Salaries of school superintendents in the Buffalo region have outpaced inflation during the past decade, according to the Buffalo News (here).

Pay for all but one school superintendent in Erie and Niagara counties outpaced inflation, in most cases by double digits, according to data from the state Education Department.

The newspaper examined 10 years of salary statistics for 37 superintendents in school districts outside of the city of Buffalo (excluded because the department does not collect comparable data for Buffalo).

All told, the superintendents in Erie and Niagara counties cost taxpayers about $7.1 million in salary and benefits, or 54 percent more than a decade ago, even though many presided over years of mostly stagnant or declining enrollments.

(snip)

Howard S. Smith, superintendent of Williamsville schools, the largest suburban district, was hired in 2004 and is now paid $216,500, the state data shows. That is just slightly less than Buffalo Schools Superintendent James Williams’ annual salary of $220,000. His benefits total $66,119.

A recent Empire Center analysis found total professional payrolls of school districts (which include administrators and teachers) increased 5 percent during the 2008-09 school year (here). This included a 19 percent jump in the number of teachers and administrators making $100,000 or more.

For more statewide 2008-09 salaries of school superintendents, see the “Payroll” section of the Empire Center’s transparency web site, SeeThroughNY.net. Contracts of 700 school superintendents, which describe wages and benefit packages, are available on under the “Contracts” section.

Originally Published: NY Public Payroll Watch