PORTLAND, Ore. – If you think pay raises of 33 percent are only given to Wall Street bankers, take a look at what’s happening in Oregon’s Portland public school system.

OregonLive.com reports Portland school board members are considering increasing Superintendent Carole Smith’s salary by a third – from $193,000 to $257,000. Board members are also considering raising Smith’s annuity payment by 66 percent – from $18,000 a year to $30,000.

Pam Knowles, one of the board members directly involved with putting together a new pay plan for the superintendent, is refusing to say if the 33 percent raise proposal is being seriously considered, or if the board will aim a little lower.

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“It’s not ready, it’s not finished,” Knowles told OregonLive.com. “We’re in negotiations with the superintendent, and it’s not public.”

Translation: “Mind your own business, Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer.”

That’s a pretty arrogant attitude, especially given that new K-12 “investments” from state taxpayers are the only reason the financially challenged district finally has some extra cash in its bank account. It’s only proper for taxpayers to know if Portland school officials plan to piddle away their “investment” on lavish raises for employees.

Portland board members believe their superintendent deserves a pay bump of some kind because she’s a strong leader who recently helped the district sidestep a nasty strike from the local teacher union.

They also say Smith is worthy because she went without pay raises during most of her seven years with the district. Smith started her career with Portland Public Schools making $190,000, and her salary has only gone up by $3,000 since.

Board members appear to be overlooking the fact that Portland Public Schools’ graduation rate is the worst in the state (62 percent) and their high schoolers’ proficiency scores in math (69 percent) and writing (65 percent) are far from impressive.

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We believe there’s another (unspoken) reason for the raise: School board members all across the nation take pride in having a highly paid superintendent. They equate having a top-earning superintendent with having a top-notch education system.

That’s a ridiculous premise, of course, but many school districts buy into it.

It’s especially silly for any Oregon school district to spend big bucks on a school superintendent because the Beaver State has the second-strongest teacher unions in the nation, according to a report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.

In other words, unions can block Oregon school administrators – who work in conjunction with school superintendents – from making extensive personnel changes that are often necessary to turning around struggling schools.

Portland schools are expected to offer a three-year contract to Smith, though there’s no indication when the board will vote on it, OregonLive.com reports.