Kansas City’s Head Start agency is defending the salary of a local Head Start executive. The agency says Dwayne Compton’s pay was “reasonable” over a questioned three-year period. The defense of Compton’s salary follows a federal demand that the agency justify the pay or return it. In its letter defending the salary, Kansas City Head Start says Compton was not only entitled to the compensation he received, but that he was underpaid when compared to the salaries of other nonprofit directors in the Kansas City area. Compton’s pay for three years: More than $800,000.