LM Jan 2025

What to learn more? Check out our IASA Contract Guide (password protected)

How do I negotiate my desired changes into my new contract? Once you have determined what you would like in your new contract, I suggest scheduling a meeting with your board president to discuss the most salient proposals, typically the contract term, compensation, and benefits. Use that conversation as an opportunity to get a sense of the board’s feelings: Should you adjust some of your asks? Is the board more favorable to increases in some areas but not others? Is the board dead set against something you’d like? With that background, you can prepare your final proposals for the board’s consideration. Once again, I can assist with your preparation of the proposals. In most cases, I submit a copy of those proposals to the board’s attorney for them to review with the board president and/ or board separately. In some cases, you will provide that draft to the board president directly and they will discuss with the board without an attorney. Either way, you will receive a response and, once again, it is time to prioritize. Depending on what your initial proposals were, you may have to adjust or forego some of the items that you requested. You have to decide which proposals are worth a protracted discussion with your board. Sometimes, I can have that conversation on your behalf, sometimes I cannot. In some cases, it is better to have that final conversation directly with the board president. However you feel about the final offer after the last conversations, always know that you are in complete control. The decision to sign a new contract (or any contract) is always up to you. incorporates the parties’ requested changes. Like all other final actions, approval of the contract must be placed on a board meeting agenda to be voted on in open session. The Superintendent will typically sign first, and then the board president will sign on behalf of the board after the vote. After that, it’s back to doing the great work you do every day. After we have a deal, then what? A final version of the contract is prepared that

If there is mutual interest, it is time to consider what you would like to ask for. If there is not mutual interest or indecision on the board’s behalf, I would suggest a separate meeting with the board president to get a better understanding of the board’s feelings and determine whether you need to make adjustments

and/or begin to look for other opportunities. What do I ask for in a new contract?

After you and the board have expressed a mutual desire for you to continue as superintendent, it is time to determine what you would like to ask for in that new contract. While it is always favorable to increase your pay and leave and to make other language more beneficial to you, there are limits to what boards are willing to do. Before finalizing your asks, consider your priorities and how you think the board would respond to the proposals. I’ve summarized some of these considerations below but please also know that I’m available to assist IASA members with these discussions. As always, it is best to contact me from your personal email address or cell phone. • Term: —Superintendent contracts can be for multi-year periods of up to five years. —Do you want a long term or short-term commitment to the district? —How close are you to retirement? • Conditions of Employment, Modification, and Termination: —Is there something in the work environment that you would like to change? —Do you want more discretion to teach, lecture or attend conferences? —Do you want to make it more difficult or expensive for the board to remove you? • Compensation and Benefits: —How close are you to retirement? Should you prioritize creditable earnings? —Have you reviewed the administrative compensation reports in similar districts and/or peer contracts? Is your pay commensurate with the market? —How close is your total sick leave accumulation to 340 days (the number needed for two years of TRS serviced credit)? —What increases and other benefits have other employees or previous superintendents in your district received?

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LM Jan 2025