District 15 freezes superintendent's pay, extends contract

Palatine Township Elementary District 15 teachers aren't the only ones being asked to do their part to curb deficit spending.

The board unanimously approved a pay freeze for Superintendent Scott Thompson and capped contributions to his retirement as part of his annual evaluation. In exchange, Thompson gets a new contract that keeps him at the 12,000-student district through June 2014 — a year longer than his current deal.

“We all have to sacrifice a little bit if we're going to get back to a balanced budget and keep the district in a good financial position,” Thompson said. “I feel valued and enjoy my job tremendously.”

While no pay hikes are guaranteed in the final two years, the board could approve an increase next June during its evaluation.

When Thompson was hired last summer following Dan Lukich's forced resignation, it was on an interim basis making a base salary of about $133,000 based on a $635 per diem rate. Pleased with his early performance, the board in November voted to remove the interim tag with a three-year deal and a $198,000 base salary.

This new contract is essentially the same, except board President Tim Millar said it eliminates language regarding the district's contributions the Teachers Retirement System on his behalf.

Instead, the $22,466 currently contributed each year to TRS is being combined with his base salary so that his compensation totals $220,466. That way, the district won't have to pay anything additional should lawmakers vote to increase contributions in the future.

“We changed how the contract works to protect the citizens a little bit better,” Millar said. “We're limiting our liability going forward.”

Millar said that should legislation pass increasing contributions, it would amount to a pay reduction for Thompson since he'd be responsible for the difference.

He lauded Thompson for his performance thus far and said he's setting a good example for the community.