As it turns out, public school superintendents are some of the most highly paid government employees in the country:

Via Fox Business:

A growing number of school superintendents are now the highest paid government employees in the country, earning gold-plated compensation in the mid-six-figure range. That pay is often ten times what their teachers get paid—and often double the salaries governors get to run entire states. School superintendents get paid more than governors in a dozen states: New Jersey, New York, California, Ohio, Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Washington, FOX Business has found.

The rising pay for school supers is happening as states and school districts are slashing budgets in the face of record deficits. Unfunded retiree liabilities for government workers also continue to climb, to an estimated $1.38 trillion, says the Pew Center on the States.

Meanwhile, school districts continue to struggle with poor student performance. The U.S. education system gets a C-minus grade from Education Week, based on student scores and fiscal accountability, among other things.