The front-page article in The Columbian (“Ridgefield schools chief tops in salary,” Feb. 10) caught my attention. While I am not a taxpayer in the Ridgefield district, this payment to Dr. McCann of $544,334 seems well over the top. This is especially true when many school districts are going to their taxpayers to re-up on their tax commitment.
The lump sum payout of $318,202 upon McCann’s resignation makes no sense to me. Why did the district have to pay his final two years of a three-year contract? Was he no longer wanted and this was the cost of his departure? He was receiving an annual salary of $229,339 that for some reason he no longer wanted, provided he received the lump-sum payout. Clearly the salaries of this group of educators is very generous as the schedule provided by The Columbian confirms. Who said education does not pay well?
Taxpayers would be happy to see the debt burden reduced, especially in light of pay packages that are being handed out.
