St. Louis Park Board Approves Early Contract for Superintendent Carlondra Hines
Teachers and parents question the timing of the agreement, which increases Hines' salary to over $270,000 by 2030.
By Sanjay Caldwell ·
The St. Louis Park School Board voted last week to extend Superintendent Carlondra Hines' contract three years ahead of schedule. The new agreement raises her starting compensation from approximately $260,000 to more than $270,000 by the end of the term in 2030. The early vote has sparked debate among local educators and families regarding how the district allocates its limited funds.
Hines began her current term in 2024. Under the original contract, her salary was set to rise gradually. The board's decision to lock in the extension now means the salary increases will occur before the end of her current five-year cycle. Board members stated that the move was designed to ensure administrative stability and prevent the disruption of a new leadership search.
Critics argue that the timing sends a mixed message about the district's priorities. Kate McDonald, a teacher in the district, told the board that trust is as important as compensation in this decision. "Compensation is only one part of the issue with the proposed early vote today. Trust is another," McDonald said. Meghan Settingsgard, a parent and teacher, urged the board to examine its spending choices more closely. She noted that classroom resources are becoming scarce, with textbooks and digital tools running short.
Settingsgard highlighted that student enrollment has increased, straining capacity. She reported that average class sizes now exceed thirty students, with some rooms reaching 36 or 37. "Class sizes are larger than they have been in years," Settingsgard said. "Are we putting our resources where they will have the greatest impact on students, or are we prioritizing administrative compensation while classroom needs continue to go unmet?"
Virginia Mancini, the chair of the school board, defended the early extension as a standard practice to avoid the high costs and instability of a superintendent search. "As a board, the process of finding a superintendent is labor-intensive, it’s destabilizing, and it’s costly," Mancini said. She explained that the board compared salaries in neighboring districts to ensure Hines' pay remained competitive. "My child was in the district, and we had a leadership vacuum. So, the reason why we did this in advance is not because we are different from any other district, because this is the process," Mancini added.
Sarah Davis, a board member, clarified that the financial burden of finding a new leader would likely exceed the cost of the current contract. "I just want to be abundantly clear with everybody that we would pay more for another superintendent if we did that at this point," Davis said. She noted that the district would also pay for a search firm and additional board meetings if they initiated a new process. McDonald, however, maintained that every financial decision reflects the district's core values. "Every dollar spent is a statement in what we believe, and what we value," she said.
A district spokesperson told KSTP 5 Eyewitness News on Wednesday that she could not provide specific data on class sizes or details on plans to reduce them. The spokesperson also did not offer a detailed response to concerns about administrative compensation versus classroom needs. The board is scheduled to hold its next public meeting in December, where budget discussions will continue.
