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Dist. 207 superintendent gets one-year contract extension

Maine Township High School District 207 Superintendent Ken Wallace has received a one-year contract extension that will keep him in his job through the end of the 2019-2020 school year.

Wallace's revised contract, released this week by the district and approved last week by the school board, makes some changes to the amount of merit pay he is eligible for.

Board President Margaret McGrath said Wednesday those changes were spurred by revisions to the district's merit pay system for all other administrators and a resulting "disparity" in merit pay between what they and Wallace receive.

Wallace is now eligible for a maximum of $50,000 of additional merit pay per year on top of his base salary if he meets performance goals established in the contract. That amount increases by $1,000 each year.

Under the old contract, he was eligible for $51,000 in additional pay.

His performance goals mirror those established in the old contract, including improvement of the district's instructional program, providing financial oversight, and demonstrating effective leadership during any community, legal and/or personnel issues that arise.

Wallace's last contract was approved in October 2013, when board members said he was doing a good job handling fallout from a Maine West hazing scandal.

"From the time he became superintendent (in 2009), we have had some challenging years and changes in the district," McGrath said. "Even though we've had more challenges, we've met those challenges. We're finding a way to meet the needs of students and to do as a district what our job is: to educate those students."

"Ken has been a key person to making that happen. We were very pleased. We wanted to reward him and retain him and compensate him fairly for the job he does," McGrath said.

Wallace's base salary this school year is $202,000 - a number that is scheduled to increase by 3.5 percent in each of the following two school years, and 2.5 percent in each of the two years after that.

One new clause in the contract is that the board agrees to pay his health insurance premium cost upon his retirement until he is eligible for Medicare.

Wallace gets 22 vacation days and 12 sick days every year, as well as a $700 automobile expense reimbursement stipend.

Dist. 207 superintendent gets five-year contract extension

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