The housing/travel allowance granted to our new Superintendent, Alberto Rodriguez, in FY10 and FY11. Not only excessive given our budgetary problems, but also confusing. Does it take two years to move? Does it cost $30,000 to move from Miami to Amherst? Well, I looked into that.
Based on Dr. Rodriguez's evening presentation during his candidacy, I learned that he has two adult children. Given that, I figured that his move might be easier/cheaper than moving a family with younger children who had no choice but to move along with their parents. Picking an "average" home of 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, I asked a few national relocation companies for quotes on moving from Miami to Amherst this June. The top figure so far? $7,664 This includes full packing by the moving company and insurance for replacement value of items. True, Dr. Rodriguez could be moving from a 5bd 4ba home to a 5bd 4ba home and his belongings could include a grand piano, but even so, I find it difficult to believe that it will cost him $15,000 to move. Or rather $30,000 over two years to complete said move.
I would like to hear more from the School Committee about the deliberation over this $15,000 add-on to his salary and how this $15,000 will be administered. Will he need to submit receipts to receive reimbursement for moving or will he just receive a lump sum per year? If he needs to submit receipts, exactly what will and will not be deemed acceptable? For example, if he and his wife dine every night at five-star restaurants on their drive up to Amherst, will we be reimbursing him for that? I would just like some answers.
I also want to point out that the lengthy "justification" of this salary and benefits package clearly states early on that "It does not make sense to compare former superintendent Hochman’s FY08 salary to the one negotiated with Dr. Rodriguez two years later," in order to justify the higher salary for Dr. Rodriguez (the subject for another post), yet later in the press release when discussing this $15,000 it states "This is about the same dollar amount that Dr. Hochman received in additional benefits." Why is it OK to compare to Dr. Hochman for the "additional benefits" yet not for the salary? I am hoping that the minutes of the relevant Executive Sessions of the School Committee are released soon so we can all have answers to these questions.
As it stands, Dr. Rodriguez will be earning $173,000 in FY10 and $178,530 in FY11 (assuming he receives the same 3.5% raise as his employees). I find it hard to justify these figures given the fact that our schools are facing potential closure, loss of valuable programs, and lay-offs of teachers.
37 comments:
He gets that for 2 years???
Everyone is talking about him getting 20K more than Hochman, can't anyone add?
Yes, Dr. Rodriguez will be receiving that $15,000 for two years. I called to confirm that fact before blogging it. So, yes, if Dr. Hochman was making $135,000 when he left, Dr. Rodriguez next year will be making $38,000 more than that total. Unless Dr. Hochman was still receiving his initial housing/travel benefits that the ARPS statement implies he did also receive when hired.
Yeah, notice how defenders like to round down to $20-K when if fact it is $23 or $24-K in salary alone, and I'm still trying to confirm if Hochman got the $15-k housing/transportation for all five years of his tenure.
But either, way this is ridiculously excessive considering the times.
The Town Manager was only given $5-K ONE TIME moving allowance (although he did go over by $1,600 or so) and he only makes $125-K now with a $350/month cell phone car allowance. AND he voluntarily gave up his COLA this coming year.
Plus I have heard Dr. Rodriguez is not going to relocate his family here and simply plans to rent an apartment (at least Hochman bought a house)
Yes, it is true about Rodriguez's family. They are remaining down in Florida. How long to you think he is going to stick around under those circumstances? Probably only long enough to find a higher-paid district! And if only he is moving up, the moving expenses should be a lot less!
If Dr. Rodriguez is not moving his family up here why are we giving him a $15,000 moving/travel allowance? And why does he get it for two years?
My guess is that he will look for a furnished apartment so he does not have to spend anything on moving expenses per se. Are we paying him for his rent for two years? And also paying for his airfare back and forth to see his family in FL for two years?
The $158,000 salary is bad enough but the additional $15,000 per year for two years is rubbing salt in the wound. It's obscene.
Basically he is getting $38,000 more than Jere Hochman - almost equal to a FTE. We could almost pay for a middle school librarian with the increase in salary that is going to Dr. Rodriguez.
I sure hope he is worth all this money.
I have not been able to confirm that Dr. Rodriguez's family will be remaining in Florida although I have heard more rumors to support this. If it is true, I do wonder about his commitment to our system. It is difficult to be separated from your family. That said, if we are, indeed, paying for him to travel back and forth to Florida, I find that outrageous. We are talking about a family of four adults. If his wife and children are choosing to remain in Florida and he is choosing to come here, they are all doing so of their own free will and knowledge that these decisions will mean their separation. We should not be expected to pay for those decisions!
