Will Elmbrook's Bloated Superintendent Contract Become a Serious Liability?
The increasingly lavish contract for Superintendent Mark Hansen continues to cause concern for its long-term financial impacts to the Elmbrook community.
With the City of Brookfield going to referendum, and what may be a tightening macroeconomic environment, the Elmbrook community will be paying for another boost to Superintendent Mark Hansen’s contract; he will now be making $233,649 with additional benefits that exceeded $55,000 last year. This does not include what could be considered a golden parachute of healthcare benefits Elmbrook taxpayers will bear when Mark retires and was approved on 3/18/25.
What is Elmbrook Paying?
Performance Recognition
In addition to Mark’s generous salary, he has the opportunity for a $35,000 bonus based on performance criteria that has not been established yet.
A $7,500 one-time bonus paid in 2024 for the “Superintendent of the Year” was removed. Concerns were raised over this award when the community noticed Mark Hansen was (and still is) a director of the same entity that gave him the “Superintendent of the Year” award.
Retirement Benefits
New to this year, Elmbrook taxpayers will be paying $8,440 (or the maximum allowed amount) in addition to the standard contribution of 6.95% for 2025 - which is at least $16,000 - to Mark’s Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) account.
Another change this year is regarding his Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA). The purpose of the HRA is to assist with healthcare premium costs in retirement. He has received this benefit as a fixed yearly payment since 2015.
For 2025, his payment was reduced to 1/3 of the normal payment. In 2024, concerns were raised about potential “double dipping” since he has received almost a decade of HRA contributions which are meant to pay for healthcare premiums in retirement. Now, he is also receiving significant healthcare premium assistance in retirement, detailed below.
Healthcare Assistance in Retirement
Elmbrook taxpayers are liable to continue to fund the majority of healthcare premium payments for Mark Hansen and his family after he retires. As early as age 55, Mark can retire and the district will pay either 75% or 85% of his family’s retirement premiums for 9-10 years.
In addition, because Elmbrook has a self-funded plan ultimately Elmbrook (and therefore the taxpayers) are liable for healthcare claim costs.
When Will Superintendent Mark Hansen Retire?
In February 2023, Board President Scott Wheeler announced that Superintendent Mark Hansen would be retiring in 2-3 years. He said that the upcoming retirement was one of the reasons he ran for re-election and that “this is possibly [Mark Hansen’s] last contract,” referring to the contract approved 2/21/23 by the district.
Talk of Mark Hansen’s retirement continued in 2024, with board member Jean Lambert referencing“potential future superintendent selection” as one of her focuses.
Superintendent Pay Ranking
Back in 2022, Board President Scott Wheeler apologized to Mark Hansen when his contract was being renewed and when referring to Mark’s pay, he said, "Sorry. You're not #1."
At the time based on DPI pay data, Mark's base salary was the 9th highest in the state if you sort by code 05 - District Administrator.
As of 2024, he is the 10th highest paid in Wisconsin based on salary alone.
If fringe benefits are added, he remains the 9th highest paid. Total compensation reported by DPI does not appear to capture the cost of 9-10 years of Mark’s family’s healthcare expenses.
Potential Impacts to Elmbrook’s Financial Stability
Superintendent Mark Hansen’s increasing pay despite declines in academic proficiencies during his tenure, his behavior during board meetings when challenged, and a $2,000,000 increase in Elmbrook’s healthcare expenses in recent years continue to raise serious concerns.
Despite Elmbrook advertising fiscal responsibility, if financial decisions are not carefully managed, will Elmbrook need to go to referendum next?
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