Administrators of Cape Girardeau School District are not paving a new path by considering budget freezes, including a proposed freeze on salaries, to correct a $1 million fund deficit, said Vic Slaughter of the state's school finance office.

Throughout the state, salaries and benefits of all school employees generally comprise some two-thirds of district expenditures, and administrative and teacher salaries take up more than half of that figure on average, said Slaughter. Because of this, salaries are always a primary target whenever budget cuts come up.

"They're labor-intensive," he said. "The only place you can go if you've got a major deal is to cut personnel."

Slaughter said urban school districts in St. Louis City and Kansas City may opt for salary freezes and personnel reductions to prepare for anticipated diminished state aid in coming years when desegregation payments are ended. Purchased services like utilities and mandated services like special education are non-negotiable and take in little of a district's expenditures, he said.

"Even if you can cut it a fourth, that's not where the big money is," he said. "It's a balancing act, and salaries make up a big part of the budget."

Salaries of Cape Girardeau administrators and teachers are comparable to districts of similar size, like Farmington, Jackson, Poplar Bluff and Sikeston. Although the district's base teacher's salary and average building principal's salary are the lowest of the five districts, Cape Girardeau teachers and administrators are paid better than some and worse than others.

No benefits or comprehensive packages were included in the comparison.

Poplar Bluff schools fared worst in the comparison of districts. The average teachers' salary was $27,856, some $1,400 less than the average salary for Sikeston teachers and more than $1,700 less than Cape Girardeau's average teacher salary this year. The district posted similar numbers with its maximum teachers' salary.

Business manager Steve Bounds said administrators in Poplar Bluff are hoping to increase salaries for non-classified staff this year. Those employees, who include maintenance workers, teachers' aides and cafeteria staff, did not receive pay increments last year due to a tight budget, he said.

"We want to see if we can help out the non-classified people, but in order to do that we're going to have to trim in some other areas," said Bounds.

Farmington and Jackson schools are two of the fastest-growing and best-paying districts in the region. The two districts posted standout salaries in all areas.

Jackson has gained more than 300 students in the past three years and has an average teachers' salary of $31,515. The district's average salaries for assistant superintendents, building principals and teachers topped all other schools in the comparison.

Farmington has gained 512 students in the past four years; 1,200 students since 1988. The district has the highest superintendent's salary and the highest minimum and maximum teachers' salaries.

Farmington superintendent Dr. Robert Webb said the district's success could be attributed to strong local and state support. State funding increases when a district is growing, and the community has responded to the districts needs by approving two tax levies and four bond issues in the past decade, he said. Because of this, money is available to pay teachers and administrators based on their experience and contributions to the district.

Districts like Cape Girardeau suffer financially because they're enrollment has little change or even declines, he said.

"If you're not growing in student numbers or if you don't have assessed valuation growth, you're going to lose state and federal money," he said.

Webb's salary of $99,500 was $5,700 higher than that of Dr. Howard Jones, Jackson schools superintendent. He attributed his salary to his experiences as a community college president and former employee of two state departments, as well as his 13 years of service to the district.

Slaughter said programming cuts are not popular because of overwhelming and diverse public interest. Because of that, salaries will probably always be the first and easiest place to look for budget reductions, he said.

"The first thing some districts will do is cut football, basketball and the like, but that's when we've got trouble because that's where the public interest lies," he said. "Salaries for administrators, teachers and non-classified personnel are usually about the only place to cut."