But, this is all conjecture at this point. This is why I would like the School Committee to make a public accounting of what will and will not be paid for with this $15,000 and how it will be paid to Dr. Rodriguez.
Interestingly, the last time Western Massachusetts had a career Miami-Dade educator as a Superintendent, he had to "resign" amidst controversy. James Burke, who worked for 27 years in the Miami-Dade system before assuming the reigns in Springfield in 2001, left at the end of 2008. Interestingly, he was apparently one of the key references for Dr. Rodriguez. They also shared an alma mater (NOVA University). Burke's wife also remained in Florida during his tenure in Springfield, while he also applied for a number of jobs down in Florida, causing some in Springfield to question his commitment to the district. There was apparently also some controversy surrounding Burke's resume when, after his "resignation, he next applied to work in Pinellas County, Florida. All I can say is that I hope this is not a case of history repeating itself...
Alison, I am not attacking you personally here, only the content of your most recent comment. Yes you have a right to an opinion, but what you wrote is not just an opinion. And as you admit, you have not even confirmed the information that you decided to start riffing on. You call it a rumor and then you run with it.
I think it is outrageous that you would bring up some other guy from Miami and start making innuendos to suggest that Dr. Rodriguez will behave in the same way. (And by the way, Burke stayed in Springfield longer than the average supt stays in the job.)
What leads you to believe that you can draw any inference whatsoever by knowing what city someone is from, or where he got his degree? Do you really mean to suggest that it somehow has predictive value? That's just bad science.
It's one thing to debate whether the school committee should have offered that salary or not. It's another thing to call into question someone's character or motivation, simply by associating him with some other individual. In fact, all of the information gathered so far suggests that Dr. Rodriguez is a very decent man.
I sure hope Dr. Rodriguez does not read what you wrote. What kind of a welcome is that? I think you should admit you got carried away and remove it.
Nina: I am sorry you didn't like my research on other educational leaders from Miami-Dade. From the beginning, I have been hesitant about Dr. Rodriguez because his only experience has been in Miami-Dade, a district very unlike ours. I was even more hesitant when I learned he had applied for the Superintendent position in New Bedford yet been rejected. That in itself doesn't necessarily say anything (for who among us hasn't been turned down for a job), but I started to wonder if he really wanted to come to AMHERST or if he just wanted to come to Massachusetts for some reason. Especially since during his evening interview, he didn't give any specifics about wanting to come to Amherst but did list his experience and excitement over working with some group (whose name escapes me) that was based in Massachusetts. So I decided to do some research on the Miami-Dade system in order to figure out how his experience there might translate into success here. I hadn't searched long before I instead turned up many links to articles about this James Burke. Given that he was the only Miami-Dade educator I could find who came to be a superintendent in Massachusetts (although I will admit I might not know what to search for...if anyone knows any other Miami-Dade to Massachusetts superintendents, please let me know), I wanted to follow his career trajectory. I was amazed at the similarities between himself and Dr. Rodriguez and thought that others might be as well. If you, personally, don't like to read about that or it makes you uncomfortable, please feel free to step away from the blog.
Regarding the unsubstantiated rumor that Dr. Rodriguez's family will not be moving up with him, I believe my exact words were, "I have not been able to confirm that Dr. Rodriguez's family will be remaining in Florida although I have heard more rumors to support this." In other words, people who do know the truth will not go on record to confirm. So, I have clearly stated that, at this point, this is just a rumor. I look forward to a full explanation of what the housing and travel allowance will be used for by the School Committee.
I do not think I "got carried away" and will not remove my comment. Any more than I would remove any of the numerous personally insulting comments I have received on my blog (including, I might add, this one suggesting I "got carried away"). As I have said repeatedly, if you do not like what you read, please feel free to do something else with your time.
As for Dr. Rodriguez reading this blog, I wouldn't worry about him. He has already gone on record indicating that he has experience "playing hardball."
Hey Alison,
I don't think that rumors can fairly be used to "support" other rumors!
Also, there could be lots of legit reasons why he doesn't want to sell his home in Miami. Really, what business of yours is that decision (if its even accurate)?
Alison, the material that you posted is not research. You would not be able to include that as part of a research paper for a course, as part of a report for an employer, or as part of a newspaper article. It's not research.
It's not a question of whether I find it offensive or not. Yes, I could decide not to read it. But it would still be there. It's a question of the impact it has, the climate that it helps to create.
