Transparency vs. Confidentiality * Managing Head Compensation Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates
Feb 25, 2016
Transparency vs. Confidentiality
*Managing Head Compensation
Confidential: Intellectual Property of Littleford & Associates
*Key Themes
*Head Compensation: Myths and Reality*Competitive Compensation and Market Replacement
Costs*Evaluation Requirements*Transparency
*How is Head Compensation
Determined?
*Head compensation is most influenced by the occupations of the Compensation Committee members. Surprising? *The highest paid heads tend to have
board chairs who are CEOs, COOs, venture capitalists or investors. Why?*The lowest paid heads have compensation
committee members who are “professionals”
*The Role of Region
*Far East, Middle East, Europe, Latin America and Africa, generally in that order of pay*Strong currency nations have more
leverage, i.e., yen, Euro, pound
*Who Gets Paid the Most and Why?
*The highest paid heads are males who move about every 4-7 years. Why?*Also highly paid are the senior respected leaders who
have been recruited by new for profit, privately owned or investor created schools
*Who Gets Paid the Least and
Why?
*Women: paid up to one quarter less*Heads who are hired from within*Heads who stay at their first school *Heads who have been at the same school more than 5
years*Heads who are self-effacing
*The Head’s Contract
*Most are three year*Most have an “evergreen” clause*More than 90% of school heads have
written contracts and the remaining 10% SHOULD
*Termination Issues
*Termination not for cause should provide the head 12 to 18 months notice or pay*Termination for “cause” should include only very serious matters such as “gross misconduct” or “moral turpitude” NOT “insubordination”*Termination by the head is usually 6 to 8 months notice but in good schools, should be 12
*Types of Compensation
*Annual Base Salary*Cash Bonus *Deferred Compensation funded by School
*The Benefits Package: Contributions to Standard
Benefits
*The amount that the school ACTUALLY pays on behalf of the head over and above what is provide to other employees
*Disability Insurance: Often individual* Life Insurance: Usually two times salary*Medical Insurance: Usually Family*Dental Insurance: Family*Flexible Benefits
*Other Compensation
* Forgone Interest on Loans or Forgiven Loan Principle
* Education Assistance Plan* Tuition Benefit (beyond standard remission
and including other kinds of tuition or other school-related benefits) Include the “gross up” (if any) to cover the head’s tax liability on this benefit.
* Tuition at another school* Additional Insurance* Spouse Travel Allowance or Payments* On and Off Campus Housing* Home leave: Business class flights?
*Other Compensation II
*Auto Allowance or Driver*Club Membership or Dues*Sabbatical Opportunities, vacation and/or
personal days (cashed out instead of taken)*Any other reportable income*Calculated in gross or net terms?
*Housing
*Many schools provide housing*Most others provide a housing allowance
(or it is included in base pay calculation)*Some provide an interest free down
payment forgiven over time to assist in the purchase of a permanent retirement home (for long termers mainly in Europe, US)*It is difficult to recruit a head without
housing support no matter what the market
*Replacement Cost
*Moving expenses*Housing: Tax Issues*Retirement/Gratuity insurance*Life, health, disability insurance: Tax issues*Tuition remission: Tax issues*Deferred compensation: Tax Issues*Club membership: Tax Issues*Travel for family*Bonus
* Head Evaluation
*Evaluation must be annual and in writing*Evaluation is a goal setting process of not more than FIVE manageable goals*Good evaluation does not involve parent or faculty interviews*Evaluation involves the entire Board*The higher the pay, the more important the need for an evaluation “paper trail”*Avoid corporate “360” models: Why?
* Head Evaluation: What About
On-line Tools?
*Far better than no evaluation at all*Be wary of “over kill”: too long, too many questions*Be wary of potential inadvertent circulation
*The Politics and Feelings Involved
*Contract renewal is like a marriage renewal, a reaffirmation of the parties*Overlooking the head’s contract is
unprofessional and risky*Setting the head’s compensation last is
not smart*Do not take the head for granted as head
hunters will call.
*The Compensation
Committee
*Should be 3-5 members*Chair, Vice Chair and Finance Chair or immediate past chair*Meets annually*Speaks for the board
*The Compensation Decision:
How Transparent?
*Everyone board member has a legal right to know BUT*Report no details to the full board*If a board member demands disclosure ask him or her to call the board chair for a private conversation
*The Process as well as the
Product
*Taking the time to talk and review the compensation needs and package annually is crucial*The head often thinks about the contracts of his staff but is reluctant to speak up about his or her own*Respect the head’s spouse and his or her needs*Respect the needs of the head’s children and family
*Conclusion: Why Conduct a Head Compensation
Review
*To be fair, competitive and know your market replacement costs*To introduce discipline, professionalism and some measure of transparency into the compensation setting process for the head of school
*Why Hire Littleford & Associates
*Benchmark the compensation package of the head and senior administrators with one of the most accurate data bases built over the past 22 years*Can be retained by boards only, not heads*Thorough and efficient process that
affirms all parties*We have done this for over 4,000 schools
in the past 25 years and for many schools multiple times for the same heads and for retiring and new heads