This past week, Q-line asked:
A recent survey showed that SMMUSD Superintendent Tim Cuneo is one of the highest paid in the county. Cuneo’s contract has been criticized by some parents and the local teachers union.
Does Cuneo deserve this pay, and will it have any impact on whether or not you support another parcel tax to fund local schools?
Here are your responses:
“I would have to say no. I don’t think anybody deserves the pay, especially that man. If he gets $50,000 a year it would even be too much, and I can’t see why they’re paying him all this money. I will never, never, never again support a parcel tax to fund local schools. We fund local schools to give them the money — where does he get the nerve to even accept that money?”
“The commies from Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights that have run our town for over 30 years squander our taxes and hire their cronies for ridiculous amounts of money, benefits and parties. Why do we even need a superintendent of schools, when the school board can make any major decisions? Of course, the school board is also all Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights kooks.”
“Teachers are being fired left, right and center. So no, I don’t think it’s fair.”
“Cuneo is just another overpaid bureaucratic parasite. Now, as far as a parcel tax, they’re already paying too much for too little, so no on that other.”
“Cuneo’s salary is way too exorbitant. Would I vote for another parcel tax to fund local schools? Not on your life.”
“In my opinion, Mr. Cuneo deserves the pay that he is receiving, but the real issue is whether the schools need another parcel tax. What Mr. Cuneo makes or does not make has absolutely nothing to do with my answer to that. If we want to have strong public schools, we need to provide local support, because the state is not doing its job.”
“The superintendent’s salary is a side show and a distraction from the real issues. The state is in crisis, which has put our schools in crisis. We need to support them by keeping our eye on the ball and making it clear that our schools are in need, but not due to the superintendent’s salary or to district mismanagement of funds. The state is the culprit here, and the only immediate recourse we have is to raise local funding.”
“That kind of salary is justified only if you have to deal with the City Council on a daily basis.”
“I believe the world is overpopulated. Why should I pay higher property taxes to support other peoples’ children?”
“The parcel tax is going to replace a $12 million hole in the budget, and nobody’s salary could ever even come close to filling that hole. These are two separate issues and the people who are tying them together are doing themselves a lot of harm. One person’s salary is not going to fill a $12 million hole that the state has created for the district.”
“I think that the superintendent is overpaid. Special ed is still a mess with a different spin on it, and there should be no new parcel tax without an audit of the district finances and practices.”
“No, Mr. Cuneo does not deserve the large salary that he’s receiving. This is just another example of corruption throughout Santa Monica.”
“Mr. Cuneo’s salary is an outrage. God Himself would have applied and we know his qualifications.”
“No, I don’t think he’s overpaid, especially based upon the fact that Harry Keiley, the president of the Santa Monica-Malibu Teachers Union, is paid a full-time teacher’s salary and doesn’t teach in the classroom. He happens to be paid by the school district, not by the teachers union. If he were paid by the teachers union that would free that position up and we could hire another full-time teacher in the district.”
“No, I will not support a parcel tax for a variety of reasons, but this is on top of the list. There’s no reason this district needs more money when they can’t manage the money they already have.”
“Civil servants have become secret masters. The only duty we owe to history is never to repeat it. We never learn. This huge salary will serve to line the pockets of the recipient and of those who put him there. The remaining crumbs will be distributed among workers, consultants, et cetera. They, in turn, will attempt to place Band-Aids on matters requiring major surgery.”
“When the superintendent is making this kind of money and when the district has the kind of reserves it has, they should not be talking about cutting the salaries and health care benefits of their teachers and support staff. There is definitely a time when cut from the top makes sense.”
“No, no and no to both questions. Bloated salaries like SMMUSD has permitted are outrageous when many people have no salaries at all. And, no way to more parcel taxes for me either.”
“He receives $50,000 a year in stipends and an average teacher salary is about $50,000, and isn’t it more important to the community that Cuneo’s apartment, car and salary are paid for through district funds or do we hire a teacher to directly serve our children?”
