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Superintendent Of Schools (PDF)

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CANTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Employment Contract for Interim Superintendent of Schools

(07-01-2015 — 06-30-2016)

THIS AGREEMENT is made by and between the Canton School Committee
(hereinafter referred to as the “Committee”) and Jennifer Henderson.

In consideration of the promises and mutual covenants herein contained, the
parties hereto agree as follows:

1.0 EMPLOYMENT

The Committee hereby employs Jennifer Henderson as Interim Superintendent of
Schools for the public schools of the Town of Canton, Massachusetts, and Jennifer
Henderson (hereinafter referred to as the “Superintendent) hereby accepts such
employment with the terms and conditions set forth below.

2.0 TERM OF AGREEMENT

2.1 The Superintendent is currently the Director of Curriculum and Instruction
under a contract dated June 6, 2013, for the term of three years, beginning July 1, 2013
through June 30, 2016. The contract will be temporarily suspended and replaced with
the contract contemplated herein.

2.2 The Superintendent and the Committee will execute an addenda to the
contract dated June 6, 2013, simultaneously with the contract contemplated herein, a
copy which is attached herein. The addendum will include, but not be limited to, a two
(2) year extension of the term of the contract, changing the expiration date from June
30, 2016 to June 30, 2018.

2.3 The Superintendent shall be employed under the terms of the contract
contemplated herein for the one (1) year period commencing on July 1, 2015 and
continuing until June 30, 2016.

3.0 COMPENSATION

The Superintendent shall be paid an annual salary at the rate of one hundred and fifty
five ($155,000.00) dollars for the period of July 1, 2015 - June 30, 2016.

4.0 DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES

The Superintendent shail faithfully perform the duties as are derived from all applicable
federal, state, local laws and by-laws and from the job description, policies, and
regulations of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education,
Board of Education and the Committee. The Superintendent may accept speaking,
writing, lecturing or other engagements of a professional nature of a short-term duration,

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so long as they do not derogate from his duties as Superintendent. The
Superintendent is responsible for ensuring that any such engagements do not present a
conflict of interest or otherwise violate the Massachusetts State Ethics Statute.   The
Superintendent's absence from the district on a regular work day for the purpose of
pursuing his personal professional interests, rather than the interests of the district,
requires the approval of the Chairperson of the Committee.

5.0 WORK YEAR

The work year shall be on a twelve (12) month basis and the Superintendent shail
devote whatever time including evenings and/or weekends as may be required to
perform the duties of Superintendent of Schools.

6.0 LICENSES

The Superintendent shall furnish and maintain throughout the term of this Contract a
valid and appropriate license for the position of Superintendent of Schools in the
Commonwealth as required by Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 71, Section 38G.

7.0 ADMINISTRATION AND SUPERVISION OF SCHOOL DISTRICT

7.1 The Superintendent shail function as the chief executive officer of the school
district and shall have complete freedom, subject to law and any legally binding
contracts and policies of the Committee, to organize, reorganize and arrange the
administrative and supervisory staff in such way as in the Superintendent’s judgment
best serves the schoo! district. The administration of instruction and all business affairs
shall include the responsibility for selection, placement and transfer of personnel, which
shall be vested in the Superintendent and his staff, unless otherwise provided by law.

7.2 The Committee, individually and collectively, shall refer criticisms, complaints
and suggestions brought to its attention to the Superintendent for study and
recommendation, as appropriate to the circumstances.

8.0 REIMBURSMENT FOR EXPENSES/EQUIPMENT

8.1 Expenses - Upon the approval of the Chairperson, the Commitee agrees to
reimburse the Superintendent for reasonable expenses incurred and paid by him/her in the
execution of his job as Superintendent.

8.2 Professional Memberships - The Committee shall pay the Superintendent's
dues for membership in the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents
(MASS), the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), the Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) and any other professional association
that the parties mutually agree on.

