The next superintendent of Gilroy schools will be closely
monitored and could be paid for increasing district achievement, a
contract with the district reveals.
Gilroy – The next superintendent of Gilroy schools will be closely monitored and could be paid for increasing district achievement, a contract with the district reveals.
In a four-year contract between the Gilroy Unified School District board of trustees and new superintendent Deborah Flores, the board agreed to pay Flores $187,500 per year, $250 more than the salary of the last district superintendent, Edwin Diaz. Contract provisions also include quarterly evaluations, an annual written performance report and one-time salary incentives.
The contract stipulates Flores work 261 days per year. However, included in these work days are 22 vacation days, 12 sick days, and all legal and district holidays. The agreement also provides almost $25,000 annually for transportation, a health plan and a retirement account.
While these clauses are similar to Diaz’ contract, new aspects include quarterly and written evaluations.
“The purpose behind that is to say to her and the board, ‘OK – here’s our initial (starting point) and here’s our goal,’ ” trustee Francisco Dominguez said.
By building that framework into the superintendent’s contract to examine the progress being made toward district expectations, both the board and the superintendent will have a chance to tweak strategies, he said.
Also not in Diaz’ contract but in Flores’ agreement is the ability for the board to award incentives. She could earn the incentives by achieving board-defined goals, spurring spectacular achievement from district students or by ending the fiscal year with a budget surplus, Dominguez said. By defining the incentive as a one-time payment, the bonus does not have to be factored into Flores’ salary in future years, he added.
According to the contract, Flores will start in Gilroy July 1 and will serve through June 30, 2011. However, she said during a board meeting May 17 that she would like to stay seven to 10 years – until her 8-year-old son graduates from high school.
Nonetheless, the contract provides that either party can exit the contract early. Flores must give 90 days of notice for resignation, while the board must give 45 days of notice.