New contract for District 200 superintendent
Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 Superintendent Brian Harris has a new contract that will keep him with the district through 2014, one year more than his original deal.
The move is essentially a one-year extension that seeks to align specific clauses with other administrators in the district, school officials said Wednesday.
It does not come with any salary bump and his salary for 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 remains $195,000, plus additional benefits. His salary for 2013-2014, however, will be determined after a performance evaluation.
“He has done a great job for us,” said board President Rosemary Swanson, noting that Harris met several goals related to classroom instruction. “We look forward to keeping his leadership for a while. Morale has been great under his leadership and the community has appreciated his interactions with them and found him to be a positive force.”
The original deal included goals about Harris’ transition into the district, identifying key student performance indicators and maintaining a balanced budget.
Additionally, it charged Harris with an administration reorganization, which eliminated one assistant superintendent position and goes into effect July 1, the same day his new contract begins.
The existing contract states he must determine by June 15 whether he will take a lump payout of up to five of his vacation days. That remains in effect, but Harris also will now be allowed to reserve as many as 10 of his 20 vacation days for the summer and has until Sept. 1 to use them.
Additionally, the school district will pay for Harris’ long-term disability insurance, also consistent with other school administrators. Director of Public Relations Erica Foreman said the cost of that insurance will be about $400 a year.
“The main premise of the changes is that there were some parts of the contract that were not consistent with other administrators in the district,” Foreman said.
“It is a great fit for me and I believe I have been a great fit for them,” Harris said. “As leader of the district, I enjoy working for the board and for the community.”
This is Harris’ first job as superintendent after serving St. Charles Unit District 303 for more than a decade as an educator and administrator.
As chief, Harris said he was pleased with his first year on the job but that the work is setting up the future of the district.
“You can’t just sit on what has been,” he said. “You have to look for opportunities to continue to improve.”
“I don’t know any school district that is perfect but I am very pleased with what we have,” he said. “We have aggressively pursued things when they are not right and we have a clear expectation that any of those situations must be dealt with front on and swiftly. I feel really good about that.”
The new deal lays out three goals that build on the initial contract: maintaining a balanced budget; implementing a K-12 College and Career Readiness plan; and using the student achievement indicators identified previously for future programs.