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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Gaia Democratic School

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 462644676
MN · NTEE B24
FY ending 2024-06-30
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Starri Hedges, Executive Director / CEO ($40,000) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 63 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 59th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Starri Hedges — reported title “Officer-Key Employee”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable role.

How comparable organizations were selected

63 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 63 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$1,157 total compensation of comparable organizations → $99,117 $40,000
$4,00010th
$13,10625th
$29,587Median
$48,15675th
$62,62990th
$40,000This org · 59th
p10$4,000
p25$13,106
p50$29,587
p75$48,156
p90$62,629
$40,000

Comparable organizations

Each figure is Form 990 Part VII columns D + F (reportable pay plus other compensation and benefits; column F may include amounts from related organizations), normalized to MN cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.

OrganizationStateRevenueMatched titleComp
(reported)
Comp
(adjusted)
FY
Life Point Christian University Inc AZ$205,771 President $50,400 $49,054 2024
Palmyra Christian Academy MO$206,020 Director $3,550 $3,918 2023
Mercy Christian Academy LA$204,384 Board Member $32,296 $37,053 2023
Mate School CO$208,359 Chairman/pre $68,333 $66,311 2024
Faith Alive Christian Academy VI$201,389 Teacher $27,288 $28,094 2023
Sunset Sudbury School Inc FL$211,841 President $85,000 $80,812 2024
Childrens Cottage CA$212,633 Executive Dir. $65,301 $55,595 2025
Desert Springs Christian Academy NM$213,660 Headmaster 7 $21,524 $22,825 2025
Kardia Classical School WA$196,814 Head Of School $29,358 $25,915 2025
Albert Lea Wrestling Boosters MN$196,683 Trustee $33,900 $33,900 2024
Open Door Christian School PA$214,476 Teacher & Assistant Administrator $20,736 $20,927 2024
Grace Christian Academy NC$196,126 Teacher $26,667 $27,167 2025
South Tulsa Academy Inc OK$214,734 Board Member $15,000 $16,284 2025
Hillside Academy Inc ID$215,043 President $4,899 $5,274 2024
Bnos Sarah Inc NJ$194,438 Trustee $6,000 $5,421 2024
The Morgan Oliver School For Anti-racism Inc GA$192,109 Ceo $14,583 $15,278 2023
Play School Inc FL$218,741 Executive Director $47,173 $44,849 2024
Emmanuel Coastal Academy Inc FL$221,404 President $2,050 $2,007 2023
Cornerstone Haiti FL$222,220 President $54,225 $53,076 2023
Shikabania Corporation CA$224,241 Director $4,809 $4,327 2023
St Catherine Of Siena Academy NY$186,368 Chair & Trea $4,090 $3,740 2024
Huaxia Chinese School At Bridgewate NJ$184,351 Principal $8,480 $7,662 2024
Bais Yaakov Bnos Chayil Inc NJ$229,282 Trustee $20,000 $18,072 2024
Ohr Zahava TX$179,842 Vice President $47,630 $49,642 2023
Rise Mhk Corporation KS$231,322 Dir. Of Educ $10,000 $10,933 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to MN cost of living and 2024 dollars. Click any organization to verify the figure on ProPublica.

Methodology

Comparable organizations were drawn from electronically filed IRS Form 990 returns and matched on sector (NTEE code), budget (a size-adaptive revenue band that tightens as the organization grows), and geography (same-state first, broadening only when too few peers qualify); every organization within the band forms the peer set. To compare fairly across regions and years, peer compensation is normalized to MN cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2023) and to the subject's filing year (CPI-U). The figure benchmarked is Form 990 Part VII, Section A, columns D + F — reportable pay plus other compensation, benefits, and deferred amounts (column F may include amounts from related organizations) — with the chief executive matched by role. Related-organization amounts (column E) and institutional trustees are excluded. Full methodology: peerbasis.org/methodology.

Sample, role match & sensitivity

Sensitivity — the subject's percentile under alternative compensation definitions:

BasisSubject percentile
Total compensation (D + F), cost-of-living + inflation adjusted — the PeerBasis default59th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)59th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted60th
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted59th

If the percentile moves materially across these definitions, the result is sensitive to methodology choices, and the board should weigh which basis best fits its facts.

Rebuttable presumption of reasonableness · 26 CFR 53.4958-6

Compensation paid by a tax-exempt organization is presumed reasonable — shifting the burden to the IRS — when three requirements are met. This report supplies the comparability data for the second. The board should record the following in its minutes concurrently with its decision:

Draft board minutes — executive compensation

  1. The compensation of the Executive Director / CEO (Starri Hedges) was approved in advance by [the Board / Compensation Committee], composed of members with no conflict of interest with respect to the arrangement.
  2. Prior to its determination, the authorized body obtained and relied upon appropriate comparability data, namely the PeerBasis Compensation Comparability Determination dated June 9, 2026, comparing compensation against 63 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (B24), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $40,000 is reasonable (approximately the 59th percentile of comparable organizations) and documented the basis for this determination concurrently, on [date], by a vote of [__ for / __ against].

Sources: IRS Form 990 e-file data (apps.irs.gov); IRS Business Master File (NTEE classification). Every figure traces to an original public filing — click any organization above to verify it on ProPublica. PeerBasis is a service of Prismind Analytics; its methodology is published, was commissioned for independent adversarial review, and discloses its own limitations. This report is comparability data to support a board's good-faith determination under IRC 4958; it is not legal or tax advice. Generated by PeerBasis on June 9, 2026.