Superintendent to Be One of Highest Paid

James T. Fleming will be the fourth highest paid superintendent of an Orange County unified school district when he takes over the Capistrano Unified School District on July 1, according to his contract approved by the Board of Trustees this week.

Fleming, 49, a Florida educator for 27 years, will be paid $117,000 annually, according to the four-year contract. He will also receive a $500 monthly automobile allowance, a $300-a-month expense account and a $200,000 term life insurance policy. He will also receive 22 days of vacation a year.

Such provisions are common in Orange County school superintendent contracts, according to a survey of the 11 unified districts.

The district also agreed to pay for Fleming’s moving expenses and four pre-employment trips to California. It will also give him a housing relocation allowance of $12,000 plus $1,000 a month for three years to compensate for higher housing costs in this area.

Fleming is the associate superintendent for district management and community relations for the Dade County school district. Fleming will be replacing Jerome R. Thornsley, who is retiring June 30.

In a telephone interview Wednesday from Miami, he said districts are large enterprises and salaries reflect that.

“Being a superintendent is a very complex position,” Fleming said. “The person is expected to exhibit executive leadership as the chief operating officer, is the secretary and adviser to the (board of trustees) and that is a great deal of responsibility. The six-figure salary is a reflection of that.”

Fleming also said superintendents generally receive annual salaries in excess of $90,000 because they lack the job security of teachers and other school employees.

“I also think it is one of the most important jobs in society,” Fleming said. “If a superintendent and others do a good job running the schools, we’ll save money in the long run on prisons and social service agencies. And when you compare my salary to what a professional football player makes, it puts things in perspective.”

He compared being a superintendent of Capistrano Unified with its $100-million annual budget to being the chief executive of a similar-sized private business.

“I doubt that you could find a CEO in the private sector with a similar budget whose salary isn’t more,” Fleming said.

O.C. UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT ANNUAL SALARIES

District Superintendent Schools Enrollment Brea-Olinda Edgar Z. Seal 9 4,900 Capistrano James T. Fleming 25 26,000 (starts 7/1/1991) Garden Grove Ed Dundon 61 38,000 Irvine David E. Brown 28 21,000 Laguna Beach Dennis E. Smith 4 2,100 Los Alamitos Michael S. Miller 7 6,200 Newport-Mesa John W. Nicoll 26 16,000 Orange Norman C. Guith 37 25,000 Placentia James O. Fleming 27 21,000 Saddleback Valley Peter A. Hartman 31 25,000 Santa Ana Rudy M. Castruita 41 42,000 Tustin David L. Andrews 16 11,000

District Superintendent Salary Brea-Olinda Edgar Z. Seal $91,850 Capistrano James T. Fleming $117,000 Garden Grove Ed Dundon $130,000 Irvine David E. Brown $101,291 Laguna Beach Dennis E. Smith $83,000 Los Alamitos Michael S. Miller $87,839 Newport-Mesa John W. Nicoll $101,000 Orange Norman C. Guith $109,000 Placentia James O. Fleming $98,598 Saddleback Valley Peter A. Hartman $120,016 Santa Ana Rudy M. Castruita $123,062 Tustin David L. Andrews $95,280

District Car/Expense Allowance Brea-Olinda None Capistrano $500-a-month car allowance / $300-a-month expense Garden Grove $700-a-month car allowance Irvine Use of a district car Laguna Beach $500-a-month car allowance Los Alamitos $500-a-month car allowance Newport-Mesa Use of a district car Orange $600-a-month car allowance Placentia $450-a-month car allowance Saddleback Valley $651-a-month car allowance/ $3,495 bonus Santa Ana Use of a district car / $750-a-month expense Tustin Use of a district car

Source: Individual districts.