State Controller John Chiang today asked California's 72 community college districts to submit information on employee pay to the database he is compiling of local government salaries.
"The California Community Colleges, the nation's largest higher education system serving more than 2.7 million students, has earned and must continue to earn the public's confidence that it provides education in a cost-efficient manner," says the letter by Chiang and Jack Scott, chancellor of the state's community college system.
"In this vein, we ask you, as well as your peers in each of the system's 72 districts, to work closely with the State Controller's Office to collect and deliver this (compensation) information for each of your employees, as well as the members of your board of trustees."
As The Bee reported in February, executive pay, perks and retirement benefits vary tremendously among the state's community college districts. Compensation for chancellors of the state's 15 largest community college districts ranges from $228,000 in Ventura County to more than $390,000 for Sacramento's Brice Harris. Car allowances range from zero to $950 a month. Two Southern California chancellors receive housing allowances of at least $2,000 a month, while most don't receive any at all.
But that information is only available by requesting it from 72 independent college districts. No one in state government can say how much the colleges spend on executive compensation because the state doesn't collect the information.
That will change if the districts cooperate with Chiang and Scott's request. Their letter says the colleges will receive reporting instructions in October 2011 and asks them to report the information by April 2012.
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