I would like to see the community start working together more effectively, not torn further apart.
I also do not see what James Burke did or did not do has to do with Dr. Rodriguez. I am as appalled as the next person at the salary he has been offered. I am especially upset with the $15,000 travel/moving allowance that he receives for not just one, but two years. What does he need all that money for if he isn't even bringing his family. I do not particularly care whether he brings his family or not except for two reasons -
(1) I care that we seem to be paying much more than he needs to get himself up here and situated and (2) the fact that he is not bringing his family seems to indicate that he does not plan to stay here long or become a part of the community. It would ber unfortunate if we were back to searching for a new Super again in just a few years. Perhaps though thats the nature of the beast when it comes to Superintendents.
But I don't think comparing Dr. Rodriguez to someone else has anything to do with anything. Trying to smear him by innuendo before he even arrives seems like a low blow. I have never met you, Alison - I only know you through this blog and Catherine's blog. From what I have read up to now, I thought you were better than resorting to these low blows.
A Very Involved Amherst Parent:
I think it is easy to criticize Alison for her comments ... but let's stick to the key point she was making (which was NOT in a blog posting but was in a response to a question someone posed about the money he was receiving for travel/housing). I have totally heard the rumor that he is not moving here -- and that the School Committee decided to pay him $15,000 a year for travel/housing for two years. That strikes me as outrageous. And it seems pretty obvious -- if he was MOVING up here, why would they pay him this money for two years)? So, what does Alison find out -- well, that another superintendent, who is in our area, had that exact same situation -- taking a job in a Massachusetts district and not actually moving or committing to it. That is her point, and I agree with her that this is a problem. I also think that there would be MUCH LESS concern in this community about the salary or about the housing/travel allowance IF he seemed to be a good fit for our district. But he doesn't, and everyone pretty much knows that. That makes his VERY HIGH salary and RIDICULOUS perks that much more offensive to parents and teachers.
Who chooses the SC members? 12% of the voting population of town? Could this 12% be friends of the SC members themselves and all of the same mind? This is such a joke. This is such an example of power of the minority, in this case the few on the SC who can make such unbelievable decisions like paying a superintendent, who ever s/he may be, such an astronomical amount and then make statements about the school budget being in a structural deficit or some such nonsense. Who do they think they are kidding? Who do they think they are dealing wtih, a bunch of morons?
Okay--now let's show how absolute our word can be and close an elementary school next! Let's stop bussing kids-that oughta save a few pennies....and let's--oh I don't know--paint all the buildings pitch black so the sun doesn't retract off them causing unwarranted air pollution....am I making any sense? Because the SC isn't either...but like I asked in the beginning...who chooses these people anyway??
Anonymous 10:55 - Loved your post. So very true. I mean, closing a school saves $700,000, so surely if we just paid the new super less (or didn't give the housing allowance), we'd save that $700,000, right?!? I've watched most School Committee meetings ... no one is talking about charging for busing. Does Anonymous 9:51 believe the School Committee just made up the structural deficit?
How did the amount of closing MM go from $671,000 to $700,000?
Just like the amount of the over pay to the new super went from 24K to "only 20K"?!
....idiot....I like that....at least you can see I am not one of the morons the SC thinks they are dealing with...
Abbie: Yes, I agree that Dr. Rodriguez and his family may have many good reasons for continuing to live in Florida. I never questioned that. I am just questioning the $15,000 in housing/travel he was awarded for two years and if it is true that his family will not be moving up with him, I think the cost of moving one person up will be a lot less than $15,000. But Anon 12:27PM does have a good point--if his family is not moving up here, how connected will he feel to the community?
Nina: No, my research was not done for a term paper, my employer, or a peer-reviewed journal. But there are many types of research done for many different reasons. Dictionary.com defines research as "diligent and systematic inquiry or investigation into a subject in order to discover or revise facts, theories, applications, etc." I even included links to the articles, etc. so that others could check the original sources and draw their own conclusions. I am sorry if you don't find that a good use of the term research.
Anon 12:27: James Burke may not have anything to do with Dr. Rodriguez other than he served as a reference for him during the search process. I was just intrigued that a search of information on the Miami-Dade school system led me to these materials on a Miami-Dade educator who also made the switch to a superintendency in western Massachusetts. Sorry if you perceived that pointing out the similarities was a "low blow." You make a good point about how committed Dr. Rodriguez might be to our community if his family is not moving up along with him.
