Milwaukee Public Schools' newly appointed superintendent, Dr. Brenda Cassellius, is set to receive a salary that outstrips that of other key public officials in the region, as reported by WISN. Cassellius, set to assume her responsibilities on March 15, will obtain an annual base salary starting at $320,000 from July 1, after an initial $80,000 transitional pay for work stretching from her start date through June 30, accumulating to a total of $400,000 for her first 15 months of service.
This compensation package not only surpasses the salaries of Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers combined, but also reflects a 5.8 percent increase in comparison to her predecessor Keith Posley's annual earnings, Cassellius' compensation package includes additional perks—as identified by TMJ4, these include 25 paid vacation days, a retirement plan provision amounting to $33,000 annually, as well as life, disability, dental, and health benefits, which align with MPS's employee standard offerings.
The approval of the contract by the Milwaukee School Board mandates an annual performance evaluation of Cassellius, coupled with at least one discussion between the board and Cassellius concerning the written evaluation as JSONLINE highlighted, the contract is poised to extend through June 30, 2027, with avenues for renewal or amendment subject to board voting and Cassellius' consent.
In her statement to WISN following the school board meeting, Cassellius conveyed her immediate priorities, including addressing the lead situation in schools and the implementation of School Resource Officers, wanting to ensure "everyone's feeling supported in that implementation," moreover, she plans to tackle student complaints regarding school lunch quality, expressing her intent to reach out to her colleagues who run "really stellar school lunch programs to get busy on that" and sharing a hopeful perspective on her tenure, Cassellius remarked, "I'm just really excited and full of hope, and I think the community is ready. So, I think it's going to be a really great tenure."
