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panderingPenguin

That's not exactly a shocking amount of money for that role. You can disagree with Jones' performance.  But that salary sounds low, if anything, for someone managing an organization of that size.


Opposite_Formal_2282

Yep. Especially in a city as rich as Seattle. $335k in total compensation is something you can easily make as a higher-level individual contributor at one of the larger tech companies in town. I know some people pulling down more than that at Meta or Google who do exactly zero managing. Anyone working in tech here managing an organization the size of Seattle Public Schools is pulling down at least $1M/year if not way way more. Seems like a fair salary for the head of a massive public entity and probably underpaid if anything for the area when you compare it to the private sector.


FuckedUpYearsAgo

"Easily make" is not exactly true. This type of total comp is well beyond average or median. Especially in 2024, post covid quite layoffs. "$1M/year" ... are you this guys PR? People are paid high salaries in order for for-profit entities to move quickly into new revenue opportunities using existing skills that the hire possesses. It's not an intrinsic value of the role, and it moves from industry to industry.


Opposite_Formal_2282

> This type of total comp is well beyond average or median. I promise you it's very common if you're a staff/principal level SWE or PM and work at a big tech company. *Easily* $350k/year or more. Some people at just the Senior level at the companies that pay well like Google or Meta are also making that much. Even new offers in this very employer friendly market at the staff/principal level are $350k or more TC. And those people aren't even in management. > "$1M/year" ... are you this guys PR? People are paid high salaries in order for for-profit entities to move quickly into new revenue opportunities using existing skills that the hire possesses. It's not an intrinsic value of the role, and it moves from industry to industry. All I'm saying is that anyone in tech in Seattle (and probably most for-profit industries, I can't speak to every industry I guess) leading an organization of more than 5,000 is making a looooot more than $335k. I know public and private sectors aren't exactly analogous, but if you want good talent, $335k seems pretty fair.


JB_Market

The comparison isn't with the average tech worker, its with a top of the heap worker. This person is in charge of hundreds if not thousands of employees and a large portfolio of real estate, buildings, and investments.


buythedipnow

It is for the results that person has been getting. She should be out of a job, not getting a raise.


panderingPenguin

Brent Jones is a man. And the market is what the market is. Perhaps this number is why SPS is stuck with him.


yaleric

Why would anyone who's actually capable of running a large organization take that job for that level of pay when they could make triple that as a director at a tech company?


FuckedUpYearsAgo

They aren't actually capable of running a large organization?


yaleric

Maybe we should find someone who is, and offer them a salary appropriate for their skills.


ArmaniMania

Maybe because he can’t get that tech job that pays triple that.


Bride_of_Inslee

Public school employees are the least impressive people in American society.


PermabannedForWhat

Well, yours were.


Bride_of_Inslee

Yes.


yaleric

Then we should offer higher salaries in order to attract more impressive staff.


andthedevilissix

Higher salaries? Ok but coupled with higher qualifications and getting rid of unions that protect bad performers. Teachers should be from the TOP of their classes - you shouldn't be able to teach 1-12 if your Uni GPA was lower than 3.8, and you should have subject matter expertise instead of a worthless degree in social justice activism which is what most education degrees are.


Bride_of_Inslee

Nah, bruh. Teachers are parasites. Automate them. Black kids will listen to Chat GPT. They don;t give a fuck about ~~green haired, pronoun-frenzied loafers~~ public school teachers.


yaleric

Wow, that's a terrible idea.


Bride_of_Inslee

Incorrect. Teachers have failed. It's time to automate them. They can learn to code n shit. lol.


Bride_of_Inslee

Now do Chris Reykdal. That drunk-of-the-week is the reason we are in this mess.


PermabannedForWhat

Legitimately curious how so? Does he hire the district superintendents or negotiate their contract?


Felistoria

A lot of the issues in public schools are due to directives pushed down from OSPI (which he is the head of). He also left districts to fend for themselves during Covid by providing damn near 0 guidance. He’s not well liked by public school employees.


PermabannedForWhat

Im a public school employee. Completely ambivalent about him. He’s a figurehead.


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Immediate-Table-7550

Your husband finished in the bottom of his class at med school and likely works as a general practitioner. Decent specialists easily clear $500k.


YoooCakess

Being the superintendent is far more difficult and important… what’s your point?


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YoooCakess

They should pay the superintendent more I agree


HeyAQ

That man is shatteringly incompetent but I’m not shocked at his pay grade.


AnywhereImaginary835

Meanwhile Brad at Amazon in downtown Seattle makes 330k a year coding algorithms that fire his colleagues. Brad’s team is 400 people and they all make north of 200k.


dandr01d

330k is mid level at Amazon. Someone managing a team of 400 would be a VP making millions a year


travcunn

The school system is way less toxic than Amazon though. And you get more vacation time too. Amazon is what, 2 weeks for your first year of work? Fucking lol


dandr01d

I’m just saying that 335k is not high for a SPS Superintendent at all


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dandr01d

You think the Superintendent of SPS doesn’t deal with toxicity? Cmon now. I guarantee you that they are a million times more stressed and burnt out than the average middle level Amazon engineer


edhcube

Cool, now he can afford a 3br single family home (maybe)


DuckWatch

Singapore is famous for paying its government employees extremely well and is able to have very high standards as a result.


Responsible-End7361

That is more than most Seattle police officers!


AlphaSixInsight

Admin staff pay needs to be capped at $200,000


drubiez

This is too much money.... A glorified seat warmer gets paid well over a quarter mil a year, but people with PhD's and MD's slaving away at hospitals and clinics get paid under 100k? Where is the equity? Why are administrators paid so well above skilled and professional labor in this state?


Extreme-Customer9238

Not sure where you live but it is not all that much money in Seattle.