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Hoover school board gives Superintendent Kathy Murphy $20,000 raise, plus longevity incentive

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The Hoover school board on Wednesday gave Superintendent Kathy Murphy a $20,000 raise, boosting her annual salary to $218,900.

The board also extended her contract from three years to five years (ending on June 30, 2023) and agreed to pay her a $40,000 bonus if she remains with the Hoover district for the full five years.

Murphy also will be eligible for future raises given by the state Legislature but declined to accept a 2.5 percent pay increase enacted for public school employees in March of this year.

Murphy did not ask for the raise, but school board members said they deemed it necessary in order to reward her strong performance and encourage her to stay in Hoover.

Murphy was one of the top three finalists for the state school superintendent job, which went to Eric Mackey, executive director for the School Superintendents of Alabama, in April.

New school board President Craig Kelley said the school board supported Murphy for the state job but panicked at the thought of having to find a new superintendent. “Finding another superintendent of this caliber was going to be a nightmare for us,” he said.

Some residents have criticized that much of a raise, especially given the financial challenges facing the school district in the years ahead and the fact that city leaders are considering asking Hoover residents for a property tax increase for Hoover schools.

But Kelley said the Hoover school district has got to have strong leadership, and that starts with the superintendent. He is committed to paying whatever is necessary to have strong leadership in place and to compensate all employees of Hoover City Schools in a manner that attracts top-quality people, he said.

School board member Amy Tosney said she voted for the pay increase and contract extension to show Murphy how much she is valued in Hoover.

“I just think she’s worth it,” Tosney said. “She’s decisive and strong. … It is a pleasure to have her in this system, and I am behind her 100 percent.”

Yes, $218,900 is a lot of money, but it’s not out of line with what other top superintendents in the state are paid, Tosney said. “You get what you pay for,” she said.

The school board retains the right to end Murphy’s contract for incompetency, immorality or misconduct with no further pay to her, but if the board ends her contract without cause, it must pay her two years’ worth of salary.

Murphy’s contract also provides her an automobile allowance of $750 per month, a cell phone and laptop computer, plus reimbursement for business expenses and travel expenses for travel outside a 35-mile radius from Hoover.

It also includes 15 days of paid vacation instead of 20. School board member Earl Cooper said that’s actually helpful to Murphy if she doesn’t use that much vacation time because vacation pay doesn’t count toward her retirement. If she receives that money as part of her salary, it would count toward her retirement pay, he said.

The school board also eliminated the requirement for the superintendent to be evaluated annually, instead choosing to evaluate the superintendent “at such times as it deems appropriate.”

Murphy on Wednesday said she appreciates the contract extension and raise.

“It really is my honor to serve Hoover City Schools,” she said. “I just count it a blessing to continue to serve.”

In other business Wednesday, the school board:

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