Pa. School Superintendent’s $340K+ Salary Raises Eyebrows Across District

Pennsylvania is home to more than 500 school districts and they range in size from approximately 200 students to nearly 200,000 students. From teachers to assistants to cafeteria workers and support staff, we all agree that our educators across the state are some of our biggest unsung heroes.

One of those key roles in a local school district, of course, is the superintendent role. A school superintendent is kind of like the CEO of the school district. They may not be the most visible face in the school district, but they’re always involved in the key decisions that are made in the day-to-day operations of the school system.

CHECK THIS OUT: One of the Best Schools in the Country is in Philly

So, yes, it is kind of assumed that they make more money than most other employees, but in an age where every line item in a school budget is being scrutinized, is it time to look at the highest paid in the state?

Who Is Pennsylvania’s Highest-Paid School Superintendent?

We dug into public records and found that Pennsylvania’s top paid superintendent isn’t much of a surprise. In fact, the highest paid superintendent in the state is actually one that we know quite well. He's right here in our area. It’s Dr. Tony Watlington, who is the head of the School District of Philadelphia. He reportedly earns an annual base salary $340,000. Dr. Watlington signed a 5-year contract for the job back in 2022.

Now with a salary like that, you may wonder what really goes into his job? So, we looked at that as well.

Philadelphia Schools Are Some of the Largest in the Country

The School District of Philadelphia is not only the largest in the state, but it’s also one of the largest in the entire country. In fact, they say that they’re the eighth-largest school district in the entire nation. The School District of Philadelphia is massive. Here’s just some of the impressive stats showing its size:

• There are just under 200,000 students in the Philly schools. That’s 198,299 to be exact.
• There are 331 school is in city (250 of those are district & alternative schools with additional 81 charter schools).
• The School District of Philadelphia has approximately 22,000 employees, as of 2023.

So that’s a MASSIVE operation, as you can imagine.

What is the Superintendent’s Job?

Managing a school district of this size is of course very complex. And it’s a difficult time in Philly. Schools are facing an array of challenges. The challenges the district is facing include underfunding (leading to budget shortfalls), poor school conditions (including crumbling buildings), staffing shortages, and more.

READ MORE: These Are the 15 Best Schools in Pennsylvania

The School District of Philadelphia is facing a dire budget situation that could result in serious cuts coming in the fiscal year 2027 and beyond. In fact, for the 2026 fiscal budget the district had to use 40% of their “rainy day fund” to maintain current programming and needs. Dr. Watlington is at the center of working through those situations.

Who Is Dr. Watlington?

Dr. Watlington is actually sort of a local guy. He's a native of Fort Dix, NJ. He hs worked in education since 1994. Most recently, he  served as superintendent of the Rowan-Salisbury Schools in North Carolina.

After a nationwide search, Dr. Watlington was appointed to the role of superintendent on April 1, 2022. He was officially sworn in a little later that spring (on June 16, 2022) to begin a five year contract in the job. Under his leadership, the district says Philly’s schools have outpaced other large urban districts across the nation for math in grades 3-8 and reading in grades 3-8.