Tuition seem high?? Curious of the Salary of the Head of Your School? Do your research. Here is how.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I assume that one reason you are sending your child to a private school is for the quality of the experience. Perhaps even a world class educational experience. Always amazes me that people want an exceptional experience but think the leader of the organization should not be compensated as such. I promise you your head of school could make far more in a different role.

The leader of the organization being highly compensated would be fine if said organization wasn’t also asking families to participate in additional annual fundraising after paying tuition.

The nice thing is that if you don’t like how private schools operate or don’t approve of how they manage their finances and budget, you don’t have to send your kids there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the huge (maybe to some not so huge) tuition checks you are writing for your childrens' education, google the "990 IRS Form" for the school your child attends. (Propublica is one of the many sites where you can find the information.)For a lot of the Greater Washington DC Private schools, that legally are not for profit, generate huge revenues and they have to file the very public 990 Form. One of the major Alexandria "Not-For-Profit" schools that charges close to $40K per year is paying their headmaster, with Salary + Benefits/Bonus near $380,000 per year. The next highest is the assistant head of school who makes, by comparison, a paltry $134,000. These two people don't even step into the classrooms and take up a huge chunk of the school's salary and benefits expenditures.

For some of religious based schools, such as St. Stephen & St. Agnes, their income and expenses flow south to Richmond, as they are actually a business owned by the Episcopal Church of Virginia (along with a handful of other schools across the state-all of whom charge very high fees) and their numbers are buried within the church's financial reports. They don't have to file 990 forms. The schools owned by the church create "income" that helps finance other activities of the Church.

Know where the money flows so you can make informed decisions.

Wait until you investigate law school tuitions and Admin salaries.

[Anonymous]

Don't just look at the salary of the HoS! Equally important: who else is listed among the highest paid? and how much are they paid?

For instance, at our school, the HoS and the business manager are #1 and #2 in pay. But here's who else are among the highest paid: the athletics director (male), a subject teacher (male), and the development director. Not the division directors (who are female).

[Anonymous]

It was easy to find the salary of the HOS for my kids' school, and it was quite high. Interestingly, for the same school, it looked like the Principal, not someone of considerable means, took a modest nominal salary, certainly not one of the highest at all, and not commensurate with her tireless work either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I assume that one reason you are sending your child to a private school is for the quality of the experience. Perhaps even a world class educational experience. Always amazes me that people want an exceptional experience but think the leader of the organization should not be compensated as such. I promise you your head of school could make far more in a different role.

I actually worry more about how well the teachers are being compensated. They are the ones doing the actual work of the school, not the HOS.

Happy teachers affect my child. Whether the HOS is there doesn’t have as much impact.

- parent AND teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I assume that one reason you are sending your child to a private school is for the quality of the experience. Perhaps even a world class educational experience. Always amazes me that people want an exceptional experience but think the leader of the organization should not be compensated as such. I promise you your head of school could make far more in a different role.

I actually worry more about how well the teachers are being compensated. They are the ones doing the actual work of the school, not the HOS.

Happy teachers affect my child. Whether the HOS is there doesn’t have as much impact.

- parent AND teacher

You must be an inexperienced teacher if you really think that the HOS doesn’t have an impact. What do you think makes happy teachers? You all sit here thinking that a HOS that works 12 months and does the hiring of teachers has it so much easier than them? You have no clue and it’s gross that people come on here and claim that someone with essentially no days off and responsible for all major decisions within a school doesn’t deserve a high salary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I assume that one reason you are sending your child to a private school is for the quality of the experience. Perhaps even a world class educational experience. Always amazes me that people want an exceptional experience but think the leader of the organization should not be compensated as such. I promise you your head of school could make far more in a different role.

I actually worry more about how well the teachers are being compensated. They are the ones doing the actual work of the school, not the HOS.

Happy teachers affect my child. Whether the HOS is there doesn’t have as much impact.

