When Todd Gray was hired as the Waukesha School District's superintendent in 2008, a consultant told the school board it should pay him $175,000.
But without a doctorate and no previous experience leading school districts — Gray came from the business field — the board decided to pay him $35,000 less than what that consultant recommended.
"He accepted that, so he has been extremely underpaid, especially for the size of our district," said School Board President Joe Como.
Seven years later, however, Gray will now be paid that $175,000 — and more — after the board recently approved a 4.1-percent raise for him, bringing his salary to $178,000.
Como said there were two reasons the board felt a raise for Gray was warranted. Gray recently earned his doctorate, something Como said Gray has been working on for a number of years, and his performance simply justifies a raise.
"He has performed extremely well," Como said. "He's a result-oriented leader. That's what drives him. Student achievement is so important to him. Never once did he complain about what he has been paid.
"He's such a humble man, and you don't always find that with leaders at the top."
Gray had been receiving gradual 1- to 2-percent raises from the board over the last few years. His most recent salary for the 2014-15 school year was $170,972, said Christine Hedstrom, assistant superintendent for human resources and labor relations.
Leading the way
Gray oversees a district that includes more than 12,000 students at three high schools, three middle schools, 13 elementary schools and six charter schools.
Como said Gray's salary is still less than many school districts that have fewer schools and employees to oversee and that Gray should likely be paid more given the school district is the second largest employer in the county.
Of the 23 districts the district used to compare Waukesha with, Hedstrom said Gray's salary was in the middle. Only two other superintendents in Waukesha County now receive a higher salary than Gray, Hedstrom said.
"We're the seventh largest district in the state, but he's certainly not the seventh highest paid superintendent in the state," Como said. "We're just starting to get competitive with other districts. We're not at the top but not at the bottom. We have to compete with (the county schools) a lot more because of the flexibility with Act 10. It's a competitive environment."
Getting results
Como, who has been on the school board for 14 years, said that before Gray arrived, the previous management team cut programs to try to balance the budget.
Under Gray's leadership, however, Como said the district hasn't had to resort to cutting programs while balancing a budget in a more effective way.
Como said Gray has done this by leading the push on improving the district's technological efforts, which has in turn saved significant printing costs in recent years.
Under Gray's watch, the district has also implemented more-efficient energy products in the district's buildings, led a push for new charter and specialized schools as well as formed a pilot program with Montessori School of Waukesha as a way to combat state financial cuts.
Transportation costs have also dropped dramatically by the district since Waukesha switched busing companies two years ago. A major benefit to using First Student is its propane fuel, which is cheaper than diesel.
Como also added that under Act 10, employees within the district pay more for their health insurance.
"Under Todd (Gray), we've gone to a self-insured district," Como said.
Other raises
Como added that Gray has "assembled a great cabinet and really hires the right people so we can improve student achievement."
As a result, the school board also approved an across-the-board salary of $138,000 for all assistant superintendents. This amounted to 2- to 4-percent raises, Como said. Not all assistant superintendents previously received the same salary, Como added.
The board also approved a 1.62-percent salary increase for all middle management positions, which consist of principals, assistant principals and other directors at the administrative level.