BRATTLEBORO-Windham Southeast Supervisory Union (WSESU) Supt. Mark Speno has negotiated a three-year contract, to the surprise of some.
On Feb. 14 of this year, the WSESU board entered executive session. Minutes of the meeting state that, upon returning to open session, vice chair Kerry Amidon moved that the board vote to authorize chair Anne Beekman "to negotiate and sign an administrative contract."
The board approved.
Eight months later, at the board's Oct. 9 meeting, Beekman made a statement with the preamble that she was "requested to inform the public" of the superintendent's new contract.
In her statement, she recounted that, on Feb. 16, 2024, she had negotiated and signed a new three-year contract with Speno "at the direction of the WSESU board" after members voted unanimously for her to do so at the Feb. 14 meeting.
The new contract began July 1 and expires June 30, 2027. It contains a provision for an automatic 4% raise annually.
"This is a usual and customary contract in the state of Vermont, and annual raises are a standard component of educational contracts, which protect school personnel from the prevailing winds of politics," Beekman said.
But the topic never came up for subsequent board discussion.
"I was under the impression that a press release was going to be made at the time; I guess it wasn't," Beekman said.
"I am stating for the record that I did what I was asked to do in this instance," she continued. "Any intimation that I have done something untoward or unethical is untrue, unwarranted, unfair, and, frankly, defamatory."
Beekman said she has "served the students of our district for going on 11 years with integrity and an unwavering moral lens that put their needs first, even ahead of my own family's."
"I intend to continue serving them and look forward to continuing to collaborate with our staff to create the best educational experience possible for the students that represent our future," she said.
Spreading the news
WSESU Brattleboro representative Tim Maciel said after the meeting that he had "suggested" that the public be made aware of the new contract.
While he had voted to grant Beekman, as WSESU chair, authority to negotiate a new contract, he said he was also surprised by the agreement that emerged from the process.
"I did, indeed, vote to grant the SU chair authority to negotiate and sign a contract with the superintendent, but my understanding - or misunderstanding - was that it was to settle on the goals for the second year of the contract signed in 2023 and not renegotiate a three-year contract," he said.
Maciel said he "checked the minutes of our meetings, and I saw no mention of any announcement of the contract."
"Perhaps I was mistaken, but l now congratulate Mark on his three-year appointment," he added.
First contract
This is Speno's first three-year contract. He previously had a one-year, interim contract that was followed by a one-year "regular" contract, which was extended for a second year.
After the meeting, Beekman said that "three-year contracts are common in education, and usual in our supervisory union. Among other things, longer contracts allow for long-term planning and lead to greater stability within a school district."
Speno earned $154,000 in his first year as official superintendent and about $175,000 this year, placing him on the higher end of the superintendents' salary range of about $120,000 to $193,000 annually, according to a chart of salaries for Vermont superintendents.
Public data from the Agency of Education shows the WSESU superintendent's salary at $162,146 and benefits valued at $35,811 for the 2024 financial year.
Speno was hired as superintendent for the 2022-23 school year after serving as interim superintendent, a role he assumed when his predecessor, Andy Skarzynski, left the post in 2021.
After teaching elementary school for nine years, Speno worked as principal of Vernon Elementary School from 2009 to 2014 and as principal at Green Street School from 2014 to 2021. He has also worked as a school administrator in Chesterfield, New Hampshire.
In 2020, he was recognized as a National Distinguished Principal by the National Association of Elementary School Principals.
Learning and moving on
Maciel said that going forward, he hopes to "introduce a motion to the board to ensure that all future contracts are negotiated and signed by at least two or three board members, if not by the entire board."
"I think it's pretty clear that granting a chair unilateral power to negotiate and sign any contract is just not a wise thing to do," Maciel continued. "I was surprised, too, that the terms of the contract were not disclosed to the WSESU or WSESD boards right away rather than over six months later."
"Certainly, the WSESD, WSESU, and Vernon school boards should have been notified, and an announcement should have been made to the public," Maciel said. "I just don't know why it wasn't. A new contract for the superintendent of our school district should be big news."
Asked about her statement after the October meeting, Beekman told The Commons she "may have reacted a little strongly to the information that was reaching me."
"I was not comfortable with attacks on my character floating around out there and undermining the work of the district," she said, noting that she wanted to stop the spread of that commentary before it went further.
"I am unwilling to speculate as to the reason(s) that someone would accuse me of wrongdoing. I am a bit bewildered, because I acted at the direction of the board," Beekman said.
"Nonetheless, I don't think that my statement warrants further discussion," she continued. "I said what I had to say, and I don't feel the need to defend myself any further."
She said she expects that the WSESU board will "choose a different procedure to negotiate the next contract."
This News item by Virginia Ray was written for The Commons.