Not surprising I have worked with some of Landon's alumni, education is the least of their concerns! Financial gain seems to head the list!!!

11:32 here. I keep looking at this thread because I keep hoping a STA, Sidwell, NCS, GP, Holton, or the like parent will be curious enough to ask about total comp (can I say that again? total comp--not just 990-reported) so we can begin to compare. Until then we're looking at one datapoint in isolation, no?

Consequently I really don't know if $800 is too much or too little. Landon is a complex institution with 3 distinct schools (elem, middle, upper) and certainly lots of other complications.

But at day's end does it matter? Do you decide whether to buy a Pepsi based on what the CEO earns? I think it's interesting in a gossipy way, but really not too relevant to the purchase decision of where to send a kid. Maybe one could extrapolate from that to question other things about school governance, and Landon's board is certainly fair game, but I see as a minor issue.

Is this guy really worth $800K to the school? That seems like an awful lot for a head of a private secondary school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Potomac School gets a gold star for posting its 990s on Guidestar. Also, in 2010 the head made total comp of $730k.

Geoff Jones made $730K? Really? Citation, please.

http://dynamodata.fdncenter.org/990_pdf_archive/540/540562160/540562160_201106_990.pdf
See page 8. $626k regular comp + 105k other comp = $731k total comp

Unlike PP though, I give no "gold star" because all non-profits are required to submit 990s, and all get posted by Guidestar and other similar websites. There are a few exceptions for entities with religious affiliations and the like (e.g., St Anselms, NCS, GP, St Albans, Gonzaga, Sidwell, Visi, Stone Ridge, etc), but all others are freely available for anyone to review.

Well then. That certainly stopped the hen from clucking about the citation.

990s are great, however, that data is just 'data.' Required by the government on a federal form.
When evaluating any institution, school or business, there is much more to consider.

Anonymous wrote:I gave Potomac the gold star because you can find every year going back a ways and they're current now..if you've spent any time on Guidestar you can see much inconsistency around filings. ...

6/28@10:31 posting again.

I suppose you're entitled to give all the gold stars you want based on whatever criteria blow your skirt up. Even though I may "lack critical thinking skills" in your book, I guess I expect a little more. Call me a hard grader I guess.

Years of 990 forms available:
Potomac 10 years of data
Landon 9
Holton 10
GDS 8
Maret 7
Madeira 9
WIS 9
Norwood 9

See for yourself. 990 data search tool - http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/990finder/

It looks to me like the only reason Potomac and Holton lead most others slightly in this count is that their 2011 forms have been posted already, while most other schools are current only through 2010. I don't know if that's attributable to when the schools filed their 990s, or when this particular website chose to post them.

PP you must not have to deal with Landon moms if you need to ask that question

I find it shocking that private school head would make twice as much as the MCPS Superintendent. Who has the harder job?

I gave Potomac the gold star because you can find every year going back a ways and they're current now..if you've spent any time on Guidestar you can see much inconsistency around filings.

So would the religious-affiliates provide a 990 upon request? If I'm a parent I'm curious (before enrolling son at a fancy private I reviewed 3 years of 990s, saw some problems, and spoke with the CFO before signing the contract.)

And remember--the landon trash job was about non-990 income. So far I've seen zero data about that from other schools, so the posters are opining from a suspect data sample of one.

Thus..the irony of spending 35k to send kids to learn critical thinking skills lacked by DD/DS's parents!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Potomac School gets a gold star for posting its 990s on Guidestar. Also, in 2010 the head made total comp of $730k.

Geoff Jones made $730K? Really? Citation, please.

http://dynamodata.fdncenter.org/990_pdf_archive/540/540562160/540562160_201106_990.pdf
See page 8. $626k regular comp + 105k other comp = $731k total comp

Unlike PP though, I give no "gold star" because all non-profits are required to submit 990s, and all get posted by Guidestar and other similar websites. There are a few exceptions for entities with religious affiliations and the like (e.g., St Anselms, NCS, GP, St Albans, Gonzaga, Sidwell, Visi, Stone Ridge, etc), but all others are freely available for anyone to review.

Anonymous wrote:Potomac School gets a gold star for posting its 990s on Guidestar. Also, in 2010 the head made total comp of $730k.

Geoff Jones made $730K? Really? Citation, please.

His compensation is high, but I don't know that it is that out of bounds with the compensation for heads of other high profile independent schools, particularly in DC, who often get some combination of housing/car/club memberships* (*this last one seems weird but it is all about raising money). Also, the "deferred compensation" thing is rather fuzzy -- it may be some sort of retirement-related or buyout package. I do think it probably doesn't look great to have the club membership at Burning Tree, but if that's where Landon's big donors are, it's clearly meant to put the head of school where the donors are.

I'm not affiliated with Landon -- just somebody who has found the tale of the Landon lawsuit pretty interesting (first he says he was fired for whistleblowing about discrimination against Latinos, then he says he's forced out over the pay issue -- the second may undermine the first). The info on the head's compensation could be 100% accurate but . . . litigants' press releases often spin things in ways that aren't necessarily conducive to common sense accuracy. More info is necessary before I could buy that Landon is compensating its head way above market.

one more thing...

does anyone else find humor in this forum? the sheer volume of jottings about private schools that, themselves, display absence of critical thinking skills, well--it just boggles (and is hilarious)

aw, c'mon. just a little fun at the expense of the ward 3 volvo wagon set (tho funny, they aren't volvos anymore--more upscale these days.) So let's get serious.

OP wanted to get something going with a new "trash Landon again" thread.
Second post "finds disturbing, in light of what other schools pay" but if you read the story with your brain turned on, you really don't know full comp from other school, do ya?
Third post--in from Mars, compares to a derm professor
Fourth post--again, in a deep ponderous tone, finds "very disturbing" and does the usual "gee if everyone in america gave $10 we could cure hunger for a day" crap
Fifth post--ahh, country club always good for a cheap shot. Sixth post piles on with some weird tie to a gender equity program
Seventh--gotta get lacrosse in there, right?
Eighth and Ninth--more outrage!! (sidebar--anyone remember Swimming to Cambodia and Spaulding Gray's line about just how darn earnest limo liberals can be?)

anyway you get my point about the quality of discourse.

Now..ok if we get a fact or two in here? Please??

Potomac School gets a gold star for posting its 990s on Guidestar. Also, in 2010 the head made total comp of $730k.

Last reports..Maret (2010) $435k, GDS in 2009 $537k.

I couldn't find online neither STA nor Sidwell. WAIT--I can start a brand new thread with headline screaming--

SIDWELL, ST ALBANS HIDING FINANCIAL DATA FROM PUBLIC

Of course there might be a good reason, but why let that stand in the way of a good flame?

oh, and to pp, how did i just set Landon's rep back a few years? I'm not a Landon parent, btw (there ya go, more assumptions), I just like to help stay kittens, old dogs, and schools that get trashed

PP. You just set back Landon's reputation a few years. I would sit down if I were you.