This week, the West Seneca School District, which is slightly smaller than Ken-Ton, hired Whitney K. Vantine as its interim superintendent at a rate of $750 a day, which works out to an annual salary of $195,000 a year. Vantine had prior experience as a superintendent for 22 years at various districts, including the City of Tonawanda School District.
The standard pay for an interim superintendent in Western New York is $650 to $700, according to Robert W. Christmann, executive director of Western New York Educational Services Council.
A candidate's experience and the local market can affect what superintendents and interim superintendents are paid, said Christmann, whose council has done superintendent searches recently in Rochester, Albany and Watkins Glen.
"There are a number of factors that go into it," he said.
Members of the council will determine a salary range with the School Board, he said. They consider the size of the district, what the current superintendent is making and what other superintendents in BOCES are making. The number of years of experience and academic preparation are considered,
and a candidate with a doctorate may receive a higher salary. How successful the candidate has been in his or her last job is a factor, too, he said.
"If someone has been successful in the past, they'll be successful in the future," Christmann said.