Severance pay: It's a guy thing?

There's outrage in some quarters over outgoing SFUSD Superintendent Arlene Ackerman's $375,000 severance agreement.

Funny, but this kind of package for an outgoing schools superintendent fails to cause a ripple when a man gets it, as is routine in the male-dominated world of superintendents.

Some examples:

• Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Ruben Zacarias left in 1999 — in disgrace over the scandal in which LAUSD built a high school on a toxic site, a $300 million fiasco. Zacarias pocketed a $750,000 buyout.

• Fresno Superintendent Santiago Wood departed in July 2004, also under a cloud. His package was $489,000.

• Oakland Unified Superintendent Dennis Chaconas was fired in June 2003 when the state took over the school district after everyone suddenly noticed that the district was $100 million in debt. Chaconas got $389,000.

• Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Mike Moses left in — wow, this is a rarity — apparent good graces in August 2004. He would have gotten more if he'd served out his contract, but still took $253,000 with him, plus an estimated $224,000 annual pension.

Those dudes were of various races, but they did just happen to share a demographic characteristic.

These severance arrangements should undoubtedly get more scrutiny and provoke more outrage than they do. But I'm old enough to recall a workplace of well-paid men in charge and coffee-fetching gals in the outer office perched at our Selectrics. I can't help thinking things haven't changed much after all when nobody pays much attention until the beneficiary of the severance package wears a skirt.

— Caroline