- parent AND teacher

You must be an inexperienced teacher if you really think that the HOS doesn’t have an impact. What do you think makes happy teachers? You all sit here thinking that a HOS that works 12 months and does the hiring of teachers has it so much easier than them? You have no clue and it’s gross that people come on here and claim that someone with essentially no days off and responsible for all major decisions within a school doesn’t deserve a high salary.

Nope. I’ve been teaching 25 years and I know who really sells the school: teachers. Are you really going to select a school based on the HOS or the teachers in the classroom? We both know the answer to that.

A HOS who makes 5-6X what the teachers make? That’s gross.

And what makes happy teachers? Being respected. The HOS has a hard job, but teachers do as well. We also work long hours during the school year, running the very programs that the HOS can sell to parents. We do the true work.

So if a teacher is at the school until 10pm cleaning up after a band concert or NHS ceremony, just to be back in their classroom at 6:30am prepping for the school day, should they be happy with their 60K? When the HOS who didn’t even show up to the event gets 300K?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I assume that one reason you are sending your child to a private school is for the quality of the experience. Perhaps even a world class educational experience. Always amazes me that people want an exceptional experience but think the leader of the organization should not be compensated as such. I promise you your head of school could make far more in a different role.

I actually worry more about how well the teachers are being compensated. They are the ones doing the actual work of the school, not the HOS.

Happy teachers affect my child. Whether the HOS is there doesn’t have as much impact.

- parent AND teacher

You must be an inexperienced teacher if you really think that the HOS doesn’t have an impact. What do you think makes happy teachers? You all sit here thinking that a HOS that works 12 months and does the hiring of teachers has it so much easier than them? You have no clue and it’s gross that people come on here and claim that someone with essentially no days off and responsible for all major decisions within a school doesn’t deserve a high salary.

Nope. I’ve been teaching 25 years and I know who really sells the school: teachers. Are you really going to select a school based on the HOS or the teachers in the classroom? We both know the answer to that.

A HOS who makes 5-6X what the teachers make? That’s gross.

And what makes happy teachers? Being respected. The HOS has a hard job, but teachers do as well. We also work long hours during the school year, running the very programs that the HOS can sell to parents. We do the true work.

So if a teacher is at the school until 10pm cleaning up after a band concert or NHS ceremony, just to be back in their classroom at 6:30am prepping for the school day, should they be happy with their 60K? When the HOS who didn’t even show up to the event gets 300K?

This debate boils down to markets and pay structures that apply to every industry. A great teacher is certainly underpaid. But they have been underpaid for years. Decades. Maybe longer? And when you ask yourself why, the answer is because they are the hirees and there are enough people willing and able to do the job for the amount of money it typically pays. HoS is a CEO position. The hirer. And there aren’t as many people willing to do what they do. And there are even fewer people that have the incredibly broad and unusual skill set to do it. I don’t expect my answer to be satisfying. But it’s honest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I assume that one reason you are sending your child to a private school is for the quality of the experience. Perhaps even a world class educational experience. Always amazes me that people want an exceptional experience but think the leader of the organization should not be compensated as such. I promise you your head of school could make far more in a different role.

I actually worry more about how well the teachers are being compensated. They are the ones doing the actual work of the school, not the HOS.

Happy teachers affect my child. Whether the HOS is there doesn’t have as much impact.

- parent AND teacher

You must be an inexperienced teacher if you really think that the HOS doesn’t have an impact. What do you think makes happy teachers? You all sit here thinking that a HOS that works 12 months and does the hiring of teachers has it so much easier than them? You have no clue and it’s gross that people come on here and claim that someone with essentially no days off and responsible for all major decisions within a school doesn’t deserve a high salary.

Nope. I’ve been teaching 25 years and I know who really sells the school: teachers. Are you really going to select a school based on the HOS or the teachers in the classroom? We both know the answer to that.

A HOS who makes 5-6X what the teachers make? That’s gross.

And what makes happy teachers? Being respected. The HOS has a hard job, but teachers do as well. We also work long hours during the school year, running the very programs that the HOS can sell to parents. We do the true work.

