BRATTLEBORO-After the most recent contract negotiation with current Windham Southeast Supervisory Union (WSESU) Superintendent Mark Speno met with some concerned surprise, board directors are considering adopting a written policy to guide such negotiations in the future.
It came to public light in fall of 2024 that WSESU Chair Anne Beekman had negotiated a three-year contract with Speno for a salary of $175,000 annually plus an automatic 4% annual increase during those three years, making him one of the highest paid superintendents in the state.
That figure amounted to a 13% increase over his previous salary.
At the time, Beekman noted a Feb. 14, 2024 board meeting at which members voted for her to negotiate with Speno. She said she believed she had done so with full authorization and backing.
However, some board members felt the process was unclear, causing consternation - board member Tim Maciel, who has penned the draft now to be considered, among them.
"I did, indeed, vote to grant the [supervisory union] 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. Perhaps I was mistaken, but l now congratulate Mark on his three-year appointment," he said at the time.
At the WSESU board's January meeting, Beekman broached the proposed new guidelines, saying, "Tim has written a lovely new policy for us and we would like to vet it before presenting it for first reading, so here we are."
She said it "formalizes a policy that did not actually exist before."
"We did not actually have the evaluation, how we do it, or contract negotiations as a policy, before. The annual superintendent evaluation is mentioned in the [current, not written] policy, but this spells it out," Beekman said.
"It prevents any future board from having the chair negotiate unilaterally," Maciel said.
"And that's fine," said Beekman.
"It also includes representatives from the staff be part of the process, an idea we've discussed for the past two years," added Maciel.
Beekman and the board agreed to present Maciel's draft policy to school district attorney Pietro Lynn and then to the board for a first reading, as is customary, at the WSESU's February meeting.
Asked to comment on his proposed policy, Maciel had this to say, while emphasizing he was speaking only for himself and not the board.
"I feel that one of the most critical responsibilities of board members on the WSESU is the hiring and evaluation of the superintendent, the person who serves as the chief executive officer of the Supervisory Union," he said.
"The policy now on the table for discussion would ensure that future contract negotiations are not carried out unilaterally by a chair or any single member of the board," Maciel continued. "It would also ensure that contract agreements and details are shared right away with the board and the public."
The policy would allow representatives of the teaching staff to be involved in the evaluation process, he said.
"Even though teachers do not report directly to the superintendent, their jobs are directly impacted by many of the superintendent's decisions and so I would imagine their opinions would be valued and helpful for continuous improvement."
A change from previous protocol
This is Speno's first three-year contract as district superintendent.
He previously had a one-year "interim" contract when Andy Skarzynski left the post in 2021. It was followed by a one-year "regular" contract when he was officially hired as superintendent for the 2022-23 school year. That contract was extended for a second year.
Speno taught at Green Street School from 1999 to 2008 after five years as Vernon Elementary School principal.
He was hired as superintendent for the 2022-23 school year after serving as interim superintendent, earning $154,425.
Speno was present at the January meeting but did not speak.
Asked about the process, former WSESU Chair Michelle Luetjen-Green, who chairs the Dummerston School Leadership Council, said it's "standard practice across the nation for administrators to receive raises aligned with teacher raises in their district, and it is past practice for the [supervisory union] board to follow that protocol."
The current contract with the Windham Southeast Education Association runs through June 30.
"It's unclear why salary changes were made outside of that cycle or what justifications and evaluations guided the SU board to make the current changes, but there should be appropriate records to reflect on and a defined schedule and process of evaluation that is consistent, regardless of board member representation changing over the years," Luetjien-Green said this week.
"I hope a formalized policy will encourage transparency and clarity for all while providing appropriate check and balance and consistency of board oversight," she added.
This News item by Virginia Ray was written for The Commons.