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8.3 Cell Phone - The Committee shall provide the Superintendent and pay the
monthly expenses of a cell phone/PDA for the purpose of conducting schoo! business and
the occasional, incidental personal business. At the conclusion of his term as
Superintendent, this equipment shall remain the property of the Canton Public Schools.

8.4 Office Technology - The Superintendent's office will be equipped with up-to-
date computer hardware and software to enable him/her to fulfill his responsibilities as
Superintendent. This equipment shall include a laptop, which the Superintendent is free to
use outside of his office, including at his/her home. At the conclusion of her term as
Superintendent, this office equipment, including the laptop, shall remain the property of the
Canton Public Schools.

8.5 Management Coaching - The Superintendent, with the prior approval of the
School Committee Chair, shall be entitled to coaching, an in amount not to exceed
$4,000, from a company or consultant knowledgeable in public school management, in
topics relevant to enhancing the knowledge and skills necessary to his/her role as
Superintendent.

8.6 Travel Allowance — The Superintendent will be paid the flat sum of two
hundred ($200.00) per month for travel within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Said sum shall be a reimbursement to the Superintendent for travel expenses incurred
and paid by her such as mileage, tolls and public transportation costs.  Reimbursement
shall occur within a reasonable period of time.

8.7 Out-of-State Conference Expenses — All requests for out of state conferences
shall be subject to advance approval of the Committee.

9.0 STATE RETIREMENT SYSTEM

The Superintendent shall be a member of the Massachusetts Teachers’ Retirement
System (MTRS) as required by the General Laws of the Massachusetts, General Laws,
Chapter 32, Section 2.

10.0 PERIODIC EXAMINATION

Whenever the Committee deems appropriate, the Committee may require the
Superintendent to undergo a medical and/or psychological examination to be conducted
by a medical doctor (M.D.) of the Committee's own choosing to determine the
Superintendent's ability to perform the essential functions of his position, provided the
Committee pays for the cost of said examination to the extent it is not covered bya
heaith insurance program offered by the Town of Canton. The Superintendent's failure
to cooperate in any such examination shall be “good cause” for dismissal.

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11.0 INSURANCE BENEFITS

The Superintendent shail be entitled to all insurance (medical, hospital, life, and
workman’s compensation) benefits and all other fringe benefits currently available to
teachers and other administrators, such benefits not to be reduced unless expressly
provided for in this Contract or agreed upon in the future.

12.0 ANNUAL VACATION AND HOLIDAYS

12.1 The Superintendent shall receive twenty (20) working days of vacation, which
shall be credited on the first day of the contract year, to be taken in the year in which it is
eared or the succeeding year. In the event that this Contract is terminated for any reason
prior to its expiration date, the Superintendent's vacation entitlement in the year of
termination shall be deemed earned pro rata on a monthly basis. A maximum of five (5)
vacation days may be carried over into the following contract year; any additional unused
vacation days shall be deemed waived unless approved beforehand by the Committee
chairperson. In addition to said vacation days, the Superintendent shall be entitled to leave
with pay on each holiday recognized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the
Committee. The Superintendent's use of vacation time is subject to the Committee
Chairperson’s approval, which shall not be unreasonably withheld.

12.2 Upon termination of this agreement, retirement, or death, all unused
vacation leave will be paid based on 1/260 of the Superintendent's salary as of the last
year of employment.

13.0 LEAVES

13.1 Sick Leave - The Superintendent shall be entitled to fifteen (15) days of
sick leave during each year of this Contract. All unused sick leave will be added to the
Superintendent's contract in her capacity as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction,
Dated June 6, 2013, as amended by addendum dated 05-08-2015. In addition to
personal injury or illness, the Superintendent may use a maximum of five (5) days of his
accrued paid sick leave each year for illness in his immediate family (spouse, child,
parent, or relative living within his household).

