How Burr Ridge Superintendents' Pay Stacks Up

BURR RIDGE, IL – Burr Ridge School District 180's superintendent made the most last year of his counterparts in the area.

Patch surveyed the salaries of 14 area superintendents. Of those surveyed, District 180 is the smallest in enrollment and has the greatest percentage of low-income students.

District 180 Superintendent Thomas Schneider made $315,964. He retired in June and is expected to make millions in retirement.

According to Patch's analysis, the cost of Schneider's salary was $710 per student.

By comparison, Elmhurst School District 205 Superintendent Keisha Campbell, who runs a district of more than 8,000 students, made $256,147. That works out to $31 per student. The Elmhurst district has the most students of those surveyed. Economies of scale play a role in the per-student numbers.

Here are last year's superintendents' salaries and enrollment numbers:

1. Burr Ridge District 180
Thomas Schneider
$315,967 ($710 per student)
445 students

2. Western Springs District 101
Brian Barnhart
$299,433 ($202 per student)
1,484 students

3. Hinsdale District 181
Hector Garcia
$273,763 ($75 per student)
3,662 students

4. Hinsdale High School District 86
Tammy Prentiss
$264,257 ($68 per student)
3,898 students

5. Elmhurst District 205
Keisha Campbell
$256,147 ($31 per student)
8,164 students

6. Lyons Township High School
Brian Waterman
$247,200 ($63 per student)
3,919 students

7. Gower District 62
Victor Simon
$233,057 ($254 per student)
918 students

8. La Grange District 102
Kyle Schumacher
$227,500 ($77 per student)
2,962 students

9. Pleasantdale District 107
Dave Palzet
$216,300 ($264 per student)
820 students

10. Darien District 61
Robert Langman
$212,795 ($167 per student)
1,277 students

11. Center Cass District 66
Andrew Wise
$206,000 ($190 per student)
1,084 students

12 La Grange District 105
Brian Ganan
$201,973 ($169 per student)
1,192 students

13. La Grange Highlands District 107
John Munch
$195,433 ($199 per student)
982 students

14. Cass District 63
Mark Cross
$191,646 ($239 per student)
801 students

Sources: District compensation reports, Illinois Report Card