Next higher ed commissioner will make $275,000

Louisiana’s next higher education commissioner will be paid an annual salary of $275,000, a steep drop from what the last college chief earned, under a pay package approved today by state lawmakers. The Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget agreed without objection to the revised pay plan that was recommended by the state’s top college board, the Board of Regents, which will hire the new commissioner. The compensation is $150,000 less than what the job previously paid. “We kept the current budget situation in mind when evaluating the salary option that we bring to you today. We believe a $275,000 salary will allow us to bring forward a qualified, experienced candidate to lead higher education during this critical time in Louisiana,” says Bob Levy, Regents chairman. The higher education commissioner is the state’s chief policy leader for public colleges and top coordinator among the four public university systems. Regents has hired a national search firm to sift through possible candidates for the job, but the firm had yet to offer applicants any idea how much the position would pay while Regents awaited guidance from lawmakers. The state’s last commissioner, Sally Clausen, received a $425,000 a year pay package including housing and car allowances. She also received state retirement income in her last months as commissioner, which bumped her salary up further. Lawmakers criticized Clausen’s salary, particularly as the state’s budget problems worsened and Clausen’s relationship with legislators soured