The North Kitsap School District recently created two new assistant superintendent positions. Filling those roles are district administrators Chris Willits and Shawn Woodward. Woodward was promoted from the former position of executive director of teaching and learning, while Willits is stepping up from his position as director of human resources.

By district spoksperson Chris Case’s account, both Woodward’s and Willits’ workload has about doubled. Superintendent Rick Jones proposed they be compensated $120,000 per year.

But that is not to be.

The school district’s board of directors balked at the administrators being funded on the “high end” of the spectrum for their extra — read: doubled —workload, as did some citizens.

“How, in this economy, can you justify raises for anybody, especially those in senior management?” community pool advisory committee spokeswoman Jan Harrison asked the board.

So, now they’ll receive $117,500 instead.

True, it’s a slight difference of $2,500, but it’s the principle of the matter that stinks.

Nowhere in that agreement were any of their additional duties knocked off.

Yes, there are teachers losing their jobs, which directly impacts students and means some teachers have to take on additional responsibilities.

It’s no different than in the private sector. People everywhere are being forced to do more with less.

But in Woodward’s and Willits’ case, they were promised a certain salary to double their workload. And they accepted. Then they got the same amount of work for less pay.

By the school board voting to negate the superindent’s intentions, the district’s 2009-10 overall administrative salary savings increased to $317,000.

For two people to double their workload to improve education here in North Kitsap then not receive what they were promised is shameful.

It’s bunk, plain and simple.