Anon 1:44PM: Yes, it is easy to criticize what someone else has written or said. But then again, I am criticizing the School Committee for spending $30,000 of taxpayer money on a housing/travel allowance! Which is why I welcome public information about what will and will not be covered by that housing/travel allowance and how it will be paid to Dr. Rodriguez.
Anon 9:51PM: Yes, we elect the School Committee members so in a sense, we have only ourselves to blame! Even if we didn't vote, that in itself helps determine the results of an election. Although we should keep in mind that it was our previous School Committee who chose and signed a contract with Dr. Rodriguez, not the current one. Neither Steve Rivkin nor Irv Rhodes were part of that decision-making process.
Anon 10:55PM: Please try to be nice. I know it is a frustrating situation.
Anon 9:51PM/12:16AM: Rob Detweiler presented the information regarding charging for busing. If Amherst charged to bus students who live closer than the state-mandated distance for busing (1.5mi? 2.0mi?), there is very little savings. Combined with the fact that the district would not charge kids on free/reduced lunch and the cost of administering this endeavor, the estimated savings is only $1,000 and thus was taken off the table, if I understood the presentation correctly.
Alison,
If someone assigns you to do research on Elizabeth Gaskell and you come back with material on George Eliot because it was easier to find, you don't have anything. It doesn't matter how diligent you were; it's the wrong topic.
In any case, I don't see the predictive value of the information. Jere Hochman bought a house here and then built a house, which he still owns. Yet, James Burke stayed in Springfield longer than Hochman stayed here.
Here are the facts as I see them:
1) we don't know what the family's plans are and maybe they have not fully decided yet;
2) even if we did know their plans, it is not up to us speculate on motives;
3) it is up to us to try to make this work. If people are worried about Dr. Rodriguez' commitment to the district and the area, maybe we should try to make it worth committing to!
Nina:
I think since we are paying Alberto Rodriguez $173,000 a year, it would be somewhat up to him to "make this work". That could include, for example, giving up part of his salary for the first year, in recognition that these are very difficult financial times (and think what a message that would send to our teachers who are being asked to give up their raises). Making this work is a two-way street.
Here are the facts as I see them:
1. Dr. Rodriguez obviously negotiated a high salary, although presumably he knew that these were very tight times for our district (discussions of closing a school, discussion of asking teachers to give up raises).
2. Dr. Rodriguez obviously is not intending to move to our community for two years -- otherwise he would have negotiated a one-time moving expenses allowance instead of a housing/travel allowance.
Neither of these facts suggests to me he has a strong desire to "make this work". As the highest paid person in our school/town government (by far), I think it is reasonable to expect him to also try and make this work. This seems particularly true since most people I talk to (parents and teachers) are concerned about his relative inexperience and preferred the other candidate.
Nina: Not sure what the point of your first paragraph is. Do you mean, "because you did not set out to do research on 'James Burke, former Springfield Superindentent' whatever you found is wrong?" I guess if you use that logic. I set out to research "Miami-Dade public schools" and James Burke did come up and I did then follow that line of inquiry. You will have to excuse me. I was trained as an epidemiologist and we were taught to look for patterns in data. I found something interesting and mentioned it. It is clear that you do not like the connection.
I am not sure what your second point is either...that people who buy houses in Amherst are not necessarily more connected to the community than those who do not? That is possible.
Regarding your "facts as you see them." 1) I agree...we do not have verification on Dr. Rodriguez's family's plans. 2) I agree...I am not interested in speculating about their motives regarding whether or not to move up here (heck, the weather alone would be a valid reason!) but am interested in the connection between a large, two-year housing allowance and the fact that it may only be one person relocating to Amherst (thus, potentially not really costing $30,000). 3)Not sure what you mean by us making it work...perhaps you could elaborate. I would hate to think that you are asking everyone to keep any and all less-than-completely-positive thoughts to themselves.
Anon 7:02PM: You make a good point. When any of us take a new job, it is up to us to make it work and to prove our worth to our new employer, not up to our staff or other colleagues to make it work for us.
Regarding your facts as you know them: 1)I would also speculate that Dr. Rodriguez negotiated this salary, but for all we know, our School Committee gave him his salary/housing allowance outright and he did not have to negotiate at all. I doubt it but I do look forward to the release of the minutes from the relevant executive sessions so we can all find out. 2)Again, I would tend to agree with you but it is just speculation...I look forward to finding out whether or not he and his family will be making a home here and what exactly this $15,000/year will be paying for. Like you, I am concerned about his relative inexperience and complete inexperience in a system outside Miami-Dade and actually preferred both other candidates to Dr. Rodriguez!
