Rock Hill School Board Gives Superintendent Very Positive Evaluation, Gives National Board Pay The Ax

At the July Business meeting of the Rock Hill School Board, the Board voted 6-0 (Rentschler absent because of business) to extend the Superintendent's contract one year (until 2014) and to give a very positive evaluation of her performance. The "very positive" evaluation triggered an automatic 2% increase in annuity payment and a step increase (2%) in salary as spelled out in the Superintendent's contract. Total increase in compensation will be around $6,600. The Superintendent has pledged to donate $3,225 to the Rock Hill School District Foundation.

In other business, the board voted to eliminate future National Board Supplemental pay by a vote of 4-2, with Norwood and Vining against. This came after a vote to table the motion failed 3-3 with Silverman, Norwood, and Vining voting to table.

This was the motion as presented by the Administration:
Administration's Recommendation for National Board Teachers' Local Supplement

July 27, 2009
We recommend discontinuing the local supplement of $3,000 per year for
teachers who receive National Board certification on or after Jan. 1, 2010.

Current NB certified teachers will continue to receive the $3,000 supplement until the end of their first ten-year cycle.

The supplement will also be discontinued for teachers achieving renewal for the second 10-year cycle, effective September 1, 2009.

Teachers who transfer here during the middle of their first ten-year cycle will receive the $3,000 supplement, if they achieved certification prior to January 1,2010.

Anyone who receives National Board certification after January 1, 2010 is not
eligible to receive the local supplement.

The above recommendation is subject to annual budgetary appropriations by the
Rock Hill Board of Trustees and may be altered by majority vote of the Board.

Total savings will be about $60,000 a year (equivalent to saving one teaching position a year). I'll have more comments in a later post.

The board approved 6-0 the following administrative personnel changes as recommended by the administration:

• Jacob Moree as Assistant Principal @ Old Pointe
• Stephanie DiStasio as Assistant Principal @ Rosewood
• Transfer Robert Smalls from ATC to Rawlinson Road as an Assistant Principal
• Transfer Marc Swygert from Rawlinson Road to Independence as an Assistant Principal

The board approved 24 new hires by a vote of 6-0 (included within the Consent Agenda)

The board approved the recommendation to use Build America for our recent bonds to be sold - vote was 6-0

The board approved Ann Reid to attend the School Law Conference in Hilton Head by a vote of 5-0 (Ms. Reid is a member of the state board and her attendance is important for the board - Ms. Reid did not vote)

The board took no action on a recommendation for a long term lease of the Central Child Development Center Annex and suggested the administration investigate options of selling the property.

Board yearly compensation is also about equal to one teacher's salary - no action was taken on this.