Here’s a list of the highest paid southwest IL school superintendents through 2019
The Belleville News-Democrat has continued to update its Public Pay Database to include all major metro-east school districts.
To view the BND’s Public Pay Database, go to https://www.bnd.com/publicpay
Here are the top 10 highest paid superintendents in the metro-east as of 2019, according to public records:
The highest paid was East St. Louis Superintendent Arthur Culver, who earned $259,024, according to records provided to the BND from the school district through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Culver first joined the school district in 2011 as a liaison from the Illinois State Board of Education, and two months later was named superintendent. Prior to being hired by the district, Culver spent more than 30 years in public education as a teacher and administrator.
The second-highest paid was former Granite City School District Superintendent James Greenwald, who earned $203,756.
Greenwald retired from his post as superintendent of Granite City schools in June 2020 after working at the district for 30 years. He served as superintendent for seven years. Current Superintendent Stephanie Cann stepped into the role after Greenwald’s official retirement.
The third-highest earner was Cahokia School District Superintendent Arnett Harvey, who earned $203,061.
Harvey was named superintendent in 2019 after working as the chief financial officer for the district for 25 years.
The fourth-highest paid was Mascoutah School District Superintendent Craig Fiegel, who earned $189,000, and the fifth-highest was O’Fallon High School District Superintendent Darcy Benway, who earned $185,657.
6. Mark Cappel - Alton School District - $181,318
7. Mark Skertich - Collinsville School District - $179,174
8. Leigh Lewis - Triad School District - $172,966
9. Matthew Klosterman - Belleville School District 118 - $172,500
10. Brian Charron - Waterloo School District - $166.949
The BND’s Public Pay Database goes back to 2011 with information obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests. The salary information does not always include insurance or benefits. Some records include detailed information on overtime and other pay, while for some districts that information was not readily available.
The database includes worker compensation in most local governments, including cities, counties, townships, school districts and local colleges and universities. More pay records will be added as the BND receives salary data through open records requests.
This story was originally published April 30, 2021 at 5:00 AM.