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Lawrence Township school board members have taken sides in the re-election bid of one of their own after a lingering dispute over administrative compensation reached a boiling point.

Two board members, Wendy Muston and Amy Norman, have endorsed incumbent Crystal Puckett, while the other two, Jessica Dunn and Marta Lawrence, have endorsed challenger Eric Young.

The notable split arises from ongoing disputes between the five board members over compensation and academic performance. Last year, Muston, Norman and Puckett voted in favor of pay raises for Superintendent Shawn Smith and other administrators, including principals and assistant principals, while Dunn and Lawrence voted against administrative raises and abstained from voting on Smith’s contract. .

Dunn and Lawrence have also called for greater accountability for academic results and have linked the issue to administrator compensation.

Disagreement arises in the middle Contract negotiations with the teachers union. and at a time when school districts face increasing state scrutiny of academicsas well as financial competition of charter schools and vouchers for state-funded private schools.

Now, the issue has reached a critical point in the election for the only disputed position on the municipality’s board of directors. School board elections are nonpartisan and offices serve four-year terms.

“Student outcomes do not change without adults making the necessary transformative changes,” Dunn wrote in a Facebook post endorsing Young earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Muston and Norman say Puckett brings valuable lived experience to the board.

“I’ve worked with her for four years behind the scenes. I’ve seen her make difficult decisions,” Norman said. “I’ve seen her reach out to seek out and understand all the board members.”

Leaders of the Lawrence Education Association, the local teachers union, declined to comment on administrative salaries and have not endorsed the race. The district is close to reaching an agreement with the union on the contract, which could be approved the Monday after Election Day.

But LEA leaders said administrative payments frequently come up during contract negotiations, and the Nov. 5 election has only heightened awareness of them.

“With the way the state funds education and the diversion of vouchers and charter schools, I think that makes us even more aware of how our districts spend money,” said Amanda Rose, co-president of the union. “If we have to work with less and less, we must analyze our spending.”

But board members who supported the administrative measures are hopeful that a new task force to examine teachers’ working conditions will help address some workload concerns. The district also launched an anonymous survey for teachers last year to solicit input on issues important to them.

“I think the district is doing everything we can to listen and listen to our teachers in every way possible,” said Muston, the board president. “There is also a feeling in the district that there is division on the board, and that perhaps division can seep into our district. And that will not be of any benefit to our children.”

Board of directors divided over management compensation and achievements

Board member Lawrence has expressed concern in each of the last two years that township administrator salaries are higher than in other nearby districts, and believes this has created a stark disparity between the salaries of administrators and teachers.

Lawrence Township’s average teacher salary of $64,854 for the 2023-24 school year is in the middle of the average salary range for Marion County’s 11 school districts, according to self-reported data posted on the state’s website. Gateway platformwhich includes salaries and benefits. (Years of experience can affect a district’s average teacher salary; districts with a more experienced teaching workforce could potentially have a higher average.)

By comparison, the township’s average non-teaching district-level administrator salary of $176,527 a year is the highest of all Marion County districts, according to Gateway data. Smith’s total compensation of $389,808 for the 2023-24 school year was also the highest of any school chief in Marion County.

“As a business person, I could understand giving our administrators a higher salary if our district was outperforming all other districts,” Lawrence told Chalkbeat. “But we are not. And in many cases we are falling behind other districts as they deserve by state standards. That is a problem.”

Approximately 64% of third grade students passed the IREAD state exam in 2024for example, near the bottom of all Marion County school districts.

Lawrence and Dunn also abstained from a vote on the superintendent’s contract last August, citing concerns about his salary compared to other district leaders.

Instead, the two members have called for tying future administrative raises to student achievement results, which other board members have opposed. Majority board members have also noted positive academic outcomes, such as district graduation rate approximately 95%.

Muston, Puckett and Norman have defended the difference in the average salary of administrators and teachers, pointing out that administrators must work more days per year. Both groups have received roughly the same percentage of pay increases over the past five years.

Muston said turnover among trustees was high when she first came to the board in 2013.

“We now have a very, very stable situation with our administration,” he said. “In my opinion, he has played a very important role in the success that the district has had over these 12 or 13 years.”

Muston, Puckett and Norman also said they supported the superintendent’s salary, noting that under his leadership the district’s enrollment has grown as other districts struggle to retain students. Norman also praised Smith for his role in an effort to Pressure Legislature for More Funding in Last-Minute Deal During Hectic Budget Session.

The debate over administrator compensation, which resurfaced at an Oct. 14 board meeting after the LEA mentioned to the board its concerns about teacher workload, led Smith to express support for administrators in a letter sent to them the next day. He said he remained committed to ensuring administrators and teachers received fair and competitive salaries.

“This includes advocating for appropriate increases that reflect both your contributions and the economic realities of our district,” he said in the letter. “My position on the matter has not changed, regardless of any board statements I have heard to the contrary.”

Puckett said the issues Dunn and Lawrence have raised are important, but that it has become “increasingly difficult to have constructive dialogue.” He said he would prefer to use academic and payment information “as a flashlight and not a hammer.”

“It’s almost a deficit framework when it comes to the conversation around Lawrence (municipality),” he said. “Are we doing something good?”

Young, Puckett’s opponent, did not respond to requests for comment. But in a Facebook post after the Oct. 14 meeting, he said he is an independent thinker who will ask questions and analyze data.

Norman, who represents the Castleton area of ​​the district, said all board members want to see student achievement improve, but he hopes “we can respectfully discuss how to get there.”

The election will be on November 5. Early voting at the City-County building will be open through November 4, with additional early voting sites Open from October 26 to November 3.

This story has been updated to describe the average administrator salary in more detail.

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers Indianapolis and Lawrence Township schools for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amelia at [email protected]