Innovative, Groundbreaking Contract for Lakeville's New Superintendent

The Lakeville School Board approved the contract for Dr. Lisa Snyder, , on Tuesday evening.

Snyder, who is coming to Lakeville for the Merrill, WI, school district, was hailed as an innovative leader upon her hiring by the Lakeville School Board in July, and will officially begin her Lakeville duties on Aug. 15 with a contract that bucks the norm of traditional superintendent contracts.

The contract () is markedly different than the contract afforded previous superintendent Dr. Gary Amoroso. That contract allowed Amoroso to retire from the district after 10 years with in compensation due, a figure that irritated many in the community at the end of a year which saw close an elementary school, eliminate programs and lay off nearly 100 teachers.

School superintendent contracts in general have traditionally allowed for large payments upon termination for any reason. That practice drew the ire of the Minnesota Office of the State Auditor in a 2003 report, a report which urged legislative changes to prevent such “excessive severance” contracts, however wholesale changes have yet to take place and many current contracts are being signed with provisions that still leave school districts on the hook for large severance packages.

Snyder’s contract will have no such ‘golden parachute’ clauses or provisions.

“We’re very excited about this,” said board chair Judy Keliher who worked in negotiations with Snyder along with director Bob Erickson on behalf of the board. “It couldn’t have been done without the efforts of Dr. Lisa Snyder. It was really a collaborative effort.”

A comparison of Amoroso’s contract and Snyder’s contract illustrate a major shift in many areas:

Salary

Snyder will earn a prorated amount in her first year based on an annual salary of $169,500. Her salary will increase to $175,000 and $180,000 over the next two years.

Amoroso left the district with a salary of $183,000. He was scheduled to make $190,000 for the current school year.

Amoroso had a performance adjustment clause that added as much as $6,500 annually based on an evaluation process by the board. Snyder will also receive a performance pay adjustment annually but the details for that process have yet to be worked out.

Vacation

Snyder will receive a maximum of 30 days paid vacation each year. That vacation will not carry over or accumulate. She will be entitled to any unused vacation time should a separation occur. That results in an approximate maximum payout of $19,480.

Amoroso also had 30 days of annual paid vacation time. He had no unused vacation upon his retirement from the district.

Sick Pay

Snyder will be entitled to 15 days of paid sick leave for each year of employment. Sick days may be accumulated to a maximum of 130 days. She will forfeit all unused sick days should separation occur and not be entitled to any payment.

Amoroso left with approximately $91,000 in unused sick leave which represented the full 130 days he was allowed to accumulate under the previous contract.

Retirement/Health Insurance

The school district will contribute $7,000 annually to a district sponsored Health Reimbursement Arrangement on behalf of Snyder. Snyder will not be able to access those contributions while employed by the district. She will receive full medical coverage consistent with other administrators during her employment.

Amoroso’s contract leaves the district on the hook for nearly $180,000 in continued medical and dental coverage over the next ten years due to his retirement from the district after 10 years of service.

Severance

Amoroso had a provision in his contract which allowed for six months of pay upon separation (approximately $91,000) to be paid in three installments ending Jan. 2, 2013.

Snyder has no such provision.

Amoroso retired from the district effective June 30 of this year to take the lead position of the Minnesota Association of School Administrators (MASA). The group acts, in part, as an advocacy resource for superintendents in contract negotiations and helps administrators maximize their benefits and overall compensation.

As an example, previous annotated recommendations with regard to sick leave on the model contract have suggested “If payment for unused sick leave is a major component of your severance program, it is important that you keep the sick leave as high as possible and replenish it as often as possible.”

The Minnesota School Board Association and MASA have come up with the combined “model contract” that many of Minnesota’s superintendent contracts are based on. And while much of the language in that model contract has been included in Snyder’s contract, Snyder and the district have bucked much of the traditional language as well in order to assuage the community and begin repairing the damage caused by the budget woes and contract controversy of the last year.

“I was particularly impressed with Dr. Snyder’s sensitivity to our recent contract issues,” said Erickson. “She came to the table prepared. She understood that. That really made our job a lot easier.”

“There is no doubt the educational landscape is changing rapidly,” said Snyder after her contract was unanimously approved. “I truly believe that as leaders we have to model some of the innovative changes that have to take place in our profession.”

“We’re getting off to a strong start,” said Board Member Jim Skelly regarding Snyder’s leadership. “I feel like the wind is blowing at our backs a little bit. It’s a good feeling.”