Nina, I am curious. Are your postings reflective of your personal viewpoints (are you a resident of Amherst and/or are your kids in the Amherst schools) or are you serving as a mouthpiece for the school administration?
I think making it work involves effort from everybody, and of course from the supt himself. I look forward to working with him and I am hoping that there are a lot of changes we can make.
I am not sure why it would make a difference where I live or if I have kids in the schools. I have worked in the school system since 1985 and devoted a lot of energy to trying to help kids learn and trying to make the schools better. I wouldn't have done that if I didn't care. At this point I am really scared about what is going to happen to our schools in the future, given the budget situation.
I don't agree with everything that the system does. For one, I would like to see some different communication strategies. I think people have a lot of legitimate questions and we need to do a better job of answering them.
I am not happy about the salary for the new supt, either. Before he was selected, I sent a letter to Andy Churchill indicating that the higher that salary went, the less likely I would be to consider a wage concession.
But now it's done. The contract is signed. It could have been higher (and probably would have been had we hired Dr. Sklarz). So we have to move on. I understand some people are not happy with the choice of supt. That's what all of this boils down to, really. Different people would be complaining about the money had the choice gone the other way.
I'm not sure how I feel about Dr. Rodriguez yet, either. But I am going to reserve judgment until he has had a chance to get here and start doing things. And I am going to try to help him, as I would with any new supt or principal who was coming to our district.
Nina:
Although I agree with much of what you said, I think there are two very important points you don't make.
First, Dr. Sklarz may well have taken less money. He was retiring from CT and would have had a pension from that state ... thus he may well have been willing to take less money than Dr. Rodriguez. Assumptions that Dr. Sklarz would have cost even more money are totally erroneous.
Second, Dr. Rodriguez is inexperienced. Pay should reflect experience. Paying a person who has been a superintendent for 22 years MORE than a person who has been a superintendent for zero years would be appropriate in any system. That is also what irks people, which you should acknowledge.
A Concerned Amherst Parent
Nina: I think the Anon 8:50AM poster was wondering if you were posting for yourself or for the school administration--and you didn't actually answer that question. You did, however, clearly state your own personal thoughts on this salary topic in this posting. Like you, my first thought upon hearing the salary/housing allowance was, "they should not ask for teachers to take no pay raise now..."
Concerned Amherst Parent: I also wonder what salary Dr. Sklarz might have been willing to take if he were offered the job. Unfortunately, we will never find out.
I’m just posting here in support of Nina as a person.
I developed the new ARPS website working with her. She is administering the site now and doing a fantastic job of updating it. The ARHS website has always been great and she did that all on her own (she is a web developer as well as a math and programming teacher). It’s unbelievably informative - compare it to any HS site.
She is a huge force for getting more information out there and for the school system getting better at communication, which I think is very much needed – and it is getting better, at least the online part of communication.
She’s been teaching for a long time and really thinks about what the right thing to do is for Amherst education. We agree on some things and not on others, but I always come away thinking she knows what she’s talking about.
So, of course she is posting for herself – not for the school administration – she’s not the kind of person that would act as some kind of conduit. Man, why do you even have to go there?
$15,000....I think is about the starting year salary for a full-time paraprofessional in Amherst. And I hear they never reach $20,000 even after 10 years of service. If you are a prescriptive-para (one-on-ones), you get paid more.
Rick: Admirable of you to come to bat for your colleague. I do think, however, that it was reasonable for the poster to ask whether Nina's views were hers alone or meant to represent the school administration. The poster most likely does not know Nina personally and thus could not conclude on his/her own that "of course she is posting for herself – not for the school administration – she’s not the kind of person that would act as some kind of conduit."
I never for a moment thought that Nina was acting as a mouth-piece for the school administration. I thought it was absurd to think that she was. I don't understand why anyone would think that just because someone works in the school system that people would think they are voicing their employer's opinions. Does anyone think that you, Alison, are acting as a mouth-piece for Mt Holyoke College? Of course not - that is absurd. Just as absurd as thinking that Nina speaks for the schools.
Anonymous 12:14 - I think the other poster and Alison's comments were right on. Nina's defense of Dr. Rodriguez was so strong, it had the appearance of being potentially something she was told to write. That is also true since often she is writing to let people know about some policy or website at the schools, meaning she is clearly working on presenting the schools in the most positive light. Nina could have just said at any point in her posts that she was just expressing her own view, and that would have settled it, but I don't think it is fair to call Alison's question absurd. It is one a lot of us probably had in reading Nina's postings.
