The abrupt resignaton of schools superintendent Pat Green may give pause to school board members who, in November 2010, decided to dramatically raise the superintendent’s salary. Green’s predecessor, Todd Roberts, earned $175,000; Green was offered $245,000–in order, then-board president Deb Mexicotte said, “to bring the best to the district.”
Before the ink dried on Green’s contract, commenters were waxing indignant over the raise at a time when the district, like every other in Michigan, was hurting badly. As a result, says trustee Andy Thomas–who voted against the increase–Green “got off to a very shaky start.”
The superintendent seemed to be unprepared for Ann Arbor’s rancorous school politics–which only intensified as the district made state-imposed budget cuts. Strong-willed but thin-skinned, she faced parents angry about the board’s decision to cut back on busing, principals and teachers upset about stricter requirements on documenting disciplinary procedures, and repeated sniping from some board members. In the end, even a district-record salary wasn’t enough to keep Green here. She’ll be gone in June, two years into her five-year contract–leaving her successor to make another $12 million in cuts.
