Along with a new title, Mike Merlino’s appointment to lead Evergreen Public Schools comes with a more than $40,000 raise.
Merlino, who was named the district’s permanent superintendent in April, will receive a base salary of $253,015 for the 2019-2020 school year, according to a three-year contract approved by the school board Tuesday. Merlino made $210,373 as the district’s chief operating officer.
The board also approved a $15,000 supplemental contract for this school year, increasing his pay for the next three months before his 2019-2020 contract kicks in.
Merlino took over the role on an interim basis in February following the sudden resignation of Superintendent John Steach. Steach’s base salary was $242,584 for the 2018-2019 school year.
Median teacher salary in the district in the 2019-2020 school year, including time, responsibility and incentive pay and some additional hours, will be about $71,000, according to the Evergreen Education Association’s collective bargaining agreement. A new teacher with a bachelor’s degree and no experience will be paid $53,474, while salaries cap out at $100,618 for a teacher with 15 or more years experience, a master’s degree and 90 credit hours of continued education.
Evergreen Public Schools offered little information at the time about why Steach was leaving the district but said there were no reports of misfeasance or malfeasance. Merlino at the time pledged a “reset” on the district’s budget reduction process, promising more transparency as the district grapples with multimillion budget cuts.
The district will host a community budget forum at 6 p.m. Monday at Heritage High School, 7825 N.E. 130th Ave.
Public records obtained by The Columbian don’t shed new light on Steach’s departure, but they suggest the district worked to control information about why and under what conditions he was leaving.
The district announced at 5:01 p.m. Feb. 22, a Friday, that it would hold a special board meeting the following Monday to consider placing Steach on administrative leave.
Over that weekend, Jenae Gomes, the district’s human resources director, and Julie Bocanegra, board president, spoke to Steach by phone, according to a summary of the call. Steach agreed to resign in exchange for 12 months salary, as provided by his contract.
The district amended its board meeting notice to add that it would consider “acceptance of (his) resignation.”
The district also provided Merlino, Bocanegra and board Vice President Victoria Bradford with a series of talking points. Bocanegra and Bradford were to say Steach’s departure was a “personnel matter” they could not discuss.
Merlino, meanwhile, was to offer a look forward at district business.
“My priority is to make sure it is ‘business as usual’ in the district and not to let this distract us from doing the job of educating students,” the talking points read.
The group also agreed on a “media statement” for Steach, wishing the district luck on future growth.
“I ask that you will respect my privacy and understand my desire to not discuss the reasons for my personal decision,” according to the statement.
Steach left the district with a severance package that included a full year’s salary, his remaining vacation balance and tax-sheltered annuity contributions. He received a lump payment of $301,812.17.
