State Superintendent Salaries: How Much Do They Make? (Explore the Data)
State superintendents in recent years have been given increased responsibilities, but in many cases their salaries have not kept pace. That's had implications for recruitment and retention.
State Superintendent Salaries: How Much Do They Make?
State superintendents in recent years have been given increased responsibilities, but in many cases their salaries have not kept pace. That's had implications for recruitment and retention of state chiefs, whose average tenure is a little over two years and whose hiring deals include many elements aside from base salary.
Superintendent Salaries by State
Use the interactive below to explore salaries for current state superintendents.
Compare Salaries: Current vs. Former Chiefs
Twenty-six state chiefs received a salary higher than their predecessor. Twenty-five received the same or a lower salary than their predecessor. Browse the data below to see comparisons. You can also use the tabs to toggle between current and former superintendents.
How Were They Hired?
How much a state chief makes depends heavily on the way they got the job.
States vs. Their Districts
In addition to the vast salary differences between state superintendents, in most states the superintendent of the largest district makes more than the state chief.
Browse State Chief Profiles
For a complete profile of each current state superintendent, explore the gallery below.
Key:
⇑ Salary of current superintendent increased compared to former superintendent
⇓ Salary of current superintendent decreased compared to former superintendent
⇒ No change from former to current superintendent salary
Alabama Department of Education
- Name: Michael Sentance
- Title: State Superintendent of Education
- Start Date: September 8, 2016
- Salary: $198,000 ⇓
- Number of public school students: 744,164
- Appointment: Hired by state board of education
Alaska Department of Education and Early Development
- Name: Michael Johnson
- Title: Commissioner of Education and Early Development
- Start Date: July 1, 2016
- Salary: $141,156 ⇒
- Number of public school students: 131,176
- Appointment: Hired by state board of education
Arizona Department of Education
- Name: Diane Douglas
- Title: Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Start Date: January 5, 2015
- Salary: $85,000 ⇒
- Number of public school students: 1,111,695
- Appointment: Elected
Arkansas Department of Education
- Name: Johnny Key
- Title: Commissioner of Education
- Start Date: March 26, 2015
- Salary: $235,823.33 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 490,917
- Appointment: Appointed by governor
California Department of Education
- Name: Tom Torlakson
- Title: State Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Start Date: January 3, 2011
- Salary: $165,126 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 6,312,161
- Appointment: Elected
Colorado Department of Education
- Name: Katy Anthes
- Title: Commissioner
- Start Date: May 20, 2016
- Salary: $255,000 ⇒
- Number of public school students: 889,006
- Appointment: Hired by state board of education
Connecticut Department of Education
- Name: Dianna Wentzell
- Title: Commissioner
- Start Date: January 9, 2015
- Salary: $192,500 ⇓
- Number of public school students: 542,678
- Appointment: Hired by state board of education
Delware Department of Education
- Name: Susan Bunting
- Title: Secretary of Education
- Start Date: January 26, 2017
- Salary: $163,055 ⇒
- Number of public school students: 134,042
- Appointment: Appointed by governor
Florida Department of Education
- Name: Pam Stewart
- Title: Commissioner of Education
- Start Date: August 2, 2013
- Salary: $276,000 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 2,756,944
- Appointment: Hired by state board of education
Georgia Department of Education
- Name: Richard Woods
- Title: State School Superintendent
- Start Date: January 13, 2015
- Salary: $123,270 ⇒
- Number of public school students: 1,744,437
- Appointment: Elected
Hawaii State Department of Education
- Name: Christina Kishimoto
- Title: Superintendent of Education
- Start Date: August 1, 2017
- Salary: $240,000 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 182,384
- Appointment: Hired by state board of education
Idaho Department of Education
- Name: Sherri Ybarra
- Title: Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Start Date: January 5, 2015
- Salary: $105,771 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 290,885
- Appointment: Elected
Illinois State Board of Education
- Name: Tony Smith
- Title: State Superintendent of Education
- Start Date: May 1, 2015
- Salary: $238,704 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 2,050,239
- Appointment: Hired by state board of education
Indiana Department of Education
- Name: Jennifer McCormick
- Title: Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Start Date: January 23, 2017
- Salary: $97,201.78 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 1,046,269
- Appointment: Elected
Iowa Department of Education
- Name: Ryan Wise
- Title: Education Director
- Start Date: July 1, 2015
- Salary: $152,152 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 505,311
- Appointment: Appointed by governor
Kansas State Department of Education
- Name: Randy Watson
- Title: Commissioner of Education
- Start Date: July 1, 2015
- Salary: $175,000 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 497,275
- Appointment: Hired by state board of education
Kentucky Department of Education
- Name: Stephen Pruitt
- Title: Commissioner of Education
- Start Date: October 16, 2015
- Salary: $240,000 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 688,640
- Appointment: Hired by state board of education
Louisiana Department of Education
- Name: John White
- Title: State Superintendent of Education
- Start Date: January 11, 2012
- Salary: $275,000 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 716,800
- Appointment: Hired by state board of education
Maine Department of Education
- Name: Robert Hasson
- Title: Commissioner
- Start Date: April 7, 2017
- Salary: $131,705.60 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 182,470
- Appointment: Appointed by governor
Maryland Department of Education
- Name: Karen Salmon
- Title: State Superintendent
- Start Date: June 1, 2016
- Salary: $236,000 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 874,514
- Appointment: Hired by state board of education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
- Name: Jeff Wulfson
- Title: Interim Commissioner
- Start Date: June 27, 2017
- Salary: $184,828 ⇓
- Number of public school students: 955,844
- Appointment: Hired by state board of education, confirmed by secretary of education
Michigan Department of Education
- Name: Brian Whiston
- Title: State Superintendent
- Start Date: July 1, 2015
- Salary: $207,500 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 1,537,922
- Appointment: Hired by state board of education
Minnesota Department of Education
- Name: Brenda Cassellius
- Title: Commissioner
- Start Date: January 4, 2011
- Salary: $150,001.92 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 857,235
- Appointment: Appointed by governor
Mississippi Department of Education
- Name: Carey Wright
- Title: State Superintendent of Education
- Start Date: November 1, 2013
- Salary: $300,000 ⇓
- Number of public school students: 490,917
- Appointment: Hired by state board of education
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
- Name: Margie Vandeven
- Title: Commissioner of Education
- Start Date: January 1, 2015
- Salary: $191,544 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 917,785
- Appointment: Hired by state board of education
Montana Office of Public Instruction
- Name: Elsie Arntzen
- Title: Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Start Date: January 2, 2017
- Salary: $104,635 ⇒
- Number of public school students: 144,532
- Appointment: Elected
Nebraska Department of Education
- Name: Matthew Blomstedt
- Title: Commissioner of Education
- Start Date: January 2, 2014
- Salary: $222,932 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 312,635
- Appointment: Hired by state board of education
Nevada Department of Education
- Name: Steve Canavero
- Title: Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Start Date: February 29, 2016
- Salary: $113,156 ⇓
- Number of public school students: 459,189
- Appointment: Appointed by governor
New Hampshire Department of Education
- Name: Frank Edelblut
- Title: Commissioner of Education
- Start Date: February 16, 2017
- Salary: $93,759.12 ⇓
- Number of public school students: 184,670
- Appointment: Appointed by governor
New Jersey Department of Education
- Name: Kimberley Harrington
- Title: Commissioner of Education
- Start Date: September 2, 2016
- Salary: $141,000 ⇒
- Number of public school students: 1,400,579
- Appointment: Appointed by governor
New Mexico Department of Education
- Name: Christopher Ruszkowski
- Title: Secretary of Education
- Start Date: June 21, 2017
- Salary: $124,300 ⇓
- Number of public school students: 340,365
- Appointment: Appointed by governor
New York State Education Department
- Name: MaryEllen Elia
- Title: Commissioner
- Start Date: July 6, 2015
- Salary: $250,000 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 2,741,185
- Appointment: Hired by state board of education
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
- Name: Mark Johnson
- Title: State Superintendent
- Start Date: January 4, 2017
- Salary: $127,561 ⇒
- Number of public school students: 1,548,895
- Appointment: Elected
North Dakota Department of Public Instruction
- Name: Kirsten Baesler
- Title: Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Start Date: January 2, 2013
- Salary: $120,410 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 106,586
- Appointment: Elected
Ohio Department of Education
- Name: Paolo DeMaria
- Title: Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Start Date: June 27, 2016
- Salary: $184,496 ⇓
- Number of public school students: 1,724,810
- Appointment: Hired by state board of education
Oklahoma State Department of Education
- Name: Joy Hofmeister
- Title: State Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Start Date: January 1, 2015
- Salary: $124,373 ⇒
- Number of public school students: 688,511
- Appointment: Elected
Oregon Department of Education
- Name: Salam Noor
- Title: Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Start Date: July 1, 2015
- Salary: $185,508 ⇓
- Number of public school students: 601,318
- Appointment: Appointed by governor
Pennsylvania Department of Education
- Name: Pedro Rivera
- Title: Secretary of Education
- Start Date: January 20, 2015
- Salary: $154,642 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 1,743,160
- Appointment: Appointed by governor
Rhode Island Department of Education
- Name: Ken Wagner
- Title: Commissioner of Education
- Start Date: July 13, 2015
- Salary: $206,875.50 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 141,959
- Appointment: Hired by state board of education
South Carolina Department of Education
- Name: Molly Spearman
- Title: State Superintendent of Education
- Start Date: January 9, 2015
- Salary: $92,007 ⇒
- Number of public school students: 756,523
- Appointment: Elected
South Dakota Department of Education
- Name: Melody Schopp
- Title: Secretary of Education
- Start Date: January 18, 2011
- Salary: $123,864.45 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 133,040
- Appointment: Appointed by governor
Tennessee Department of Education
- Name: Candice McQueen
- Title: Commissioner of Education
- Start Date: January 17, 2015
- Salary: $200,004 ⇓
- Number of public school students: 995,475
- Appointment: Appointed by governor
Texas Education Agency
- Name: Mike Morath
- Title: Commissioner of Education
- Start Date: January 4, 2016
- Salary: $220,374.84 ⇒
- Number of public school students: 5,233,765
- Appointment: Appointed by governor
Utah State Office of Education
- Name: Sydnee Dickson
- Title: State Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Start Date: January 8, 2016
- Salary: $230,069 ⇒
- Number of public school students: 635,577
- Appointment: Hired by state board of education
Vermont Agency of Education
- Name: Rebecca Holcombe
- Title: Secretary of Education
- Start Date: January 2, 2014
- Salary: $126,793.60 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 87,311
- Appointment: Appointed by governor
Virginia Department of Education
- Name: Steven Staples
- Title: Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Start Date: May 1, 2014
- Salary: $212,661 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 1,280,381
- Appointment: Appointed by governor
Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Name: Chris Reykdal
- Title: State Superintendent of Education
- Start Date: January 11, 2017
- Salary: $134,212 ⇒
- Number of public school students: 1,073,638
- Appointment: Elected
Office of the State Superintendent of Education (Washington, D.C.)
- Name: Hanseul Kang
- Title: State Superintendent of Education
- Start Date: March 23, 2015
- Salary: $160,000 ⇓
- Number of public school students: 80,958
- Appointment: Mayor appointed
West Virginia Department of Education
- Name: Steven Paine
- Title: State Superintendent of Schools
- Start Date: March 27, 2017
- Salary: $230,000 ⇒
- Number of public school students: 280,310
- Appointment: Hired by state board of education
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
- Name: Tony Evers
- Title: State Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Start Date: April 1, 2009
- Salary: $120,111 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 871,432
- Appointment: Elected
Wyoming Department of Education
- Name: Jillian Balow
- Title: Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Start Date: January 5, 2015
- Salary: $93,261 ⇑
- Number of public school students: 94,067
- Appointment: Elected
Sources: State departments of education data, federal data on student populations for 2014-2015, Education Week analysis
Reporting & Analysis: Daarel Burnette II | Data Analysis: Francisco Vara-Orta | Design & Visualization: Doris Nhan | Research: Maya Riser-Kositsky
A version of this article appeared in the August 30, 2017 edition of Education Week