So if a teacher is at the school until 10pm cleaning up after a band concert or NHS ceremony, just to be back in their classroom at 6:30am prepping for the school day, should they be happy with their 60K? When the HOS who didn’t even show up to the event gets 300K?

This debate boils down to markets and pay structures that apply to every industry. A great teacher is certainly underpaid. But they have been underpaid for years. Decades. Maybe longer? And when you ask yourself why, the answer is because they are the hirees and there are enough people willing and able to do the job for the amount of money it typically pays. HoS is a CEO position. The hirer. And there aren’t as many people willing to do what they do. And there are even fewer people that have the incredibly broad and unusual skill set to do it. I don’t expect my answer to be satisfying. But it’s honest.

But it is also out of date.

There aren’t a lot of people willing to teach anymore, especially since private school pay is lower than public. Having taught in both, I’m comfortable saying the expectations for teachers are higher in private schools. Private teachers, especially at well regarded schools, are expected to have advanced degrees in their content area AND they are expected to run multiple after-school activities related to this content. They also have to be curricula creators since they don’t use the purchased curricula of a public school. Creating curricula can be a full time job in itself, yet these teachers do it at home in the evenings after school obligations are over. It becomes a 60+ hour a week job, and the pay just isn’t keeping up with the expectations.

We used to get a tsunami of applications per opening in my department and we could be highly selective. Now we are lucky if we can find one good applicant. The last time we had a HOS opening, the interview process took months because so many people applied. Yes, $$ is a motivating or demotivating factor.

Schools thrive when they realize the life force of the building comes from the classroom, not the offices. The truth is a teacher makes more decisions during the day that sell the school than somebody in an office does. It’s in the curricula we develop, the high standards and expectations we set, the feedback we give on student work, the relationships we build with students in and out of the classroom, the extracurricular opportunities we provide, etc. When families talk, it’s about the impact the teachers make academically and on the school environment.

[Anonymous]

I agree with everything you said about the importance of teachers, their direct impact on students, and that they are undervalued. And I certainly understand that since the pandemic fewer people want to teach. But I also don’t diminish the role of HoS and the administrators they bring aboard to their team. All the great work that happens in the classroom work is largely insulated from the administrative tasks of admissions, PR, HR, finance, law, fundraising, discipline, etc., which are also vital to the functioning of the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I assume that one reason you are sending your child to a private school is for the quality of the experience. Perhaps even a world class educational experience. Always amazes me that people want an exceptional experience but think the leader of the organization should not be compensated as such. I promise you your head of school could make far more in a different role.

I actually worry more about how well the teachers are being compensated. They are the ones doing the actual work of the school, not the HOS.

Happy teachers affect my child. Whether the HOS is there doesn’t have as much impact.

- parent AND teacher

You must be an inexperienced teacher if you really think that the HOS doesn’t have an impact. What do you think makes happy teachers? You all sit here thinking that a HOS that works 12 months and does the hiring of teachers has it so much easier than them? You have no clue and it’s gross that people come on here and claim that someone with essentially no days off and responsible for all major decisions within a school doesn’t deserve a high salary.

Nope. I’ve been teaching 25 years and I know who really sells the school: teachers. Are you really going to select a school based on the HOS or the teachers in the classroom? We both know the answer to that.

A HOS who makes 5-6X what the teachers make? That’s gross.

And what makes happy teachers? Being respected. The HOS has a hard job, but teachers do as well. We also work long hours during the school year, running the very programs that the HOS can sell to parents. We do the true work.

So if a teacher is at the school until 10pm cleaning up after a band concert or NHS ceremony, just to be back in their classroom at 6:30am prepping for the school day, should they be happy with their 60K? When the HOS who didn’t even show up to the event gets 300K?

Are you a public or private school teacher? Because every HOS my kids have had has been at just about every event, cheering the students on and then stacking chairs when it was over. And back in their office first thing in the morning. And that’s only three schools, and maybe we got lucky, but it’s hard to imagine our family has experienced the only three involved HOS in the area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I assume that one reason you are sending your child to a private school is for the quality of the experience. Perhaps even a world class educational experience. Always amazes me that people want an exceptional experience but think the leader of the organization should not be compensated as such. I promise you your head of school could make far more in a different role.

