San Diego County’s two highest-paid superintendents made well above half a million dollars a year each in total pay in 2024, data show.
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The district leader who earned the highest base pay was David Miyashiro, the leader of Cajon Valley Union School District, an East County elementary school district of around 17,000.
He was paid more than $419,041 in base pay, plus $78,433 in other pay, for a total of more than $497,474, not including benefits, according to data from Transparent California, which tracks public employee pay.
Anne Staffieri, who heads the high-performing San Dieguito Union High School District in affluent suburban North County, earned the second-highest base pay, with $354,375. She was followed by San Diego Unified’s Fabiola Bagula, with $346,806 in base pay.
Including benefits, Miyashiro made $592,416, Staffieri $436,031 and Bagula $442,618.
A spokesperson for Cajon Valley did not respond to a request for comment, and a spokesperson for San Dieguito declined to comment.
For the most part, the overwhelming bulk of superintendents’ total pay came from their base salaries. But there was one major exception.
The highest-paid superintendent overall in 2024 was San Diego Unified’s Lamont Jackson, whom Bagula replaced that year after his firing on sexual misconduct accusations.
Jackson was paid $644,258 in 2024, not including benefits. Nearly half of that came from “other pay,” mostly severance and a vacation payout, according to a breakdown provided by a district spokesperson.
Jackson was fired in August 2024 after an internal investigation found he committed sexual misconduct toward two former employees. He denied the allegations in an interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Bagula took over the top job from Jackson, initially on an interim basis. Last year, she was awarded a new four-year contract when she was officially approved for the top job in a permanent capacity, giving her a $440,000 salary.
With about 100,000 students, San Diego Unified is California’s second-largest school district, after Los Angeles Unified. In L.A. Unified, the board approved last fall with a $440,00 salary.
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Miyashiro, the Cajon Valley superintendent, has long appeared at or near the top of list of local superintendent compensation. His base pay in 2024 of $419,041 was the highest in the county.
But superintendents’ pay includes more than just salary, and many can also cash out their unused vacation or sick days each year. They may also get overtime pay, stipends, monthly car and phone allowances and more.
Their benefits often include health insurance, life insurance and pension contributions.
Todd Maddison, who runs the Transparent California website, pointed out that what is included in “other pay” varies by district.
Two other San Diego County school districts’ leaders reported unusually high “other pay” in conjunction with their departure.
Tom Bennett, who left mid-year as superintendent of Rancho Santa Fe Elementary, was paid $243,650 in other pay, on top of a $102,816 base salary. The district didn’t immediately respond to a request for details.
And in Dehesa Elementary School District, Elizabeth Carzoli — who left as superintendent and principal that year — was paid $126,986 in other pay, on top of $126,339 base pay, under her resignation agreement.
“Note that Transparent California covers calendar years while our annual pay is technically by fiscal year,” the district’s current superintendent, Bradley Johnson, said. “Based on how they report out and because she was paid a lump sum, technically the amount listed covers a year and a half worth of salary on their reporting.”
In an interview, Maddison said district leaders’ pay doesn’t seem to correspond to the size of their districts — nor is there a connection between pay and performance.
He suggests making 20% to 30% of a superintendent’s pay contingent upon their meeting certain goals, such as on budgets or education outcomes. “I think that would be one of the best things we could possibly do,” he said.
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