West Ada trustees OK’d a 20% raise for superintendent

Devin Bodkin | 06/14/2022

Trustees in Idaho’s largest school district approved a 20% raise for superintendent Derek Bub earlier this year, but never discussed the agreement in an open public meeting.

Trustees approved a new superintendent’s contract on April 11, board minutes show. The approval followed no discussion and was included in the meeting’s consent agenda, which trustees typically use to OK a cluster of non-controversial items through a single vote.

The contract, dated April 11 and included in a link on the agenda ahead of the meeting, puts Bub’s 2022-23 salary at $210,000, a 20% increase from his current salary of $175,000.

By comparison, West Ada teachers will receive a 6.28% average salary bump from last school year.

West Ada board chair Lori Frasure said the salary hike was based on a “strong performance” and “analysis of districts within Idaho and neighboring states.”

“Dr. Bub has shown tremendous leadership in his first year as superintendent of Idaho’s largest school district, leading 57 schools out of challenging times and engaging students, families, staff, and the larger community,” Frasure told EdNews Tuesday, adding that West Ada is “very fortunate to have him.”

Former chairman Rusty Coffelt led the board at the time the contract was approved, but he resigned on April 25, citing family matters.

West Ada spokesman Greg Wilson defended Bub’s raise, and the process, saying it’s common for districts to have contract and hiring approvals on consent agendas.

“In the case of the April 11, 2022 West Ada Board meeting, the superintendent’s new contract and the evaluation were posted, and the Board provided 30-minutes for public comment on any issue on the agenda.”

Bub’s new three-year contract takes effect July 1 and also includes incremental raises “at least equal to that paid to other administrators for each of the succeeding years” until the contract ends.

Bub’s salary increase makes him Idaho’s highest paid K-12 superintendent. Boise trustees Monday approved a raise for superintendent Coby Dennis — a 4.5% hike that brought his salary from $183,604 to $191,866.

West Ada serves some 39,000 students in Ada and Canyon counties.

Here’s a look at Idaho’s top-paid administrators in 2021-22:

Scott Thomson, North Idaho Charter STEM Academy: $193,500
Coby Dennis, Boise: $183,604
Derek Bub, West Ada: $175,000
James Foudy, Blaine County: $168,000
Norma French, Caldwell: $166,771
Shon Hocker, Coeur d’Alene: $165,000
Thomas Albertson, Lake Pend Oreille: $159,705
Lisa Roberts, Boise: $158,417
Scott Woolstenhulme, Bonneville: $156,150
Douglas Howell, Pocatello-Chubbuck: $155,945

Devin Bodkin

EdNews assistant editor and reporter Devin Bodkin is a former high school English teacher who specializes in stories about charter schools and educating students who live in poverty. He lives and works in East Idaho. Follow Devin on Twitter @dsbodkin. He can be reached by email at [email protected].