I actually worry more about how well the teachers are being compensated. They are the ones doing the actual work of the school, not the HOS.

Happy teachers affect my child. Whether the HOS is there doesn’t have as much impact.

- parent AND teacher

You must be an inexperienced teacher if you really think that the HOS doesn’t have an impact. What do you think makes happy teachers? You all sit here thinking that a HOS that works 12 months and does the hiring of teachers has it so much easier than them? You have no clue and it’s gross that people come on here and claim that someone with essentially no days off and responsible for all major decisions within a school doesn’t deserve a high salary.

Nope. I’ve been teaching 25 years and I know who really sells the school: teachers. Are you really going to select a school based on the HOS or the teachers in the classroom? We both know the answer to that.

A HOS who makes 5-6X what the teachers make? That’s gross.

And what makes happy teachers? Being respected. The HOS has a hard job, but teachers do as well. We also work long hours during the school year, running the very programs that the HOS can sell to parents. We do the true work.

So if a teacher is at the school until 10pm cleaning up after a band concert or NHS ceremony, just to be back in their classroom at 6:30am prepping for the school day, should they be happy with their 60K? When the HOS who didn’t even show up to the event gets 300K?

Are you a public or private school teacher? Because every HOS my kids have had has been at just about every event, cheering the students on and then stacking chairs when it was over. And back in their office first thing in the morning. And that’s only three schools, and maybe we got lucky, but it’s hard to imagine our family has experienced the only three involved HOS in the area.

I’m a private school teacher. I’m glad your HOS are involved.

… and the teachers were also stacking chairs. They were also back in their classrooms the following morning ready to teach a full day. They were also there several evenings before the event, running rehearsals and preparing.

And for a fraction of the pay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I assume that one reason you are sending your child to a private school is for the quality of the experience. Perhaps even a world class educational experience. Always amazes me that people want an exceptional experience but think the leader of the organization should not be compensated as such. I promise you your head of school could make far more in a different role.

I actually worry more about how well the teachers are being compensated. They are the ones doing the actual work of the school, not the HOS.

Happy teachers affect my child. Whether the HOS is there doesn’t have as much impact.

- parent AND teacher

You must be an inexperienced teacher if you really think that the HOS doesn’t have an impact. What do you think makes happy teachers? You all sit here thinking that a HOS that works 12 months and does the hiring of teachers has it so much easier than them? You have no clue and it’s gross that people come on here and claim that someone with essentially no days off and responsible for all major decisions within a school doesn’t deserve a high salary.

Nope. I’ve been teaching 25 years and I know who really sells the school: teachers. Are you really going to select a school based on the HOS or the teachers in the classroom? We both know the answer to that.

A HOS who makes 5-6X what the teachers make? That’s gross.

And what makes happy teachers? Being respected. The HOS has a hard job, but teachers do as well. We also work long hours during the school year, running the very programs that the HOS can sell to parents. We do the true work.

So if a teacher is at the school until 10pm cleaning up after a band concert or NHS ceremony, just to be back in their classroom at 6:30am prepping for the school day, should they be happy with their 60K? When the HOS who didn’t even show up to the event gets 300K?

Are you a public or private school teacher? Because every HOS my kids have had has been at just about every event, cheering the students on and then stacking chairs when it was over. And back in their office first thing in the morning. And that’s only three schools, and maybe we got lucky, but it’s hard to imagine our family has experienced the only three involved HOS in the area.

I’m a private school teacher. I’m glad your HOS are involved.

… and the teachers were also stacking chairs. They were also back in their classrooms the following morning ready to teach a full day. They were also there several evenings before the event, running rehearsals and preparing.

And for a fraction of the pay.

