In a vote of 6-1, the school board agreed upon a one year contract, which states Schmidt can work up to 208 days during the year. Though he must work a minimum of three days per week, on average he will likely work four. Schmidt's compensation was an issue. The school district will pay Schmidt no more than $118,000 for the year, which includes travel reimbursement, life insurance and Medicare. On a daily basis, Schmidt will be paid $455, which amounts to a little over $94,000 if he works the full extent of the contract.
Using East's current salary of $127,000 as an example, board chair Tom Rittenhouse calculated the district would save approximately $9,000 by the new hire.
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Board member Bruce Fronning stated a normal year for a superintendent would include paid time off, such as vacation and sick leave, and his actual work days would amount to the 8 percent difference in pay.
Sayler believes Schmidt's 40 years of experience is worth the cost.
"He's been an interim in five other school districts," he said. "I think experience does count."
Rittenhouse opposed the contract, saying later he didn't believe the district should pay $17,000 more.
"When we asked [Schmidt] why he wanted the superintendent job, he said, 'To finance my trip to New Zealand and Australia,'" said Rittenhouse. "That to me said nothing about kids."
Some debate occurred on the nature of a working day, which the contract states as "a majority of the normal and customary school hours for a superintendent."
"Who makes that determination?" said Dan Bettin, Breckenridge Senior High School principal. "If a normal superintendent works eight hours and if [the new one] works four hours and five minutes, now he's working a majority of the day, is that correct?"
Stressing Schmidt's work ethic, Sayler said the negotiation committee had no doubt he would work less than an eight hour day.
"Even with his references, there was never an issue of his work," he said.
As Schmidt will be traveling from Alexandria, Minn., some responsibility will fall on principals during inclement weather. The district will cover his commute costs by paying him $75 per working day or the miles between his residence and the district, whichever is greater.
Rittenhouse opposed the contract, saying later he didn't believe the district should pay $17,000 more.
"When we asked [Schmidt] why he wanted the superintendent job, he said, 'To finance my trip to New Zealand and Australia,'" said Rittenhouse. "That to me said nothing about kids."
Out of the four candidates for the interim position, East was the first to be eliminated. The move was not a surprise, but he feels grateful for the people in the Breckenridge district who accepted him.
"I feel that the folks I worked with in Breckenridge were wonderful," he said. "The communities are very supportive, they have a great staff. Unfortunately, some of what was promised to me didn't come to fulfillment, but at the same time, there were some very successful things that did pass."
When asked about the turbulent past year, he said he followed policy and those who didn't, have "got to live with their choices."
In the future, East plans on staying in the educational field.
"I'm sure that some place will be looking for a superintendent that can meet some of their unique needs," he said.
pxbnt wrote on Jun 10, 2009 1:20 PM:
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Lisa wrote on Mar 11, 2009 3:35 PM: