Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting (https://kycir.org/tag/kctcs/page/2/)
An audited financial report released this week shows that KCTCS posted a loss of $13.3 million in the fiscal year that ended June 30, a slight drop from the $15.5 million shortfall of 2012-13.
The Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting recently delved into KCTCS pay and found that, in addition to a base annual salary of $317,962, the retiring president received $117,353 in “deferred compensation,” a $78,509 bonus, a $90,000 housing allowance and a $43,200 car allowance. He is among the highest-paid administrators in the country.
On Thursday the Lexington Herald-Leader reported that the state community college system had announced a “preferred candidate,” Jay Box, in its search for a new president. The news came out of nowhere. In September, the chairman of the Kentucky Community & Technical College System Board of Trustees, P.G. Peeples, told the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting that 40 people had applied for the job. KCTCS refused to share the names of those applicants, but Peeples said that the finalists would “probably” be announced in October. By October end, Peeples said the search committee was hopeful of “wrapping this up” in mid-November.
If taxpayers, KCTCS faculty and staff and Kentucky higher-education watchers want to know who applied for the job, they’ll be disappointed. State law upholds the secrecy of searches for people to fill public jobs, regardless of their importance.
KyCIR recently examined the lucrative compensation package and retirement deal for the Kentucky Community and Technical College System president, who is set to retire amid significant budget cuts to the system.
As Kentucky Community and Technical College System faces cuts and tuition hikes, President Michael McCall receives significant perks and a post-career payday.