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PeerBasis
Compensation Comparability Determination

Touchstones Discussion Project Inc

Executive Director / CEO

EIN 522009938
MD · NTEE B20
FY ending 2023-12-31
June 9, 2026

This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Stefanie Takacs Msed, Executive Director / CEO ($95,306) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 279 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.

Compensation sits at approximately the 90th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range

Benchmarked executive: Stefanie Takacs Msed — reported title “EXECUTIVE DI”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.

How comparable organizations were selected

279 organizations qualified on sector, size, and geography 279 within the band form the benchmarked peer set.

Distribution of comparable compensation

$163 total compensation of comparable organizations → $182,003 $95,306
$9,65710th
$29,30325th
$50,242Median
$76,70575th
$93,64890th
$95,306This org · 90th
p10$9,657
p25$29,303
p50$50,242
p75$76,705
p90$93,648
$95,306

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 MD 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
Excellence In Education CA$445,380 Executive Dir. $81,999 $73,563 2024
East Providence Education Association RI$444,361 President $9,696 $9,410 2025
Axiom Christian Classical School NM$444,326 President, Dean Of Athletics & Activities $25,000 $28,761 2023
Foothills Christian School WA$444,133 Member $8,000 $7,441 2024
Spirit At Play Inc MT$446,640 Executive Dir. $56,569 $63,352 2024
Yucca Blossom Montessori TX$448,028 President $31,154 $33,333 2023
Gainesville Preparatory School Inc GA$449,991 Vice Preside $41,913 $45,077 2023
Springfield Christian School WA$450,316 Chairman $44,467 $41,362 2024
Cambridge School Volunteers Inc MA$450,938 Executive Director $96,934 $88,165 2025
The Education Foundation Of Indian River FL$438,310 Executive Director $81,462 $81,856 2023
Family Health Ministries Inc NC$451,760 Former Executive Director $72,000 $77,292 2024
Chesterton Academy Of Rochester NY$438,015 Board Member $39,183 $36,786 2024
Sheltering Tree Ranch Inc TN$437,675 Vice-president $22,375 $25,157 2023
Windsor Street Montessori School MO$436,941 President $24,000 $25,729 2025
Anthem Classical Academy AR$453,466 Head Of School $33,588 $40,383 2023
Banner Of Faith Ministries Inc TX$453,467 President $24,000 $24,942 2024
Alexandria Classical Christian VA$436,415 Headmaster $34,854 $34,963 2024
Cornerstone Christian Schools Inc ID$454,132 President $34,708 $38,359 2024
Foundation For Pottstown Education PA$454,654 Executive Di $101,439 $102,388 2025
Pathway Academy NM$434,930 Principal $69,008 $79,390 2023
Morning Glory Montessori School CA$434,705 President $187,650 $168,345 2024
Star Christian School CA$456,867 President $30,700 $28,355 2023
Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy OH$457,299 Admin Repres $11,127 $12,606 2023
Cornerstone Community School Association KS$432,581 Director $33,327 $36,442 2025
Cor Deo Christian Academy OR$431,689 Principal Director $93,037 $89,764 2024

Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to MD cost of living and 2023 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 MD 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 default90th
Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments)89th
Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted92nd
All sources (D + E + F), adjusted87th

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 (Stefanie Takacs Msed) 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 279 similarly situated organizations (Same NTEE sector (B20), nationwide + budget 0.67–1.5× revenue).
  3. The authorized body determined that total compensation of $95,306 is reasonable (approximately the 90th 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.