BOW VALLEY – The superintendent for the Canadian Rockies Public School board will collect a base salary of $220,000 annually for the next four years, well above the salary cap set out by the province last week.
Chris MacPhee confirmed his contract won’t expire until 2022, which means the superintendent’s salary won’t be cut by $46,000 during his current tenure because new rules do not apply to existing contracts. Under the new rules, he would make a maximum of $174,000 annually.
The board also confirmed it will not amend his salary until his contract expires or a new superintendent is hired.
“The minister was very clear that the new regulations do not apply to existing contracts, but will apply when those contracts are up for renewal or renegotiation,” wrote Carol Picard, chair of the board.
“The CRPS board of trustees will adhere to the new regulations when it is time to either hire a new superintendent or when Mr. MacPhee’s contract is up for renewal or renegotiations.”
Picard said that as far she was aware there isn’t a single school division in the province that intends to renegotiate the existing contract with its superintendent.
According to the province, MacPhee is the 13-highest paid superintendent in Alberta and among a group of 11 other superintendents whose contract won’t expire until 2022. Eighteen other superintendents won’t see their contracts expire until August 2023.
On June 1, the province announced a new compensation framework to rein in superintendent salaries which had increased by about 10 per cent between 2011 and 2016.
The new rules will cut superintendents’ salaries by about the same amount, however, it only applies to appointments and reappointments as superintendents’ contracts expire. A school board may also amend a contract before it expires if it wishes.
“I am proud to be part of a government that reined in excessive compensation for public sector executives,” wrote Education Minister David Eggen.
“Clear limits for superintendent pay will help ensure public funds continue to be put in the classrooms, where it can do the most good for Alberta’s students, while ensuring boards can continue to recruit top leaders.”
MacPhee, who is also the president of the College of Alberta School Superintendents, confirmed his organization will adhere to the new regulations.
“We will work with the government to ensure the new structure is implemented properly across the province and our collective energy remains focused on our students.”
The new rules were implemented after a report prepared for the Alberta School Boards Association earlier this year found that the province’s superintendents were paid “significantly higher” than their counterparts in Ontario, Saskatchewan and British Columbia.
In reaction to the report, Eggen promised to review superintendents’ salaries and followed through on his promise last week.
According to the province, the cut in compensation will put about $1.5 million back into classrooms.
Under the new pay structure, superintendents’ salaries are separated into five levels based on the roles and responsibilities of the different organizations they lead, with different salary ranges in place for each level.
CRPS is considered a level two division, which means a superintendent can make a base salary between $145,000 and $174,000 annually.
In addition to the new pay structure, during its review, the province also found 17 contracts featured retirement allowances or severance pay agreements that included up to one year’s full salary.
There were also several “outlier provisions” found in several contracts that will no longer be allowed under new rules, including $1,200 a year for a gym membership, $10,000 for a superintendent’s children’s post-secondary education and a $25,000 per year “executive compensation” fund. MacPhee confirmed that his contract does not include a severance package upon retirement, or any outlier provisions.
“My contract does not contain any of the outlier provisions mentioned by the minister and referred to in your article, not one, including any retirement benefit. I would never have requested such clauses,” wrote MacPhee.
According to Picard, MacPhee’s contract is evaluated by the board every year and every second year an independent consultant is brought in to evaluate him by gathering anonymous feedback from staff, including custodians, teachers, administrators, school councils and board members.
“To date, he has been stellar in meeting and exceeding the contract’s stipulations and meeting or exceeding his own professional portfolio’s goals.”
