From the St. Thomas Times-Journal

The Thames Valley District School Board has added a whopping 115 new members to its Sunshine Club — the list of public sector employees earning more than $100,000 a year.

In all, 180 principals, administrative staff and teachers earned more than $100,000 in 2008, according to an annual filing required under Ontario’s so-called Sunshine Law.

That’s up from 65 the previous year and more than 100 of them are elementary school principals, including at least 17 from St. Thomas-Elgin.

“That (increase) would be because our elementary principals, as a group, this year, their salary grid placed them above $100,000 for the first time,” said Mike Sereda, executive superintendent of human resources.

He noted that all principals will be on that list in given time due to pay increases.

But, he noted the Sunshine list is out of date.

“It was created at a time when very few people had a salary of $100,000.”

For the second year in a row, former director of education Bill Bryce earned the highest salary at $266,721. Meanwhile, current education director Bill Tucker earned $186,850 plus $1,130 in taxable benefits, and Sereda himself was paid $159,746.