 90-minute telephone interview, school officials deciphered what each set of numbers means, and why one doesn't jibe with the other. With an adding machine whirring madly in the background, Chief Financial Officer Sharon Ozment said Grier's actual salary is so hard to pin down because it contains so many components. For instance, he makes $18,000 a year as a lecturer at UNCG, money that is paid by the local business community, not taxpayers. And his car allowance has been converted to salary.
Occasionally, I'd ask a question and Ozment and another staff member would put me on hold and huddle, like a Quiz Bowl team.
She conceded: "It's convoluted. And confusing.”
No kiddin'?
The confusion began last fall, when the school system distributed a detailed history of Grier's salaries and raises since he was hired in 1999. According to those figures, Grier's annual salary increased in late 2007 from $187,873 to $202,903, following an 8 percent raise.
So, an editorial about Grier's new job as superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District, logically, compared that figure to Grier's announced base pay in California of $269,000 a year.
When contacted by phone, Grier confirmed $202,903 as his base salary in Guilford County. Scratch that, he said in a later call. His base salary actually is $237,000. "That's what I meant to say,"Grier said.
You'd think he'd be sure.
Could the numbers be convoluted by design? After all, the school board uses the $202,903 figure to compute Grier's raises. So if Grier gets a 5 percent raise, it's 5 percent of that number. And 5 percent of $202,000 is a lot less than 5 percent of $237,000 — and more palatable to taxpayers. And voters.
It gets curiouser. Grier's raises are retroactive. The increase he got in 2007 was applied to his previous year's salary.
The bottom line? As of Sunday, Feb. 10, 2008, here is what the superintendent makes:
-- Base salary: $226,933;
-- Local differential (formerly his travel allowance): $9,000;
-- Longevity: $11,980;
-- Local annual leave: $17,722;
-- Local insurance/benefit conversion: $18,777;
-- Local retirement reimbursement: $14,303;
-- Local service purchase (a buyout of his retirement contract with the state): $73,479;
--Grand total: $372,193.
A board member who happens to be a CPA, Garth Hebert agrees that the moving compensation target "seems a little funky.”
He also believes some board members are just as confused as anyone else. He was made privy to the most recent numbers breakdown in late December, Hebert said, "at the same time everyone else got them.”
What hope, then, can there possibly be for the rest of us?
But since most of that money is theirs, taxpayers do have a right to know. The numbers that come up for public discussion ought to be clear and consistent: apples to apples — not to oranges, grapes, pears and bananas. (What Hebert describes as "numbers du jour.”)
At some point the county will hire Grier's successor. It should communicate what it pays that person clearly, in plain English, so all of us can understand it. Without the aid of a CPA.
Or as Hebert put it, "Let the public judge us herewith and quit screwing around with the numbers.”
Comments (24)
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Why would they want to make it so confusing?
Do you think that they SB really knew his true salary was close to 400K before last autumn?
All in all its very strange.
Posted on February 10, 2008 9:15 AM
Thanks for clearing up the confusion on his salary - I am shocked!
What do you think about Mrs. Becoats now reporting to her husband, Mr. Becoats?
I can tell you that I don't like it one bit - it's yet another unethical event in GCS.
Also, can you please find out what Ms. Ozment's and Mr. Becoats' salary will be - both pre- and post- co-interims?
Posted on February 10, 2008 11:49 AM
Next perhaps you might want to look into how much money the Guilford County schools actually spend each year. I suspect that would be as big as, or an even bigger shock than the Superintendant's pay fiasco.
Please give us the totals received by the school sytem including state and local taxes, any federal funding, funds from the "education" lottery, grants from individuals, businesses of all sizes, bond issues, non-claimed tax refunds, and any source I may have missed. Let's compare how those figures would square with what is reported as the expenditures! If corporate leaders kept their books like the county does, they would be in prison.
Posted on February 10, 2008 1:13 PM
NEWS & RECORD EDITOR/COLUMNIST AWAKES FROM FOUR YEAR COMA.
Greensboro N.C.
A well-known Greensboro editor-Allen "Rip-Van" Johnson today awoke from a four-year coma. Shortly after awaking and after consuming several Starbucks expressos and two cans of Red Bull, he proclaimed that people at GCS either have no idea what they are doing or are liars- a conclusion reached long ago by many sentinent citizens of the community and which recently has been reached by many regarding Greensboro city govt. also.
