Oak Creek Superintendent Will Receive Bonus

Oak Creek-Franklin Superintendent Sara Burmeister will receive a one-time, 3 percent bonus this year.

The School Board approved the payment Monday night. Burmeister earns a salary of $153,497, according to Department of Public Instruction data, making the bonus worth $4,604.

Board members said that they chose to approve a bonus rather than a salary increase to help keep pension costs down, an idea that came from board member Mark Verhalen, who was elected to his first term in April.

Board President Frank Carini gave Burmeister high praise for her job performance. The bonus was an outside-the-box idea to reward her while keeping costs down for taxpayers, he said.

"Every time you give a salary increase, there is a domino effect" on pensions, Carini said. The bonus eliminates the pension aspect of it, he said.

"We felt a one-time bonus is more effective in long-term cost savings overall."

Carini said the board approved a 3.4 percent salary increase for Burmeister two years ago and froze the salary last year.