Santa Rosa Schools Superintendent Gets 18 percent Raise

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Bowing to what it says was overwhelming public pressure to scale down the numbers, the Santa Rosa School Board has approved an 18 percent, 2 year salary increase for superintendent Diann Kitamura.

From its current level of $200 thousand per year, Kitamura’s pay will increase to $218 thousand dollars in July, and $235 thousand dollars in July of 2020.

In granting the raise, the school board pointed to what it called similar district across the state in which the superintendents make more money than does Kitamura.

The earlier proposed raise of 29 percent in just one year would have brought the superintendent’s salary to $257 thousand. But, faced with opposition from the local teachers union as well as a sizable public outcry, the school board set aside the matter for several weeks while it reconsidered.

After a protracted negotiation, Santa Rosa District teachers recently agreed to a 7 percent salary hike, spread out over two years. Some critics of the superintendent’s salary increase complained that her raise should be the same as the one offered to teachers.

At the same time it approved Kitamura’s raise, the school board also finalized increases for the deputy superintendent and three assistant superintendents that together will total $60 thousand a year.