The Camas School Board has secured a three-year contract with the school district’s new superintendent, John Anzalone.
The board named Anzalone, an assistant superintendent for the Clark County School District in Nevada, as its superintendent pick in mid-December.
Anzalone’s new contract was announced last week. He will start July 1.
Doug Hood, the Camas School District’s director of elementary education, has been filling in as interim superintendent since July 2021, following the resignation of longtime Camas schools superintendent Jeff Snell, who left the district in the summer of 2021 to take over as head of the Vancouver Public Schools district.
Under the terms of the contract, Anzalone’s starting salary is $220,000. He also will earn $600 a month for using a personal vehicle for work-related travel within Clark and Multnomah counties and a $50 a month stipend for business use on his personal cellphone. The district also has agreed to reimburse Anzalone up to $15,000 for “reasonable moving expenses,” and provide a professional learning stipend of up to $5,000 during the 2022-23 school year for costs associated with professional certifications.
The new superintendent’s contract begins July 1 and ends June 30, 2025. Each year of the agreement will include 260 workdays, minus 12 paid holidays and 30 paid vacation days for an actual work year of 218 days, according to the employment agreement the board approved during their workshop on Jan. 10.
The school board must give written notice to Anzalone by April 1, 2023, if the district is not going to renew his contract for an additional three years. Otherwise, the superintendent’s contract will be considered renewed through the 2025-26 school year.
Under the employment contract, the school board “strongly recommends” that the new superintendent live within the boundaries of the Camas School District. The superintendent also is required to enroll his K-12 children in Camas schools unless the board approves an exception.
Camas School Board members Erika Cox and Tracey Malone traveled to Anzalone’s school district in Nevada to get to know their top candidate on his home turf.
“It was clear that the staff hold John in high regard. We were impressed with how John is able to support and nurture school communities in such a large system with a wide range of diversity and needs,” Malone said. “Although we are a much smaller system, we feel like John has the experience and the heart to lead our district.”
Anzalone was named as an assistant superintendent for Clark County School District in 2021. He has 16 years of experience leading middle and high schools and holds a doctorate from Walden University and a master’s degree from the University of Phoenix.
“As we head into the new year, I plan to visit Camas often to start creating those connections to hit the ground running on July 1,” Anzalone said.
