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Grier's salary in the 99-00 school year was $164K; his salary in this school year will be $203K. That works out to a 23.8 percent nominal increase.

Consider however that prices have also gone up over that time. The increase in prices (CPI-U) from 1999 to 2007 was 24.8 percent. So in real terms, Grier's salary has not quite kept pace with inflation.

Grier received a raise this year and last year, but he went three years before that without a raise. The current raise is only his 4th in 8 going on 9 years as superintendent.

I hope that Allen will put the raise in perspective.

Thanks, Dave. I suppose another perspective might be: Who would want his job at any salary?

Doug:

You've hit on the key economic question which is could we get a better person for this or a lower salary. GCS is not the biggest system in the country, but it is still an incredibly complex organization. Grier's salary does not seem out of line with the job requirements or his relative performance.

The American Association of School Administrator's reports that the average salary in 06-07 for a superintendent in a system with 25,000 or more students (GCS has nearly three times that many) was just over $200K (see http://www.aasa.org/career/content.cfm?ItemNumber=2295 ).

The BOE set the conditions and goals for Dr. Grier getting a raise. As I understand it, he met them. Are they to renig on their agreement and not give him a raise?

I hate to sound like a socialist here; but unfortunately a very small raise for a high paid person appears to be the cost of hiring a cook or janitor.