by Sandy » Tue Mar 19, 2013 1:14 pm
My salary and benefits package is proposed in February, publicized in March and voted on in April. It is paid by revenue received through tuition and fees, and if it increases, the board has to justify the increase and show where they are going to get the money. If my salary goes up, it affects the tuition and fee schedule. Having it disclosed is part of acceptable, expected accountability when you work for an organization that operates on contributions.
Hiding salary figures by burying them in budget expense categories is a time honored Baptist tradition, handed down by some of the best in the SBC, for avoiding questions and challenges from messengers on the floor of the convention regarding either overstaffed executive offices or overpaid executives. The megachurches picked up on the use of similar methods to keep their pastor salaries from being known by members of the congregation.
I get your point about not contributing to CBF. I haven't for a while. But if I were, I would want to know, in light of the 30% decline in budget giving, what kind of salary and benefits package had been offered, and if it included perks like being able to commute by plane from home in Austin, and how much it cost to provide housing in Atlanta. In light of CBF's stated ministry, and its financial situation, those kinds of things don't seem prudent. But, of course, you can pay for whatever you want to have. Money follows priorities.