Burbank school board to ponder top leader’s salary

Burbank Unified Supt. Jan Britz could potentially receive a $15,000 raise if the school board approves it while discussing her contract on Thursday.

Britz, who replaced former superintendent Stan Carrizosa, took the helm of the district in July 2012.

She began with a starting salary of $185,250, which would have otherwise been $190,000, if not for a 2.5% pay cut that all Burbank administrators took temporarily in response to a weak economy encroaching on the district.

When her contract automatically rolled over for another year beginning on July 1, 2013, her salary went up to $190,000.

That figure is nearly $50,000 less than the $235,000 that Carrizosa began earning in 2010, the year he took the helm of Burbank Unified.

While Britz had worked for the district since 2006 in various leadership roles, she attributed her lower salary at the time to the district’s budget shortfall and to her experience level compared to Carrizosa, who had several years of experience as a superintendent.

Under a new proposal, Britz could earn $205,000 annually.

The contract proposal includes a $500-per-month automobile allowance for traveling throughout Los Angeles County, up from the $400 monthly allowance she receives currently, according to a district report.

Discussion over giving pay raises to Burbank Unified employees have only emerged recently as educators expect a significant increase in state funding over the next few years, compared to the last several years of substantial districtwide budget cuts.

Across the district, no employee has received a raise since 2007.

School board President Dave Kemp speculated that the prospect of offering Britz a raise may spark some debate, but added that it was important for the district to remain competitive in the salaries it offers its top leader in order to attract quality candidates “if and when” Britz should retire, Kemp said.

“If you show you don’t have any value for your superintendent, then people are not going to come out and be the superintendent in Burbank,” he said.

The Burbank school board will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday at Burbank City Hall, 275 E. Olive Ave.

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Follow Kelly Corrigan on Twitter: @kellymcorrigan.

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