ISSUE
Executive and Administrative Personnel Compensation
Congressional leaders have called for a nationwide review of the financial management of Head Start grantees, including the percentage of federal Head Start funds used for administrative expenses, the salaries and benefits of the 25 highest compensated executives using Head Start dollars and dollars spent on meetings and conference travel of the top 25 grantees. In response to this Congressional inquiry, and because these data have not been routinely collected, the Department launched a Head Start Salary and Other Compensation Survey in December 2003.
INITIATIVE
Executive and Administrative Personnel Compensation
Under the Comparability of Wages section of the Head Start Act, the Secretary is required to take action to ensure that persons employed by Head Start grantees do not receive compensation
in excess of the average rate of compensation paid in the area where the program is carried out to a substantial number of persons providing substantially comparable services, or in excess of the average rate of compensation paid to a substantial number of the persons providing substantially comparable services in the area of the persons immediately preceding employment, whichever is higher&
The Department will provide additional guidance and technical assistance, no later than July 1, 2004, to help ensure grantee compliance with the Acts requirements regarding wage comparability. Under the direction of the Head Start Bureau, ACF Regional Offices will also conduct targeted and uniform systematic reviews of all compensation annually as part of the annual grant refunding process. The Department will use these reviews in making annual refunding determinations.
EXPECTED RESULTS
Executive and Administrative Personnel Compensation: By improving oversight, we will ensure that, to the maximum extent possible, Federal dollars reach their intended beneficiaries: low-income children and their families.
