Royal Oak Superintendent Lewis-Lakin's Compensation In Line with Neighboring Districts

Editor's Note: The Mackinac Center acknowledges that some numbers in its superintendent salary database released last week may be incorrect. For instance, the center may have used the wrong numbers when determining the insurance portion for Supt. Shawn Lewis-Lakin. His actual compensation should be $216,980.

Royal Oak Public Schools Supt. Shawn Lewis-Lakin's total compensation package from the district ranks 15th among 29 superintendents in Oakland County.

According to a searchable database compiled by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Lewis-Lakin's total compensation package of $220,432 is Oakland County's 15th highest and the 55th highest in the state.

The superintendent's compensation package includes a salary of $150,00 and more than $50,000 in deferred compensation, split between pension and annuity, according to the database. 

Farmington Public Schools Supt. Susan Zurvalec's total compensation package of $277,867 makes her the highest paid top administrator in Oakland County, while Utica Community Schools Supt. Dr. Christine Johns boasts a lump sum of $300,789—the highest in the state.

From the 2010-2011 school year to the 2011-2012 school year, when Lewis-Lakin was hired, Royal Oak reduced the cost of employing the superintendent by $42,748 or 15.6 percent. 

Royal Oak schools has an enrollment of 5,322 students.

Here are the total compensation figures for administrators in neighboring school districts: 

School District of the City of Royal Oak

The Mackinac Center database includes information on all 606 Michigan districts, including those under an emergency manager, those that have no superintendent and those that have part-time superintendents.