California Education

Janet D. Stemwedel quotes Jerry Brown

I have reviewed the Mercer compensation study and have reflected on its market premises, which provide the justification for your proposed salary boost of more than $100,000. The assumption is that you cannot find a qualified man or woman to lead the university unless paid twice that of the Chief Justice of the United States. I reject this notion.

This is a very odd American idea: that without a huge salary, no competent person can ever be found. I am not sure that this idea passes the "laugh test" as seen by Governor Brown's comments. It also has some very pernicious effects on things like income inequality and the perception of fairness (this has not been the best time for California universities from a fiscal point of view).

I am happy to discuss these matters from first principles but the idea that qualified people cannot be found for less than absurd amounts of money is just berserk.