Salary negotiations underway for Fresno County’s highest paid employee: the superintendent

A Fresno County compensation committee is preparing a salary package for the incoming superintendent that’s expected to be the highest in the county, the Fresno Bee reported.

Newly elected superintendent Michele Cantwell-Copher takes over the position on Jan. 3. Her predecessor, Jim Yovino, who held the job since 2013, is the county’s highest-paid public employee with a salary of $340,000. The county school board will vote on Cantwell-Copher’s salary at an upcoming meeting.

Yovino’s base salary does not include benefits. His total compensation package includes $55,042 in other pay and $60,574 in benefits, according to Transparent California. By comparison, the county’s chief administrative officer earns $267,800.

The county superintendent’s office oversees a $359 million budget, 1,500 employees, and fiscal operations in 32 school districts, the Bee reported.