To the Editor:
At a recent school meeting, Mrs. De La Piedra stated that Dr. Nishino, superintendent of schools, receives $40,000 per year. In fact, FUSD is paying him in excess of $140,000 per year. Nishino receives about $40,000 in base salary, $100,000 tax sheltered annuity, medical benefits, and use of a FUSD car. All this for working only three days a week. On top of that, he receives over $100,000 for retirement and received the largest lump sum retirement payout of any school administrator of the state: $420,000.
Sadly, all of this is legal. I question if the district is ashamed, and is this why the total compensation package has been hidden from the community. Where is the transparency they pride themselves on?
At this meeting, Mrs. De La Piedra said Nishino had done all that the school board has asked and she would like to see him stay. Did the school board ask Nishino to lower the school’s test scores? They fell by an unprecedented amount. Did the school board ask Nishino to lower the teacher and staff morale to deplorable levels throughout the district? Did the school board ask Nishino to stay in his office and not visit the schools to see what is going on? Did the school board ask Nishino to hire a high school principal who had been sued for harassment and lost the case? The school board only found about this after the fact. Did the school board ask Nishino to hide this from them?
Sincerely,
Karen Ashim, Retired Head Counselor Fillmore High School
MS Counseling & Guidance
MA School Administration