The top 20 highest-paid teachers in South Central CUD 401 each earned more than $49,000 in total compensation in 2014, according to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
The amount reflects teachers' full adjusted pay - a calculation which includes benefits and all pension contributions by taxpayers for each teacher, and reflects a full year of work instead of the nine months teachers actually worked.
Records show that in 2014, Rick L. Simmons, a teacher at South Central High School at P.O. Box 189, received $85,430.64, the highest full adjusted pay among all teachers in the district.
Included in that amount was $13,414.51 in taxpayer-funded benefits, $7,471.87 in retirement benefits, and $5,942.64 in other benefits.
Overall, the total amount South Central CUD 401 spent on its 20 highest-paid teachers in 2014 was $1,235,167.65.
South Central CUD 401 had 54 teachers in 2014.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2014 Census American Community Survey, the median household income for Illinois was $57,444 in 2014.
ISBE is responsible for administering public education in Illinois and consists of nine board members appointed by the governor and approved by the Senate.
*Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly noted the teacher benefits data was from fiscal year 2015 when it was actually from fiscal year 2014. We have updated the story accordingly.
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