Staff Reports
A new Ballotpedia analysis of 2025 salaries for statewide executives has a simple, uncomfortable message for taxpayers: some of the highest-paid officials in America are unelected, appointed education chiefs and other bureaucrats. The single top figure — New York Commissioner of Education Betty Rosa at $489,000 — jumped off the page, and it’s not an isolated quirk. Nine of the top ten highest-paid state executives in the study were appointed, not elected.
Ballotpedia analysis: unelected officials top the pay charts
Ballotpedia pulled payrolls, contracts and state financial reports to compile its 2025 list. The findings are stark. After Betty Rosa, Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carey M. Wright sits near the top with roughly $360k. By contrast, the highest-paid elected official in the top ranks was Georgia State Treasurer Steve McCoy at about $329k. Meanwhile, many elected posts are paid pocket change — Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick’s reported base was listed around $7,113 and the Utah State Board of Education members were near $10,529.
Why taxpayers should care
This isn’t just trivia for policy wonks. Appointed officials don’t face voters. They don’t have to answer to a ballot box if the public disagrees with their priorities. Yet they can receive salaries that outstrip many elected leaders and even some governors. Jackie Beran of Ballotpedia put it plainly: voters deserve to know how their money is being used. If someone picked by insiders is making far more than the people we elect, that gap deserves a spotlight and a hard question.
Education chiefs pocketing big paychecks — and little accountability
It’s no surprise that education administrators dominate the top of the list. State education systems are huge, and contract negotiations can include big raises and pension sweeteners. But size alone does not justify secrecy or outsized pay without clear checks. New York’s spike to $489,000 drew public criticism from state lawmakers. If a state is going to pay one appointed official more than the governor, the people financing that check should get a full explanation — and some real oversight.
Fixes that make sense
There are simple, common-sense changes that would restore trust. Require that major salary increases for appointed statewide officials be posted publicly with a clear rationale and a signed contract. Make independent pay commissions more transparent and give legislatures a meaningful review role. Tie raises to measurable performance metrics and limit retroactive pay bumps that balloon one-year totals. And most of all, voters should demand clarity at the ballot box: if appointed power is growing, put stronger limits and clearer lines of accountability in place.
Ballotpedia’s 2025 snapshot is a reminder that money talks in state government — and often it speaks loudest for officials who never face voters. That should make every taxpayer pause, ask questions, and push for reforms so government pay reflects public priorities, not insider deals.