Johnson's last known coherent missive about GCS was some four years ago; when he was last heard promulgating that busing was a good thing-as long as it was in some other town besides his. He then was heard to mutter something about Dr. Grier being innovative... before suddenly losing consiousness in mid-sentence at his keyboard in the spring of 2004. "It's a miracle" exclaimed John Robinson, chief editor of the Record. Doctors are still at a mystery, although there is some speculation Rip Van Johnson was drugged during a social function sponsored by Action Greensboro.
Several members of the community were also skeptical of this apparent awakening, citing the upcoming bond referendum- when people will be expected to hand over hundreds of millions of dollars to the same, above-mentioned people.
Never-the-less, some citizens of the N&R's circulation area are not looking a gift horse in the mouth and applaud this seeming miracle here in the Triad. "Better late than never" some were heard to say. Another was heard to say; "maybe he was just tired".
Regardless, Welcome back Allen!
Posted on February 10, 2008 8:08 PM
Allen, you have to admit that the guy that wrote that is very funny.
I haven't seen a blog post as funny as this one since the very same newsflasher himself wrote one after a hard day campaigning at the polls and after several iced teas a year or so ago!
Posted on February 10, 2008 10:26 PM
Yeah, pretty funny. I hope no one reports him to Allen on the abuse thing.
But let's agree on something other than the idiocy of the moving target--namely, the idiocy of the pay range itself. In real terms, Grier has done a mediocre job (to be charitable), but in the educational world, real terms mean diddly squat. What counts as capital is program generation in the name of progressive, cutting-edge educational "theory." As I've said before, it makes perfect sense for someone like Grier to ignore discipline issues and other real life concerns in favor of la-la land pedagogy, administrative busy-work, and number shuffling. That's what pays. That's what gets you better jobs.
If we paid half as much, we'd doubtlessly get someone with twice as much sense.
Posted on February 11, 2008 1:46 AM
Abuse is making a case to bus other peoples children but not your own!
Posted on February 11, 2008 6:35 AM
Truth:
Yes, I have to admit, the comment about Rip Van Johnson was a hoot.
Even as I wiped the sleep from my eyes, I had to chuckle.
Posted on February 11, 2008 8:42 AM
That Newsflash is a genius. I bet he would make lots of money as a songwriter writing songs about the system.
Posted on February 11, 2008 9:10 AM
That Newsflash is a genius. I bet he would make lots of money as a songwriter writing songs about the system.
Posted on February 11, 2008 9:11 AM
That Newsflash is a genius. I bet he would make lots of money as a songwriter writing songs about the system.
Posted on February 11, 2008 9:11 AM
That Newsflash is a genius. I bet he would make lots of money as a songwriter writing songs about the system.
Posted on February 11, 2008 9:12 AM
That Newsflash is a genius. I bet he would make lots of money as a songwriter writing songs about the system.
Posted on February 11, 2008 9:12 AM
What you have happened upon here, Allen, is a rudimentary, tip-of-the-iceberg entree into the shadow world of GCS-an inland empire where nothing is known for sure, people are dealt solely on a piecemeal need-to-know basis, where up is down and black is white- a morass supported on pilings of political back-scratching, secret agendi featuring no-bid contracts, self-serving school demographic manipulation by realty interests, and enabled by either apathy or the largesse of high level G-Boro politicians who themselves participate in similar shadow organizations of their own, all presided over by it's very own Col. Kurtz AKA Terry Grier.
One's sympathy goes out to anyone, journalist or otherwise who attempts to negotiate the eddies and currents of the river leading in, especially Garth-GC's own Captain Willard. He's had some help along the way-like from the USO Show Go-Go dancers Nancy, Anita and Darlene and Mr. Belton is trying his best to waterski behind the boat. Arriving he found the crazed photo-journalist and quasi-Grier groupie-the Dennis Hopperian Mr. Duncan.
Just like Col. Kurtz in the Apocalypse Now movie, Grier knew what was going to play out from the day Garth started his journey upriver, and in some ways he's welcomed it, knowing that his time had come (See Hoggsblogg thread "GCS is now Headless") and his California steamer had arrived.
