I caught a little of tonight's meeting of the Clay County School Board, just in time to see Superintendent David Owens get a hefty pay raise by a near-unanimous vote.

Spoiling Owens' bid for a quiet salary hike, the Board's usual modus operandi in such situations, was School Board member Wayne Bolla. Bolla, who has apparently set up squatter's rights in the Superintendent's dog house, asked a logical question - Why do Clay County taxpayers pay the Superintendent more than what the state recommends, and what other Clay County constitutional officers accept? Bolla voted no after apparently not being satisfied with the bone of an answer tossed his way.

Carol Vallencourt called on her long, long experience on the Board (something she refers to as often as Rudy Guliani mentions 9/11) to issue the bottom line citizens should fear the most from their elected representatives: "That's the way we've always done it."

Of course, she added a few other things, such as the fact that Owens serves as the CEO of the largest corporation in Clay County and his salary would still be slightly below that of Fritz Behring, the County Manager in charge of fewer facilities and employees.

Bolla, bless his dissendent heart, pointed out that the job of Superintendent of Schools is an elected position with the salary set by the state, while Behring was hired after a competitive search of professionally qualified candidates (hardly the same kind of field voters have when choosing a local elected official.)

I echo Ebeneezer Bolla's concern with the "that's-the-way-we've-always-done-it" pay raise and the fact that the Superintendent's salary exceeds that of other constitutional officers, and add a couple of things I consider germane to the issue.

I'll readily concede that the government corporation being CEO'd by Owens is the county's largest (public or private), dwarfing the realm of of Clay's other elected constitutionals, but I can't concede that it makes one single bit of difference.

If David Owens is working any harder than Barbara Kirkman, Jimmy Jett or the Weeks Boys, then he isn't doing his job right by hiring the right professsionals.

Taxpayers sign off on some really healthy salaries in the school district, and those don't go to teachers in classrooms. From the administrators of our smallest elementary schools to the roster of well-compensated assistant superintendents - there are hundreds of people who do the actual work of running the school system. The Superintendent? He's an elected official. A multi-term politician.

I don't see how that warrants any more than the state says, or the other local constitutional officers accept.

After the Supe got the extra cash, the School Board moved on to a discussion about whether or not to contribute Clay County taxpayers' funds to a lawsuit filed by the School Board Association.

Now, there are some legitimate concerns about the state's recent legislation about Charter Schools and how it affects the local school district.  But the lawsuit was going to proceed with or without our $2,500.  And having "Clay County" listed among the many plaintiffs in the case may impress someone, I doubt it will be the judge or judges deciding the case.

Later on there was a discussion about how many of the millions of our tax dollars were at risk in that distressed state pool.  Seems we came close to missing payroll, if not for some alert folks in the School District office, who pulled some of our money out and put it in Wachovia instead.

Owens' take on that situation was a little confusing, since he started out agreeing that his staff had done a good job, but ended his meandering with the conclusion that "it would be best for Clay County" to put the money back in the fund. Which is a great example of why making sure professionals are hired for professional positions is probably an elected official's most important job, and why Owens ought to be paid what the other elected officials are paid.