Staying a second year in Detroit has netted Detroit Public Schools Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb an $81,000 raise, most of it coming from private foundations.
Bobb will make $425,000 under his one-year contract extension that took effect Tuesday, compared to $344,000 in his first year on the job, according to a copy of the contract obtained by The Detroit News.
His base salary will increase from $260,000 to $280,000 and he’ll also get $145,000 in supplemental income from the Los Angles-based Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation and other unidentified philanthropic organizations. That’s up from $84,000 in private money last year.
The raise sends a bad message to district employees, Detroit Federation of Teachers President Keith Johnson said, since it comes as hundreds of district employees have been laid off and union workers have been asked to make steep concessions.
“I think it is really disingenuous to get what amounts to an $80,000 raise when so many people are being asked to take pay cuts,” Johnson said.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm “continues to be pleased with Robert Bobb’s work in making the tough decisions that will benefit kids in the classroom,” said her spokeswoman, Liz Boyd. Granholm appointed Bobb to second one-year term that expires March 1, 2011.
Bobb’s base salary is on par with the $280,000 ousted DPS Superintendent Connie Calloway earned. Bobb also will continue to get benefits similar to what she received, including a car, security detail, health insurance and a tax-sheltered annuity worth 8 percent of his compensation.
The base salary is higher than the average pay of $228,000 for superintendents of urban school districts, according to a 2008 survey by the Council of the Great City Schools.
During his first year, Bobb has drawn praise for rooting out waste, fraud and corruption in the district. He won support from Detroit voters for a $500.5 million bond proposal to renovate and build 18 schools. He also launched a massive effort to boost literacy, getting more than 5,100 volunteers from around Metro Detroit to help teach students how to read.
But his tenure has had conflict. He’s also been fighting the school board over control of academics. He’s closed 29 schools and dozens more are expected to be shuttered this year. He’s also drawn criticism for hiring outside contractors to no-bid deals.
“There’s no proof that he’s made it better,” said school board President Otis Mathis III, who’s frustrated that Granholm approved giving Bobb a raise with district money.
While he was appointed by the governor to help eliminate the district’s deficit, spending is expected to increase by $99.4 million under Bobb.
The reason for that, district spokesman Steve Wasko said, includes rescinding layoffs to ensure proper staffing for children and unfinished labor contracts with other unions.
“I think anyone who has encountered Mr. Bobb from Day 1 knows that he has given 1,000 percent each and every day to Detroit’s schoolchildren,” Wasko said in an e-mail.
The salary increase was designed to get Bobb’s base pay on par with the former superintendent, which didn’t happen in last year’s contract, Wasko said. Bobb also insisted that language be added to ensure he would take the same concessions and furloughs as other non-union executive staff, he said.
Teacher Ann K. Crowley said Bobb is earning his raise by saving the district money. Though the teacher contract Bobb negotiated means a $250 deduction from her paycheck, Crowley said she supports Bobb.
“I really believe his heart and soul are committed to bringing justice to the children in the city of Detroit,” Crowley said.
Sharon Kelso, a DPS grandparent and community activist, says Bobb doesn’t deserve the raise. Since he took over there’s been chaos in the schools, she said.
“Before anyone has an increase, we have to have some kind of report of what the results are,” said Kelso, whose granddaughter is a junior at Mumford High School. “And results from where I’m looking are not good.”
The Broad Foundation increased its contribution to Bobb from $28,000 to $56,000 this year. The district, foundation or the state did not reveal the names of other philanthropic organizations that donated the remaining $89,000. None of the foundations receive DPS money under contracts, Wasko said.
Eli Broad, founder of the Los Angeles-based foundation, is a graduate of DPS’ Central High School. The private support represents a competitive investment to keep Bobb in Detroit and to offset the cost of the salary to the district, said Erica Lepping, spokeswoman for the foundation.
Bobb is a 2005 graduate of the Broad Superintendents Academy, a rigorous 10-month executive management training program designed to prepare bright executives to lead school systems. “We think very highly of him and it’s fair to say that to us he represents the best hope that Detroit students have,” Lepping said.
From The Detroit News:
