Arlene Ackerman, the superintendent of Philadelphia schools since 2008, has doubled the number of furlough she plans to take this year, from 10 to 20, effectively immediately.
Philadelphia, a district of 154,000 students, is facing a budget shortfall of potentially a half a billion dollars for the next fiscal year. Ackerman’s base salary is $338,000 plus benefits and performance perks, which include a $100,000 bonus she will receive if she stays in the district until June. (And yes, her handsome compensation package has raised some eyebrows.)
“I recognize first that Central Office spending must be reduced in order to maintain the tremendous academic progress that the city’s schools have made in the last eight years,” Ackerman said in a statement.
The district also announced that Deputy Superintendent Leroy Nunery will take 10 furlough days, members of executive staff will take eight furlough days, and any other non-union staff members making $100,000 or more will take six furlough days.