The story with the most hits on our theoaklandpress.com on Wednesday, June 30 was:

While the Clarkston Community Schools Board of Education passed a budget with a $5 million deficit at its Monday meeting, the district’s former superintendent, Al Roberts, will be looking at cost efficiencies and reductions in his new job as superintendent of an Illinois elementary district.

Roberts announced his retirement from Clarkston Community Schools on May 24 and received a $40,000 retirement incentive.

The story is interesting because it is one more top Oakland County educator taking advantage of the recently passed early retirement incentives passed by the Michigan Legislature.

During the debate over that incentive package, the expected results were that experienced, highly paid teachers would take the deal and be replaced by recent grads at a lower pay rate. I don't remember ever hearing about how the incentives would be particularly attractive to top school administrators who, because of their higher pay rate, would also get higher retirement incentives.

But, as we have seen, that is what is happening. What's more, those administrators take the early retirement paid by our tax dollars and simply take another job, either here or somewhere else, at a rate of pay made acceptable by Michigan's retirement package. And, of course, the local schools cannot hire a recent grad to become their new administrators. They will either have to promote from within or recruit (at competitive salaries) from without.