Anon 1:32 and others: Just to clarify--it was not my original question about whether Nina's posts reflected her personal views or those of the school administration. That question was posted by an anonymous poster April 22 at 8:50AM. In my response to Rick's post, however, I did defend that poster's question as reasonable given Nina's posts in general and the fact that she does work at the high school. If I were posting about Mount Holyoke, for example, I would think it entirely reasonable for someone to wonder if I were posting about my own thoughts or that of my employer.
The original question about Nina’s motives were not just asking about whether she was speaking for the school administration; the person also wanted to know if she was an Amherst resident and/or had kids in the schools:
“Nina, I am curious. Are your postings reflective of your personal viewpoints (are you a resident of Amherst and/or are your kids in the Amherst schools) or are you serving as a mouthpiece for the school administration?”
So taken altogether, I don’t think it’s reasonable – whether you know Nina or not. It’s an attack of the messenger, not the message.
Let’s not do that: worry about motives when we should just be listening to what the person is saying and whether it makes sense or not.
Personally, I agree with some of the things Alison says and some of the things Nina says. It’s clear that the salary issue is a big problem, as is the 2-year moving expense, and it’s clear that many people think Sklarz would have been a better choice. But it’s not at all clear that Rodriguez is a bad choice – we just don’t know yet – if you’re honest you have to say you really have no clue.
I guess if I were to say one thing about this issue it’s to say that if you are mad about what has happened, Rodriguez is not the one to be mad at, the SC is. Attacking the character of Rodriguez to get at the SC is hurting Rodriguez (and us) a lot more than it’s hurting the SC (I’m not sure that is happening here, but it’s getting close).
Speaking as someone who is not “for” or “against” Rodriguez, I think we should cut the guy a break and just let him show us his stuff. If he has it or doesn’t have it, we’ll know by this time next year.
The $30,000 travel/moving allowance reminds me of Governor Patrick's $30,000 plus drapes. What was the School Board thinking? In a time of financial sacrifice and budget cuts, the School Board seems to have tin ear.
But also the new superintendent asked for this extra payment...good luck to him the next time he is at the bargaining table with the teachers.
oh man, this is embarrassing. No, I do not speak for the school system. I did state that disclaimer quite a while back on some other threads, but I haven't said it recently.
Nobody at the school system has told me to say anything. I am guessing there are people in the system who wish I wouldn't post at all.
I do try to point out things that are on the school web site, mostly because I am trying to improve the site. That was my original interest in visiting these blogs, to see what people were wondering about. Then my big mouth took over when I felt that people were saying things that were unfair or untrue.
anyway, this is Alison's blog and doesn't need to be a discussion of me.
I am actually trying to kick the habit. Is there a blog out there for people who are trying to stop reading blogs?
LOL, Nina. I started reading a few of the Amherst blogs a few months ago and I am definitely addicted. Perhaps we should start a new group - ABA - Amherst Bloggers Anonymous!! Anyone could join - we would not require that you post Anonymously to be eligible!
MaryAnn Grim
Nina,
Just reading a post by Rick about your being the ARPS website developer. How, may I ask, did you choose to leave out the SAC and East Street Alternative high schools? They have never been listed anywhere. Why?And how did who ever is in charge of the telephone directory, choose to do the same thing there?
Maybe nobody is reading this thread anymore but I do want to bring up something that occurred to me in reading all of these posts.
Let me be upfront in stating that I do not think this salary and travel/housing allowance is acceptable. Nor was I happy to see that the SC decided to offer the position to the candidate with no superintendent experience. That's where I stand.
On a fiscal/community note: how did we get into the position of subsidizing the new superintendent's travel costs? Covering one-time moving costs-- not a problem, that's an accepted expense in most professional fields.
But travel costs? We're basically giving him a two year temp job in this case. He gets to learn how to be a superintendent at a more-than-decent salary without having to make the hard choice to actually relocate here.
Doesn't make any sense to me. There was a reason that communities used to require that school and public service employees live within the district. Ensures that there is a vested interest in making things work, not just building a resume.
We did absymally with selecting the temporary sup. team we had this year (for whom we're still paying: great contract negotiating there!-- concerns me--and hey, as far as I know nobody can sling a racist accusation at me for that, it seems that they're both white) -- on that note I didn't feel Jere was the be all and end all either......
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