It's probably not surprising Jamestown Public Schools, with more than 5,000 students districtwide, has the highest-paid superintendent in the area.
What might be surprising is who follows closest behind.
Business First has released its list of the 200 highest administrative base salaries in Western New York school districts. Jamestown Public Schools Superintendent Daniel ''Deke'' Kathman makes $159,000 in the 2008-09 school year. Three other administrative salaries at JPS also crack the Business First top 200 - Dale Weatherlow, assistant superintendent for administration, made $122,215; Joe Yelich, high school principal, made $120,078; and the district's assistant superintendent for instruction position, formerly held by Kathman and unfilled this year, was allocated $122,709.
The average superintendent salary in Western New York for school districts with enrollments of more than 5,000 is $173,680, putting Kathman's salary below average.
According to Business First's release, the largest paychecks go to superintendents at high-profile districts - such as Jamestown - and to those with extensive seniority.
It is the latter that helps place Al D'Attilio of Bemus Point Central School at second in the area and 22nd overall in Western New York with a base salary of $154,039 in 2008-09. D'Attilio has served as Bemus Point's superintendent for 23 years, placing his salary far above what one might expect for a superintendent of a district with approximately 800 students.
Other area superintendents whose salaries are in the top half of Business First's Top 200 are Paul DiFonzo at Fredonia ($134,550, 58th highest salary), Jon Peterson at Cattaraugus-Little Valley and Daniel George at Southwestern ($130,000 each, 69th highest salary), Doug Hay at Salamanca ($127,575, 83rd highest salary), and Gary Cerne at Dunkirk ($124,000, 98th highest salary).
While many principals, assistant superintendents, department directors and other administrators crack the Top 200 from Erie and Niagara county schools, Jamestown is the only school with non-superintendents in the Top 200, which bottoms out at a yearly base salary of $110,000. All area superintendents with the exception of Randolph's Kim Moritz and Forestville's John O'Connor made the Top 200 in 2008-09.