The Office of Financial Management report shows that University of Washington and Washington State University athletic coaches were five of the top seven paid government employees, and the UW had 35 of the top 40 salaries in state government.
None of the athletic department employees’ pay came from state taxpayers, because the departments are self-supporting.
The governor? Well, you have to drop all the way down to the 956th entry to find the name of Gov. Chris Gregoire who takes home $166,891 a year.
Last on the list? A custodian at a Veterans Affairs facility who earned $10,300 last year.
Publication of the state’s salary schedule is a good thing because it destroys some myths and shows the huge diversity in state pay.
We’ll venture a guess that most Washington residents would be surprised that the governor is not the highest-paid state employee. They are likely shocked that there are nearly 1,000 state employees who are paid more than the governor.
And with all the caterwauling about cuts to higher education in the recently adopted two-year budget, many state residents would be surprised to learn that the top 55 paid public employees on the state payroll are university workers. It’s not until you get to 56th on the list that you find the name of a general government employee — Washington State Investment Board chief investment officer Gary Bruebaker with an annual pay of $303,562.
The fact that UW football coach Steve Sarkisian’s tops the list at nearly $2 million-a-year salary is – regrettably – a reflection of current societal priorities. When you have professional athletes signing multi-million dollar contracts, it’s no surprise that the coaches who prepare them for pro sports earn princely salaries. University of Washington basketball coach Lorenzo Romar ranked second at $1.14 million.
The coaches’ boss, University of Washington president Michael Young earns a fraction of their pay. While he earns far less than his coaches, at $550,000 a year Young is still far, far ahead of the governor.
Football and basketball boosters are quick to jump to the defense of the highly paid coaches. They note that big-time college sports workers are paid out of event proceeds and private funds, and some highly paid university employees are paid out of research grants they win.
Former UW president Mark Emmert was always quick to note that proceeds from the University of Washington’s football program pay for the university’s entire athletic budget. Less popular sports such as volleyball and soccer survive only on receipts at football games, said Emmert who is the new president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Defending the pay of coaches and other university top wage earners, UW spokesman Norm Arkans said, “Like any other university in America, we operate in a very competitive market.” He notes that some medical center researchers bring in several times their salary in research grants.
Dr. Laligam Sekhar, who ranked No. 7 in the state with a salary of $547,980, is a brain surgeon and vice chairman of the neurological surgery department at the University of Washington Medical School. “And brain surgeons in the private sector make three times what he is making,” Arkans said.
Of the 26 best-paid general-government workers, six were at the Investment Board, and 20 were at DSHS, including 16 psychiatrists employed at Western State and Eastern State hospitals where pay ranges from $243,858 to $289,073.
Cory Curtis, Gregoire’s spokesman said publication of the salary schedule could leave some people frustrated “as this recession grinds on, and everyday citizens have to give up more.” He also said more is being asked of state employees, who are taking on extra duties as others are laid off, and despite more responsibilities had their pay cut by 3 percent July 1.
More than 6,000 state government jobs have been eliminated since the recession began.
What are we to take away from the publication of the new salary schedule?
The notion that as the chief executive of the state of Washington, the governor earns less money – sometimes millions less – than about 1,000 other state employees, is a head scratcher. And the fact that coaches top the list – despite the source of their pay – draws societal priorities into serious question. It’s clear we value sports over academics and that’s not right.
