7 years of health insurance? AFTER he's gone?!
Exercising the First by Doug Lambert
Birth of an empire...Let’s join talking-dog Mr. Peabody and his pet boy Sherman on a trip to the past using the WABAC (pronounced “way back”) machine: Holding up a Citizen newspaper from 1998, the pet-boy exclaims, “Look, Mr. Peabody- this paper has an article written by Doug Lambert discussing the Gilford School Board’s reversal of a vote of the people! What’s that all about?” Peabody nods and tells Sherman the story- Doug was on the original committee formed by a vote of the people at a special School District Meeting in July of 1997 that helped Gilford withdraw from a multi-town SAU, forming the present day single-school district SAU 73.
“It was quite revolutionary- the SAU Planning Committee, by unanimous vote, created an administrative structure to operate the Gilford School District without the use of a high-paid position of ‘superintendent.’ The voters, in March of 1998, approved the plan that called for an educational administrative organization- the ‘Administrative Cabinet”- and a ‘School Administrator’ with ‘strong executive ability.’ Additionally, the financial services would be contracted to the Town. Even the NH State Board of Education approved the plan, Sherman.”
“Gee whiz, Mr. Peabody- what happened? What went wrong?” What went wrong was, after the vote at the annual School District Meeting, the school board decided that they had a better idea. Mr. Peabody tells Sherman to read from Doug Lambert’s 1998 piece about what the school board did to the plan: “Gone is the provision for contracted financial services from the town. Also missing is the ‘School Administrator.’ Instead, the Gilford School Board has hired a Superintendent and is now interviewing prospective Business Manager candidates and plans on hiring additional support staff beyond the Planning Committee recommendations.” Sherman stops. “The school board got away with this?” he asks. “They sure did,” replies Mr. Peabody. “Except for Doug and a few others, everyone remained silent when the school board thwarted the will of the voters.”
Sherman reads Doug’s parting words written December 17th, 1998: “It really is too bad- instead of a forward thinking, sensible plan for Gilford, we are instead witnessing the birth of yet another empire.” He looks at Peabody, astounded by the accuracy of Doug’s prophesy. “He was exactly right, Mr. Peabody. It WAS the birth of a new empire!” The dog answers, “Precisely, my boy Sherman. Precisely!”
If anybody still doubts my prediction of eight years ago, I’m afraid you’re wrong- it WAS the birth of a new empire- and a very expensive one indeed. Despite repeated attempts at annual School District Meetings to remove the funding for the administrative structure in order to implement the will of the voters as expressed in 1997, the $uperintendent position lives on. And now, thanks to the current Gilford School Board, the “empire” has been rendered impregnable. The chance of eliminating the position of “$uperintendent” has been effectively killed due to early-morning actions by the school board back in June...
At 7:38 a.m., June 26th, the Gilford School Board convened. (Note: morning, not evening) After a “non-public session the approved minutes of the meeting state “On a motion by Sue Allen and a second by Margo Weeks, the board voted to accept the written evaluation of the superintendent as proposed by Derek Tomlinson. It was a unanimous vote. On a motion by Sue Allen and Margo Weeks, the board voted to approve the contract extension of the superintendent by unanimous vote.”
Big news right? The $uperintendent’s contract renewed for five years. Oh? You didn’t know about it? That’s because, until now, it evaded the usual publicity that would accompany such an event: “Superintendent Rehired for Five More Years! Citizens Rejoice!” Where were the headlines? Perhaps they don’t want us to know the details?
The contract goes from now till June 30th, 2011. Aside from standard verbiage, a few key points struck me upon my reading. The first was the clause effectively denying the elimination of his job: “The SAU may relieve the Superintendent of his/her duties under the Agreement at any time, provided that the SAU continues to pay for the duration of the Agreement.” Also included: 25 vacation days- 50 max cumulative; 15 sick days- cumulative for a maximum of 120 days (totaling 170 days possible accumulated days for the end of the contract); additional personal leave time as needed, with the SAU chair’s approval; full max family health insurance; family Delta Dental Ins. Plan IV; life insurance 3 times annual salary; taxpayer-funded memberships: “one annual membership to one local civic organization, one state professional association, and one national professional organization”.
His salary for this year is the tenth-highest in NH: $120,123 with guaranteed COLA increases and an optional salary renegotiation for the last two years. Oh, and he gets an “additional benefit” too: “Following five years of employment with the SAU, the Superintendent shall be eligible for deferred compensation of one year of a 2-person Gilford SAU health insurance plan... for every year of service to the SAU,” with credit given for the two years worked prior to this contract. “Throughout the benefit period, the health insurance plan will be the plan used by the District and paid in full by the District.” Even after he’s gone, he will cost the hapless taxpayers!
Sweet deal, eh? Too bad they forgot to tell us when it happened back in June....
Doug Lambert’s column appears Thursdays in the Laconia Daily Sun. For more, visit online at www.granitegrok.com and www.gilfordgrok.com. Email: doug@granitegrok.com
