Another $10,000 Raise For District 204 Superintendent Guseman

JOLIET, IL — For the second year in a row, Joliet Township High School Superintendent Karla Guseman — already one of the top paid public officials in Will County — received a salary increase in excess of $10,000. Her latest salary increase, funded by Joliet area property taxes, resulted from a 5-0 school board vote last December, Joliet Patch found.

Entering her fourth full school year in the job, Guseman now has a base salary of $257,281, an increase of $42,281 since she became superintendent, overseeing staff and students at Joliet West and Joliet Central in February 2020, more than three-and-a-half years ago.

Guseman's latest salary hike, which was 4.25 percent, took effect in July. It upped her salary by $10,489. And even though Guseman was already in the middle of an uncompleted four-year contract as superintendent, the District 204 school board voted last Dec. 13 to change the terms of her contract and extend her superintendency several more years into the future.

As a result of the school board's decision, Guseman's new contract states she will continue as the superintendent of District 204 from July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2027.

Back in the middle of the 2019-2020 school year, in February 2020, the school board parted ways with first-year superintendent Mike Hanson, who came from South Dakota. The board replaced him with Guseman, the long-time assistant superintendent under Cheryl McCarthy.

At the time of Hanson's hiring, the school board initially overlooked Guseman in its decision to replace the retiring McCarthy. Then, at the time of the mid-year superintendent's shakeup, the school board granted Guseman a four-year contract that guaranteed her job security through at least July 1, 2024.

Then last December, school board member Matt Kennedy made the motion to approve Guseman's $10,000-plus salary increase and multi-year contract extension into the summer of 2027, and that was seconded by Lorraine Guerrero Neumayer.

Joining Kennedy and Guerrero Neumayer were Michelle Stiff, Frank Edmon and Christine Lynn, according to the minutes of that meeting.

Back in April, Edmon lost his re-election bid. Now, there are two new members: Thomas Fitzpatrick and Dr. Angela Huntington. The seventh member is Dan Coffey, who was appointed in September 2021. Coffey received the highest vote totals of the seven candidates vying for the four open positions on the Township High School Board in April. Stiff was also re-elected, and Kennedy ran unopposed in his race for a two-year term.

In reference to the Superintendent's Office, the District 204 website includes the following information: "The superintendent endeavors to obtain and develop the most competent staff to carry out the schools’ purposes. She provides leadership in securing and managing funds and facilities needed for an effective instructional program. She encourages and maintains communication between the school district and the community."

In researching this story, Joliet Patch obtained the previous salaries for Guseman.

At the time of her 2020 promotion by the high school board, her assistant superintendent's salary was increased from $171,634 to $215,000 — a salary hike of $43,366.

• February 2020: starting superintendent's salary: $215,000
• July 2020: $11,000 salary increase to $226,000, a raise of 5.1 percent
• July 2021: $9,040 salary increase to $235,040, a raise of 4 percent
• July 2022: $11,792 salary increase to $246,792, a raise of 5 percent
• July 2023: $10,489 salary increase to $257,281, a raise of 4.25 percent

Here are some key details Of Karla Guseman's Superintendent's Contract:

COMPENSATION: "If the Board provides a salary increase to the administration, the SUPERINTENDENT will be provided no less than the percentage increase that is given to the administrative staff ... The BOARD retains the right to adjust the annual compensation, salary, and/or fringe benefits of the SUPERINTENDENT during the term of this Contract, and thereafter, provided that any compensation, salary, and/or fringe benefits adjustment(s) shall not be lower than the annual compensation, salary, and fringe benefits paid by the BOARD in the preceding contract year."

VACATION: "The SUPERINTENDENT shall receive twenty (20) work days of vacation annually, exclusive of weekends, legal holidays, or other holidays as declared by the BOARD. Unused vacation days from one contract year may be carried over to the same extent allowed of other District office administrators. At no time shall the SUPERINTENDENT ever have more than fifty (50) accumulated vacation days. Winter, Spring and Summer student non- attendance periods will constitute work days unless specifically scheduled and credited toward the vacation set forth herein. Upon separation of employment, any and all unused vacation days shall be paid at the SUPERINTENDENT'S then current per diem pursuant to the law after the SUPERINTENDENT'S final work day and after receipt of the SUPERINTENDENT'S final paycheck for regular earnings."

DEFERRED COMPENSATION - The SUPERINTENDENT may annually defer compensation pursuant to and in accordance with the terms of an eligible deferred compensation plan as described in Section 457(b) of the Internal Revenue Code if adopted by the BOARD, and/or authorize a salary reduction in order that the BOARD may purchase a 403(b) eligible product for the SUPERINTENDENT ... the Board shall make a non-elective employer contribution each contract year to a 403(b) eligible product in the amount of Four Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($4,500.00). The annual contribution shall be made no later than July 15th during each contract year. The Superintendent has not had and shall not have the option to receive cash or any other form of compensation or benefit in lieu of this non-elective contribution.

TEACHERS' RETIREMENT SYSTEM CONTRIBUTION - In addition to the gross compensation paid to the SUPERINTENDENT by the BOARD as expressed in Section 4, the BOARD shall pick up and pay on the SUPERINTENDENT'S behalf, the SUPERINTENDENT'S entire required contribution to the Illinois Teachers' Retirement System pursuant to the Illinois Pension Code.

TEACHERS' HEALTH INSURANCE SECURITY FUND CONTRIBUTION: The BOARD shall pick up and pay on behalf of the SUPERINTENDENT the SUPERINTENDENT'S entire contribution to the Teachers' Health Insurance Security ("THIS") fund. The BOARD shall remit this contribution to the Illinois Downstate Teachers' Retirement System ("TRS") as the fund's collection agent. Payments made by the BOARD to TRS under this section shall not be reportable to TRS as creditable earnings.

To read Guseman's latest superintendent's contract with District 204, visit the School Board meeting minutes from last December.

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