Muscogee County schools superintendent gets 18% raise. How his new salary ranks in Georgia
The Muscogee County School District superintendent will receive an 18% raise in his salary after the school board unanimously approved the amended contract Monday night — a decision made without public discussion before the vote,
The proposal to increase Superintendent David Lewis’ salary and extend his contract wasn’t on the agenda for the board’s work session, which is the gathering conducted one week before the monthly meeting to discuss items up for a vote.
Lewis will receive an increase of $44,800 in his base salary, from $243,600 to $288,400, according to the meeting’s agenda. The amended contract includes extending the agreement for another three-year term, the agenda says.
The agenda also says the salary raise and contract extension are “based on a satisfactory annual evaluation.” The evaluation and amended contract aren’t attached to the agenda, so the Ledger-Enquirer has requested a copy of those documents.
Last year, the board unanimously approved without public discussion a pay raise for Lewis. That was a 20% raise, increasing his annual base salary from $203,000 to $243,600.
Lewis was associate superintendent for learning in Polk County, Fla., when the MCSD board hired him in 2013 and gave him a three-year contract with an annual base salary of $170,000. The other raises to his base salary have been by:
- 2% to $173,400 in 2016
- 3% to $178,602 in 2017
- 4% to $186,000 in 2019
- 9% to $203,000 in 2021.
Rationale for raise
Board chairwoman Pat Hugley Green, the District 1 representative, read a written statement after the vote to explain the rationale for this year’s raise.
“He has received the highest rating of satisfactory on his evaluation,” she said. “Dr. Lewis has made notable accomplishments while focusing on delivering the 10-year plan that he assessed to establish a school system and not a system of schools when he initially came here. This approach has addressed the board’s primary goal of closing the gap in student achievement.”
In a Georgia Department of Education report released this month, MCSD achieved its highest graduation rate since the state started 12 years ago measuring the rate based on whether a student graduated within four years of attending high school. MCSD’s graduation rate (94.1%) surpassed the state average (85.4%) for the 12th straight year and the national average (87%) for the 10th straight year.
When the board hired Lewis in 2013, MCSD’s graduation rate was 72.8%.
MCSD’s progress compares favorably on the SAT college entrance exam as well. For the sixth straight year, MCSD’s average composite score (1062) in the senior class outperformed the state (1030) and national average (995).
“Our students are benefiting from specific achievements in areas from improved targets and early literacy to multiple pathways for full-option diplomas for every graduate,” Green said.
Green additionally praised Lewis for “fostering strong governance, helping to create positive educational culture that supports student learning and achievement and the board’s commitment to continuous improvement, transparency and collaboration, all of which play a key role in enhancing education opportunities for every student and the district.”
MCSD superintendent reacts to his raise
While reading from a written statement, Lewis thanked the board for its “confidence and continued trust in me and my leadership. I greatly appreciate the board’s commitment over time to making the salary for this position commensurate with those of other comparable school districts throughout the state.”
The new salary ranks Lewis as the 25th highest paid superintendent among Georgia’s 180 school districts, according to the latest figures available (fiscal year 2023) in the state’s database of salaries for public officials at open.ga.gov. As of March 2024, MCSD’s enrollment of 29,541 students ranked it as the state’s 13th-largest, according to GaDOE data.
Lewis also thanked “all the members of our team, both at the cabinet level and beyond.”
As he did last year, Lewis said the salary raise, “after tithing and tax implications,” will be “dedicated in part to establishing a second four-year tuition scholarship at Columbus State University to help MCSD students who need and deserve an opportunity to become an educator in exchange for working in our school district in one of our more challenged schools.”
Kia Chambers, the countywide representative on MCSD’s nine-member board, was the only other member to speak about the superintendent’s salary raise during the meeting.
After the vote, Chambers put Lewis’ 11-year MCSD tenure in perspective when she noted the national average for school district superintendents is three years.
Chambers called such longevity “commendable, but I also think it speaks volumes about the collaboration with the board and the fact that we are truly trying to work toward being a real governance team, which means we may not always agree, but we put the students first.”
Lewis put his tenure in further perspective when he said the average tenure for a superintendent in Georgia is 2.3 years, and 72 of the 180 school districts changed superintendents last year.
“I have really enjoyed working with our board,” he said. “Sometimes we do have a difference of opinion, and that’s great, that’s healthy discussion, but I think, at the end of the day, our students and our employees are better for it.”
Lewis concluded by thanking the community for its support.
“Schools cannot do it alone,” he said.
This story was originally published October 21, 2024 at 8:48 PM.
