SEQUIM — Several Sequim School District administrators are getting pay bumps after the district’s school board approved salary increases.
Board directors on June 21 unanimously approved 4-0 — director Brandino Gibson was absent — the annual base salary of Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Maughan to $153,380, the base salary of Director of Business Operations Darlene Apeland to $133,320, and the base salary of Director of Human Resources Victoria Balint to $132,000.
According to the district, Maughan is earning $150,373, Apeland $103,988 and Balint $120,791 in base salary for the 2020-2021 school year.
Sequim schools Interim Superintendent Jane Pryne said staff did a market analysis to help adjust the salaries to be commensurate with surrounding school districts.
In the case of the assistant superintendent role — where just one of the seven surrounding school districts had a similar position — Sequim staff looked to place the salary higher than the high school principal and lower than the superintendent’s.
The market analysis showed the assistant superintendent position had experienced a 13 percent net increase since 2018, the director of human resources position increased 5 percent since 2018, and the director of business operations had a net 11 percent decrease since 2018.
Pryne said the salary adjustments follow a trend in the district, and that if there is a general increase in other salaries, these would follow.
“The fiscal conservative in me is obliged to ask the question … what safe measures are there in place to keep this an overall escalation of salaries?” Director Brian Kuh asked at the June 21 meeting.
Pryne said these positions are not tied to bargaining groups, and those who hold them negotiate with the superintendent and that each contract is up to the school board directors for approval.
