<h3>Alabama\'s Top School Official Gets a Raise... ..

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Alabama's Top School Official Gets a Raise... And a Longer Stay!

Get this, folks! The Alabama State Board of Education just gave State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey a thumbs-up for sticking around 'til April 2029. And guess what? His paycheck's getting a boost too, jumping from $292,500 to a cool $325,000.

Thursday's vote wasn't a clean sweep, though. Jackie Zeigler from District 1 was the lone dissenter.

A Nearly $90K Raise? Whoa!

Initially, the board was considering a whopping $90,000 raise, which would've pushed Mackey's salary up to $380,000, making him one of the highest-paid superintendents nationwide. But, after some side-eye from the public and a few board members, Mackey asked them to dial it back. Good move, right?

Even with the scaled-back increase, $325,000 is still way above Alabama's average superintendent salary of $174,944. Just sayin'!

What Does Mackey Do Anyway?

Mackey's been leading the charge since 2018 (his starting salary then was $245,00. He basically oversees Alabama's 154 K-12 public school districts, serving over 750,000 students and managing over 100,000 employees. That's a lot of responsibility. He deals with funding, making sure everyone's following the rules, and setting the course for education in the state.

Benefits Still Flowing

Besides the salary bump, Mackey keeps perks like a $1,750 monthly housing allowance, a state-provided ride, and a guaranteed 3% annual raise. Plus, the contract keeps rolling for three years at a time, automatically extending each year unless someone decides to pull the plug.

Not Everyone's Thrilled

Despite a solid performance review (4.51 out of 5!), Zeigler wasn't happy, saying the final contract draft only landed in board members' inboxes the night before the vote. She wasn't digging the process, even though she still supports Mackey's leadership. Transparency is the name of the game!