MEXICO, Mo. – On Feb. 1, the Mexico Ledger published a story announcing that the Mexico, Missouri school district had hired Dr. Zachary Templeton as the new superintendent.

The story noted that he will replace Kevin Freeman, who resigned to take a job with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

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But for citizens who might have understandably wondered what Templeton will be paid, there was nothing.

The school district’s website also posted a story about Templeton’s hiring, but like the newspaper, did not mention what Templeton would be paid.

Some citizens probably took their curiosity a step further, and checked the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s website that lists the salaries of all Missouri school superintendents. That would at least tell them what Freeman has been paid, which would provide a clue about his replacement’s compensation.

The state website accurately listed Freeman’s 2015-16 base salary – $123,053 – but that did not tell the entire story.

Freeman collected $5,638 in regular benefits (mostly medical), which is a pretty modest amount. But the district also paid an $18,629 contribution to the state retirement system on his behalf, which brought his 2015-16 compensation total to at least $147,320 – $24,267 more than his base salary.

Retirement costs also drive up the teacher payroll in the Mexico district.

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In 2015-16, 207 teachers were paid a combined $8,709,905 in base salary, for an average of $42,076. They also received a combined $932,924 in regular benefits (for an average of $4,506) and a combined $1,404,671 in retirement benefits (an average of $6,785).

The benefits brought the average compensation for Mexico teachers to $53,376, which is $11,300 more than the average base salary.