School Board Candidates Divided on Administrative Pay

The first 12 questions of an election forum on Monday spurred Brentwood Board of Education candidates to boast about how much they loved the school district they wished to serve and what actions they would take to maintain its identity.

But the 13th question drew the night's first disagreement: Where would you cut the cost in administration?

“Our superintendent is overpaid by $40,000," said. "We got baseball players that are buying half their gear. You got basketball players that are buying warm up jerseys. Because the school can't provide it."

said she compared Superintendent Dr. Charles Penberthy's pay to nearby districts. “It would appear that he is overpaid 20 percent compared to other districts,” she said.

But two incumbents who signed paperwork approving Penberthy's salary shot back.

“This all came from a Channel 4 thing that came from last September,” said, referring to a report from Craig Cheatham that noted Penberthy earned a salary of $216,000 per year plus benefits.

Rabenberg, who serves as the current board president, said Penberthy's longevity and success in the position have earned him the salary and his yearly raises.

“He’s still here, and he’s still doing a very good job,” he said. "I have no problem defending our superintendent pay."

, the current board secretary, agreed with Rabenberg, saying Penberthy should be paid well compared to nearby districts. 

agreed with the pay and suggested the district establish a pay scale for the position with incremental raises. said Brentwood should pay its administrators well, but maybe not quite as much compared to other school districts.

The candidates squared off before a crowd of 60 in the . The League of Women Voters sponsored and moderated the forum.

The use of hiring committees—like the one created during the —was another point of contention discussed during the forum.

All candidates said hiring committees are important, but a few believed they should operate differently.

Harper wants to cap the number of people who can serve on a committee to ensure each member's voice is heard. Williams said members should be given the opportunity to rank their top choice for a teaching or coaching job in addition to offering feedback to administrators. Hassemer said committees should function as delegates for community members.

"Committees have a very important place on any governing body, but they have to be empowered," she said.

Rabenberg and Hembree said the committee process has been mostly successful and they would continue to use it.

Candidates also discussed standardized curriculum and weighed its benefit against custom curriculum created by the school district. When the state uniformly measures students, does that mean Brentwood should tailor its education to state goals?

“There’s a minimum level of knowledge and learning and core subjects that need to be completed, but many of our students get so much more than that,” Hassemer said.

Sommer said the district shouldn't "teach to tests," which would restrict student learning.

"Not all tests are designed for all categories of students. There’s different levels of achievement that I don’t think tests accurately capture," she said.

Berken said the district should pursue standardized goals but draft custom curriculum that's beneficial to Brentwood students. Harper said the district shouldn't produce a "cookie-cutter" education, but argued that some standardization is necessary for students to earn scholarships and awards.

And when a question was raised about the pending , each candidate said Brentwood should hold control over enrollment numbers.

Rabenberg said Penberthy continues to meet with legislators to share the district's feelings. Hembree added onto his statement, saying, “I think we've done a lot of things right.”

Berken applauded Brentwood for being proactive in supporting local control efforts and Harper, Hassemer and Sommer said they would lead the community against measures that would force Brentwood schools to accept an uncapped number of students from outside the district.

Berken, Hassemer, Hembree, Rabenberg and Williams on the board. Harper, Sommer and Stephen Moelm, who didn't attend the event, hope to fill . The election is on April 5.