You've got that right, teacher. And at my school (mentioned earlier questioning how HOS could be making so much) the HOS isn't very visible around campus and is not well-regarded. He would never stack chairs. Ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I assume that one reason you are sending your child to a private school is for the quality of the experience. Perhaps even a world class educational experience. Always amazes me that people want an exceptional experience but think the leader of the organization should not be compensated as such. I promise you your head of school could make far more in a different role.

I actually worry more about how well the teachers are being compensated. They are the ones doing the actual work of the school, not the HOS.

Happy teachers affect my child. Whether the HOS is there doesn’t have as much impact.

- parent AND teacher

You must be an inexperienced teacher if you really think that the HOS doesn’t have an impact. What do you think makes happy teachers? You all sit here thinking that a HOS that works 12 months and does the hiring of teachers has it so much easier than them? You have no clue and it’s gross that people come on here and claim that someone with essentially no days off and responsible for all major decisions within a school doesn’t deserve a high salary.

Nope. I’ve been teaching 25 years and I know who really sells the school: teachers. Are you really going to select a school based on the HOS or the teachers in the classroom? We both know the answer to that.

A HOS who makes 5-6X what the teachers make? That’s gross.

And what makes happy teachers? Being respected. The HOS has a hard job, but teachers do as well. We also work long hours during the school year, running the very programs that the HOS can sell to parents. We do the true work.

So if a teacher is at the school until 10pm cleaning up after a band concert or NHS ceremony, just to be back in their classroom at 6:30am prepping for the school day, should they be happy with their 60K? When the HOS who didn’t even show up to the event gets 300K?

Are you a public or private school teacher? Because every HOS my kids have had has been at just about every event, cheering the students on and then stacking chairs when it was over. And back in their office first thing in the morning. And that’s only three schools, and maybe we got lucky, but it’s hard to imagine our family has experienced the only three involved HOS in the area.

I’m a private school teacher. I’m glad your HOS are involved.

… and the teachers were also stacking chairs. They were also back in their classrooms the following morning ready to teach a full day. They were also there several evenings before the event, running rehearsals and preparing.

And for a fraction of the pay.

Why don’t you teach in a public school? I’m not trying to be argumentative. If you have experience in both public and private, why are you teaching in private?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I assume that one reason you are sending your child to a private school is for the quality of the experience. Perhaps even a world class educational experience. Always amazes me that people want an exceptional experience but think the leader of the organization should not be compensated as such. I promise you your head of school could make far more in a different role.

I actually worry more about how well the teachers are being compensated. They are the ones doing the actual work of the school, not the HOS.

Happy teachers affect my child. Whether the HOS is there doesn’t have as much impact.

- parent AND teacher

You must be an inexperienced teacher if you really think that the HOS doesn’t have an impact. What do you think makes happy teachers? You all sit here thinking that a HOS that works 12 months and does the hiring of teachers has it so much easier than them? You have no clue and it’s gross that people come on here and claim that someone with essentially no days off and responsible for all major decisions within a school doesn’t deserve a high salary.

Nope. I’ve been teaching 25 years and I know who really sells the school: teachers. Are you really going to select a school based on the HOS or the teachers in the classroom? We both know the answer to that.

A HOS who makes 5-6X what the teachers make? That’s gross.

And what makes happy teachers? Being respected. The HOS has a hard job, but teachers do as well. We also work long hours during the school year, running the very programs that the HOS can sell to parents. We do the true work.

So if a teacher is at the school until 10pm cleaning up after a band concert or NHS ceremony, just to be back in their classroom at 6:30am prepping for the school day, should they be happy with their 60K? When the HOS who didn’t even show up to the event gets 300K?

This debate boils down to markets and pay structures that apply to every industry. A great teacher is certainly underpaid. But they have been underpaid for years. Decades. Maybe longer? And when you ask yourself why, the answer is because they are the hirees and there are enough people willing and able to do the job for the amount of money it typically pays. HoS is a CEO position. The hirer. And there aren’t as many people willing to do what they do. And there are even fewer people that have the incredibly broad and unusual skill set to do it. I don’t expect my answer to be satisfying. But it’s honest.

Members of my family have taught in both public and private schools since the 1940s. They have all been underpaid.