By: Michael Bennett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Ridgetown Independent News
The Lambton-Kent and St. Clair Catholic District School Boards both saw fewer employees on their Sunshine Lists in 2025.
The Lambton Kent Board had a total of 1,174 employees on the Sunshine List in 2025 with a combined annual salary totalling $142,456,528.59, according to the Public Sector Salary Disclosure.
The LKDSB saw a decrease of 94 Sunshine List members from 2024, when 1,268 employees earned more than $100,000, totalling $166,761,502 in salaries.
The St. Clair Catholic Board had 463 employees earn six-figure salaries in 2025, 22 fewer than the 485 employees on the Sunshine List in 2024.
The combined annual salaries of Sunshine Club members totalled $58,079,627.61 in 2025, down from the $63,293,058.39 total in 2024.
The decrease in Sunshine List members is largely due to timing.
The 2024 list included several employees whose pay temporarily exceeded $100,000 due to one-time retroactive payments, including Bill124 back-pay settlements and other collective bargaining adjustments processed that year.
“In 2025, those retroactive payments were largely completed, so reported salaries more closely reflect regular annual earnings, resulting in a modest normalization and a small drop in the number of people appearing on the list,” said Caress Lee, Communications Officer for the LKDSB. “Year-to-year fluctuations of this size are not uncommon and often reflect when retroactive payments, additional pay periods, or workforce changes are processed rather than structural changes to compensation.”
Gary Girardi, Director of Education, was the top wage earner at the LKDSB in 2025, earning $261,490.51 in salary, as he took over the role from John Howitt, who retired last May. Howitt’s 2024 salary was $266,884.74.
Brian McKay, Associate Director Corporate Service, was second, earning $209,542.36, which was about $8,000 less than his $217,440 salary in 2024.
Five Superintendents of Education held down the next five positions. Erin Smit earned $206,415.56, Ben Hazzard $200,773.00, Emily Dixon $199,333.06, Mary Mancini $192,217.62 and Angie Barrese $186,008.61.
Principals Ben Lawton and Melissa Mallette were eighth and ninth on the Sunshine List with salaries of $176,136.44 and $176,125.24, respectively, while Derek Stenton, System Coordinator, rounded out the top 10, earning $176,066.05.
A total of 1,035 teachers earned salaries of $100,000 or more, along with 64 principals, 28 vice principals, 12 coordinators, and six managers.
Meanwhile, at the St. Clair Catholic board, Lisa Demers earned $238,572.98 as Director of Education, a role she took over after Scott Johnson’s retirement in March of 2025. Johnson earned the highest salary of $236,999.88 in 2024, while Demers earned $175,999.98 as superintendent.
Amy Park, Associate Director Corporate Services and Treasurer, earned the second-highest salary in 2025 at $206,769.36, up from her $192,000.12 salary in 2024.
Ursuline College principal Lisa Harnarine earned $190,420.94, and Sarnia St. Patrick principal Daniella Mancusi earned $190,225.74, the only secondary schools in the SCCDSB.
Three superintendents had the next-highest salaries in 2025: Christopher Kehoe earned $ 189,538.44, Jennifer Morrow earned $189,279.20, and Michelle Sawa earned $184,799.98.
Lisa Walker and Michael Giroux, two elementary school principals, earned $183.595.88 and $180,849.85, respectively.
Stephanie Orrange, special education principal, rounded out the top 10 with a $180,718.80 salary.
A total of 259 elementary teachers and 123 secondary teachers earned more than $100,000.
There were 25 elementary principals, 6 secondary principals, and 5 elementary vice-principals in the Sunshine Club.
