The current fight over Kansas' K through 12 education funding has left school systems with an uncertain future.
With that situation, the 41 Action News Investigators obtained a list from each of the following Kansas school districts -- Blue Valley, DeSoto, KCK, Olathe and Shawnee Mission -- of administrators and staff with salaries of $100,000 a year or above.
Each of the five Kansas school districts that 41 Action News Investigators examined have members in the "$100K Club."
However, Shawnee Mission led the pack by far, even with funding uncertainties.
"No additional revenue coming to Shawnee Mission at all. Could we see a decrease in revenue? The answer is yes," said Shawnee Mission Schools Superintendent Jim Hinson.
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District parents were so concerned about a cap or ceiling on local taxes to help fund Shawnee Mission, they tried unsuccessfully to take their case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
"We're getting ready to issue contracts to teachers and other individuals, and we have a very uncertain fiscal picture for the future," Hinson said.
However, according to information exclusively obtained by the 41 Action News Investigators, Shawnee Mission is the leader in administrators making $100,000 a year or more with 76 members in the "$100K Club."
Shawnee Mission also leads in "$100K Club" members per student and by overall percentage of employees.
Shawnee Mission has one "$100K Club" member for every 364 students, and 1.7 percent of the total district employees are members.
Blue Valley, slightly smaller than Shawnee Mission, has one "$100K Club" member for every 526 students, and 1.3 percent of total district employees are members.
Olathe, the largest area district with nearly 30,000 students, has one "$100K Club" member for every 607 students, and 1.1 percent of total district employees are members.
DeSoto, which is much smaller than the other districts, has one "$100K Club" member for every 1008 students, and .8 percent of total district employees are members.
KCK has one "$100K Club" member for every 1032 students, and .5 percent of total district employees are members.
A representative for Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback said, "the governor has repeatedly said we need an education funding formula that puts more money in the classroom where it benefits students and teachers."
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"The salary schedule has been in place for quite some time, so we haven't gone out the last several years and increased the salary schedule for our administrators," said Hinson.
School records show 76 members are left after nine other Shawnee Mission "$100K Club" members were cut last year. Those cuts were part of removing $1.8 million in administrative costs through early retirements and reassignments of 31 positions.
Hinson points out nearly two thirds of his remaining "$100K Club" members work in schools. They include high, middle and elementary school principals, but no teachers.
Not a single teacher in any of the five school districts 41 Action News Investigators examined made the "$100K Club."
Kansas National Education Association Spokesman Marcus Baltzell said his union has noticed there's a state and national trend revealing a growing difference between administrators' and teachers' pay.
"And certainly, that's disconcerting to us and that's something that we address and continue to address," Baltzell said.
Hinson said competition for top administrators is fierce. Hinson said in order to attract and keep them, you have to pay them well.
Baltzell said it's up to voters to elect school board members who serve their interests.
"I don't think it's really our position to second guess the decisions made on a local basis," he said.
"We think that our community is demanding of us," said Hinson. "We want the best and brightest dealing with our children every single day."
In the five school districts 41 Action News Investigators examined, the superintendents for Shawnee Mission, Blue Valley and Olathe each have a salary of $230,000 or above.
DeSoto and KCK's superintendents each are both under $200,000 a year.
Hinson has the highest salary of all five superintendents at over $254,000 a year plus benefits.
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Andy Alcock can be reached at anderson.alcock@kshb.com.