One says a prayer for Garth, and one is sorry in a way for Terry Grier who-like Kurtz, went into the jungle with the best of intentions and tried to appease the various indigini and their political non educational agendi, took the proffered cash, and in the process- became them.
The cruel irony is once Dr. Grier began to adress real issues instead of political agendi he has actually begun to make some progress, for instance-you hear very little about dicipline issues etc. from HP schools today compared to say three or four years ago.
Obviously, the lay of the land needs to change if they expect citizens to approve large bond packages etc. It's time for a new way of doing things, with hopefully even more new people in the future, especially after the next election.
Posted on February 11, 2008 10:07 AM
Allen,
You're probably taking another nap, so sorry to bother you, but can you find out the following info for us all:
1. How much does Sharon Ozment make (in total) today?
2. How much will Sharon Ozment make (in total) beginning March 14?
3. How much does Eric Becoats make (in total) today?
4. How much will Eric Becoats make (in total) beginning March 14?
5. The fact that Mrs. Becoats reports to Mr. Becoats - isn't that a blatant conflict of interest?
Posted on February 11, 2008 2:28 PM
Allen, you know the mere fact that you made an inquiry into Grier's salery makes you a nitpicker and naysayer.
One has to agree with Mr. Melvin on this one.
Don't worry about corruption or incompetence in your school system or city gov't. or police dept. Forget those silly memos, LET'S PLAY GOLF!!!
...Or let's build the GC taxbase. You know, like that nice old woman who had the dress shop, or that video store entrepeneur who went into a part of town where not a lot of people open businesses.
Er...Ah..., Jimmy, it looks like they tried...but somebody kind of...SHOT THEM!!!.
I wonder if Tiger will come.
Posted on February 12, 2008 8:46 AM
Nice work, Allen. Please keep it up.
I would suggest that the confusion over Dr. Grier's salary is hardly a coincidence or an accident. GCS has a long-standing policy of reporting financial information in the most convoluted, confusing manner possible. This is particularly true when the financial information may prove unpopular with the public, such as finding out that the superintendent's compensation is nearly $400,000 a year - or ten times the amount many GCS teachers make.
Clearly, the school administration doesn't want the public to know certain financial details. It is up to us, the taxpayers, to demand that information. Media pressure, like this column, can help a great deal.
Posted on February 12, 2008 9:43 AM
I think Allen has gone back to sleep.
Posted on February 12, 2008 11:49 AM
ZZZZZZZZZZZZ!
Posted on February 12, 2008 1:19 PM
I too would like to agree with Jim Melvin. Let's not dwell on the negatives like problems with the police force and get stuck in the mud. Let's build the taxbase and develop businesses. I do see what that kind of loopy fellow above is trying to say too. From my experience, making out payroll and doing that F.I.C.A. and Federal and all that is a real pain, but trying to do it when your dead is probably a real mother-----r.
Posted on February 12, 2008 1:54 PM
Sorry I've been unavailable. It's been a busy afternoon.
On Jim Melvin, I understand and appreciate his passion for Greensboro but I disagree that the recent issues to which he refers are "nitpicking" or "naysaying."
Like, Jim, I'm a Greensboro native and love this place dearly.
But I also believe constructive criticism is one means of making this a better place to live.
That said, at some point we need to move on. We as a community are not good at that.
Posted on February 12, 2008 7:28 PM
Allen,
This strand's subject is Grier's salary. There were many questions asked of you in this strand regarding this subject. When you finally awoke, you addressed a Jim Melvin comment????
Please rub your eyes and re-read the posts on subject.
What do you think of Mrs. Becoats reporting to Mr. Becoats?
How much salary increase will Mr. Becoats and Ms. Ozment receive on March 14?
Posted on February 13, 2008 9:14 AM
The questions about Becoats and Ozment are better addressed to the education reporters over at The Chalkboard.
They're all good questions to which I don't have the answers.
Posted on February 14, 2008 9:17 AM
Allen,
Been there, done that.
The same questions have been posted multiple times on the Chalkboard. No answers.
I guess Morgan is sleeping now.
Posted on February 14, 2008 11:56 AM