Last year about this time Quasi counted how many "admins" were at central office: 43 and all making six figures (or close).

In Houston we find the same situation.

Here's an excerpt:

The 10 most highly paid Houston school district administrators will earn a total of more than $1 million this year, in some cases after double-digit raises, even as nearly 500 school district employees have lost their jobs since 2002 because of budget cuts.

In all, about 50 administrators will earn more than $100,000 in 2004, with salaries ranging from $271,288 for Kaye Stripling, the superintendent of schools, to $100,533 for Mario Vasquez, a district lawyer, according to HISD employment records.

The district's highest-paid teachers, however, including those with 20 years of experience and a master's degree, top out at about $65,000 in annual pay.

But -

Rob Mosbacher, chairman of the Greater Houston Partnership, said more state funding is the answer, not cuts from the top.

"In my experience in the business world, everyone needs to tighten their belts in tough times," Mosbacher said. "But cutting those salaries would not save enough money to make much of a difference."

He added, "Whether we need as many senior people as there are, that's a question that needs to be looked at, which I'm sure the district has."

I agree with this. It's not so much the salary, it is the number of people making that salary. And in this case I'm also for "symbolic" pay cuts for the admins even if they don't solve the budget woes.