Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
1, 2014 By: Eric Litke, Green Bay Press Gazette Unhappy with so-called double dipping, Wisconsin legislators last year limited public retirees ability to return to work while drawing a pension. However, no laws restrict or penalize pensioners from moving between states, a practice that has proven lucrative for several school district administrators in Wisconsin. Kathleen Williams of Wausau and Attila Weninger of Stevens Point both of whom take in more than $335,000 between their pension and salary are among at least six current superintendents drawing pensions in other states and salaries in Wisconsin, according to employment contracts, state records and media reports reviewed by the Gannett Wisconsin Media Investigative Team. At least nine more district administrators are drawing pensions in Wisconsin while continuing to work here or elsewhere. Real retirement is much more fluid than it used to be, said Stan Mack II, district administrator in the Oshkosh Area School District since 2010. Mack this year has a salary of $160,000 in addition to a Minnesota pension of about $98,000, he said. His previous district in Minnesota also covers his health insurance until 2015, when he turns 65. Administrators defend their dual income streams as legitimately earned and consistent with practices in the private sector, noting pensions generally include money they contributed themselves. And school boards say hiring retirees to lead their districts guarantees an experienced hand and limited benefit costs. Williams tops the list of active pensioners at $341,037 in total pay for the 2013-14 school year. That includes a salary of $157,994 from Wausau and an Illinois pension of $183,043, according to a database maintained by the Better Government Association, a nonpartisan group in Illinois that advocates for government transparency with a focus on public spending. Weninger is right behind with a salary of $155,500 from Stevens Point and an Illinois pension of $180,302. Other examples identified by Gannett Wisconsin Media: Don Childs, interim administrator in the Antigo Unified School District in Langlade County, draws pensions from two states, having retired from districts in Illinois in 1994 and Wisconsin in 2004. This year he has a $120,000 salary, an Illinois pension of $100,788 and a Wisconsin pension of about $12,000, he said. Michael Gaunt of the Marion School District in Waupaca County retired in Michigan in 2010 before taking his current post, but he declined to reveal his pension amount, which is not a public record in Michigan. George Steffen of the Trevor-Wilmot School District in Kenosha County draws a $120,400 Illinois pension in addition to a salary of $120,226. Nationwide, about 10 percent of district administrators reported having previously retired, according to a 2013 survey by the American Association of School Administrators. Barry Forbes, associate executive director and staff counsel for the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, said he doesnt believe movement
1 of 4
between states has changed in frequency in recent years. Todd Berry, president of the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, said the pensions are a contractual right and should be allowed, even if the dual incomes might not pass the smell test for some people.
2 of 4
take a reduced-time position, he said. Childs, from Antigo, has filled an array of interim roles since retiring for the second time in 2004, including stops in the Howard-Suamico and Waupun districts. Childs said his retired status saves the district money because they dont contribute toward his pension or pay for his health insurance. But Gannett Wisconsin Media found administrators often leverage cost savings from benefits into other types of compensation. A review of 98 administrator contracts from around Wisconsin about one-fourth of the states 425 districts showed 15 administrators did not receive health insurance benefits through their district. Six of those administrators received annuities, deferred compensation or raises that were listed as being in lieu of insurance.
3 of 4
which a pensioner can return to work in the public sector. William Mayes, executive director of the Michigan Association of School Administrators, said the Michigan law which took effect years ago exacerbated what was already a critical shortage of really good administrators. Mack, from Oshkosh, said the new Wisconsin law is very short-sighted and could have serious consequences in an already limited superintendent market. What I think is most harmful is the restriction on very talented, bright Wisconsin administrators being prohibited from returning to work in another location that needs the expertise, Mack said. I worry about that being a dumbing down of the profession.
4 of 4