BESE OKs benchmarks for chief

• By WILL SENTELL
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: May 16, 2008 - Page: 15A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Under pressure from lawmakers, the state’s top school board Thursday approved job performance objectives to defuse criticism of the $355,000 annual pay package for Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek.

The Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget, which ordered the action on April 3, is scheduled to review the issue today.

“I am almost confident that they are going to approve this,” said Linda Johnson of Plaquemine, president of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The 11-member board approved the pay package for Pastorek in February, including a pay raise of nearly $50,000.

But the legislative panel, which has to approve any pay plan for it to become final, criticized what some lawmakers called vague performance objectives for such a hefty salary and benefits.

The standards won approval after a closed-door session that lasted for nearly 90 minutes.

The lone opponent was Chas Roemer of Baton Rouge, who was also the only “no” vote when the board approved Pastorek’s contract in February.

Roemer said the list needs a clear scorecard to show whether Pastorek warrants annual, 6 percent pay raises for positive board evaluations.

Roemer said performance objectives without a clear grading process is like playing golf without knowing how many strokes it should take to get the ball in the hole.

Johnson countered that the board will address Roemer’s objection next month.

Any such breakdown may spell out how many of the benchmark goals the superintendent has to meet to earn a satisfactory rating from the board.

The list includes school performance goals, graduation rates, reading and math improvements, sweeping changes in high schools and saving failed schools.

Each topic includes details within the goals, such as a one-point gain in graduation rates this year, a two-point gain in statewide school performance scores in the next school year and yearly steps for improving students’ reading skills by the fourth grade.