Some Illinois Districts Freeze Top Administrators' Pay

The Chicago Tribune (5/8, Malone) reports, "In yet another sign of school belt-tightening, several Illinois districts are freezing the pay of top administrators as they try to squeeze money from tight budgets." For instance, "in Quincy School District 172, school board member Jeff Mays pushed to freeze pay for 22 of 28 administrators who were not locked into retirement contracts, shaving an estimated $62,000 from next year's budget." And "in Lake Zurich School District 95, officials expect to save $119,000 by freezing the pay of 226 administrators." The Chicago Tribune notes that "freezing the top salaries will not single-handedly solve school budget woes," because on average, only about 2.5 percent of an Illinois district's budget goes toward administrators' salaries, "according to the state education agency. Still, cuts at the top help, and can signal that economic suffering is shared."