Beaufort Co. superintendent receives $12,000 raise. He earns thousands more than most
The Beaufort County School Board increased Superintendent Frank Rodriguez’s salary by nearly $12,000 or 5 percent Tuesday night and extended his contract to 2028.
Rodriguez’s annual salary is now $251,254, compared with his previous $239,290. Last year, Rodriguez’s contract was increased by 10% to $231,220, then he received $8,000 in additional bonuses and cost-of-living raises.
Since he was hired in 2019, his starting salary of $210,200 has increased by $41,054 .
The average salary for superintendents of similarly sized districts is $213,000, according to 2021-22 school year data from the School Superintendent’s Association. Rodriguez’s salary is nearly $40,000 higher.
Only 25% of superintendents of similar-sized districts make more than $242,164, according to the same data. Rodriguez’s salary places him in this top 25% by about $9,000.
Rodriguez’s contract was originally four years and was set to expire on June 30, 2023. It was extended until 2027 last year, then again to June 30, 2028 on Tuesday.
Rodriguez will also receive an increase in annual annuity contributions by 1% from 15% to 16% of his salary.
The vote to increase Rodriguez’s salary comes two weeks after the board unanimously voted to give Rodriguez a “highly effective” rating in his annual review for the 2021-22 school year.
William Smith was the only board member who voted “no” to increasing Rodriguez’s salary and board member Rachel Wisnefski was absent.
Rodriguez was not at the meeting and could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday.
Highly effective rating
Rodriguez’s highly effective rating was based on two evaluative elements:
▪ Professional practice review, weighted at 85%
▪ Financial oversight, weighted at 15%
Typically, the review also includes teacher recruitment and retention and student achievement, but they were removed in the 2020-2021 school year due to the pandemic.
The financial oversight metric is determined by how well the district adheres to its annual budget and maintains its bond rating.
“Highlights of the financial oversight measurable component are that the budget was spent with .02% remaining,” board Chair Christina Gwozdz wrote in the evaluation.
Rodriguez, who will be evaluated again at this time next year, said at the last board meeting, “Its a privilege and an honor and I’m a proud superintendent of Beaufort County schools.”
This story was originally published November 16, 2022 at 4:25 PM.
