ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP)- The four highest-paid teachers in one Maryland county are high school athletic directors, each earning more than $114,000 per year.
But most of the biggest salaries in Anne Arundel County Public Schools go to people in the central office, topped by Superintendent George Arlotto, who is set to make nearly $280,000 in fiscal year 2020.
The Capital has obtained salary information for more than 9,800 public school employees salaries through public records requests and analyzed the data. It shows teacher salaries range from $30,000 to the low $100,000s. Those salaries are currently under negotiation, said Russel Leone, president of the county teachers association.
County schools athletics coordinator Clayton Culp said athletic directors are part of the teaching unit, but can hold other professional development or leadership positions in a school. “I feel very strongly that our athletic directors are one of the most critical positions in the high school,” Culp said. “After the bell rings, from 2 p.m. to as long as 10:30 p.m. there is a whole other world that exists for after school activities.”
Athletic director pay is based on experience and education, he said. They also get a stipend for the position.
The board and the union agreed in June to add cost-of-living adjustments, mandatory step increases and additional steps for teachers who didn't get them in previous years. The board also approved a larger budget for teacher salaries and has agreed to add more than 250 new positions, 35 of which are for mental health resources.