13.2 Bereavement Leave — In case of death during the school year of any
member of a Superintendent's family (grandparent, grandchild, brother, sister, mother-
in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law), no reduction of salary or
reduction in accumulated sick leave shall be made for absence not exceeding three (3)
school days. In case of death during the school year of a Superintendent's spouse,
parent, child, or person living in the Superintendent's household, no reduction of salary
or reduction in accumulated sick leave shall be made for absence not exceeding five (5)
school days. In case of death during the school year of a Superintendent's nephew,

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niece, or other relative not mentioned elsewhere in this Section, one (1) day’s leave
without loss of pay or accumulated sick leave shall be granted on the day of the funeral.

13.3 Personal Leave- The Superintendent shall be entitled to three (3) personal
days during each year of his contract.

13.4 Religious Holy Days: The Superintendent shall be entitled to use up to two
(2) days leave with pay for major religious holy days. These days shail be in addition
to any of the Superintendent's accrued sick or vacation days.

14.0 EVALUATION

14.1 Within 90 days of the execution of this Contract, the parties shall meet to
establish Committee goals and objectives for the ensuing school year, Said goals and
objectives shall be reduced to writing and be among the criteria by which the
Superintendent is evaluated as hereafter provided.

14.2 The Committee shall evaluate and assess in writing the performance of the
Superintendent at least once per year during the term of this Contract. The evaluation
and assessment shall be reasonably related to the position description of the
Superintendent and the goals and objectives set by the Committee for the year in
question.

15.0 PERFORMANCE

15.1 The Superintendent shall fulfill all aspects of this Contract.  Any exceptions
thereto shall be by mutual agreement between the Committee and the Superintendent
and must be so noted in writing.
16.0 INDEMNIFICATION

16.1 The School Committee shail indemnify the Superintendent as required by
law. In addition, the Committee (or Town if applicable), at its discretion, may further
indemnify the Superintendent as permitted by law.
17.0 TERMINATION

In the event this Contract is terminated, any and all financial and other

obligations of either party under this Contract shall cease. This Contract shall be
terminated as follows:

17.1 Mutual Agreement — This Contract may be terminated at any time by mutual
agreement of the parties.

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17.2 Resignation — In the event that the Superintendent desires to terminate this
Contract before the term of service shall have expired, the Superintendent may do so by
giving at least 90 days written notice of such intention to the Schoo! Committee, with a
time for such termination to be jointly established between the Superintendent and the
School Committee.

17.3 Dismissal for Cause-.Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, the
Committee may dismiss or suspend the Superintendent for good cause at any time
during the term of this Agreement. Prior to any such dismissal or suspension, the
Superintendent shall receive written notice of Committee's intent to act, with an
explanation of the grounds therefore in Sufficient detail to allow the Superintendent to
respond. If the Superintendent so requests, he will be given a reasonable opportunity
within fifteen days of the notice to review the decision with the Committee, at which
meeting the Superintendent may be represented by an attorney or other representative
(at his own expense) and may present information pertaining to the bases of the
decision and the Superintendent's status. Such meeting will be held in executive
session to the extent permitted by applicable law. “Good cause” shall mean any
grounds put forth by the Committee which are not arbitrary, irrational, unreasonable, in
bad faith or irrelevant to the sound operation of the school system

17.4 Disability — In the event of disability by illness or incapacity, the Committee
may terminate this Contract by written notice to the Superintendent at any time after the
Superintendent (a) has exhausted any accumulated sick leave and such other leave as
may be available, and (b) has been absent from his or her employment, for whatever
cause, for 180 days within any 12 month period or for 90 consecutive days. Ifa
question arises concerning the capacity of the Superintendent to return to his or her
duties, the Committee may exercise its option under Section 10.1 to require the
Superintendent to submit to a medical examination.

17.5 By Death of the Superintendent

18.0 ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE

At any time during the term of this Contract when the Committee Chairperson deems it
in the best interest of the district, he or she may place the Superintendent on
administrative leave with full pay and benefits. Such administrative leave shall continue
until the Committee as a whole meets and decides otherwise.

19.0 ENTIRE AGREEMENT

This Contract embodies the whole agreement between the Committee and the
Superintendent and supersedes all prior agreements between the parties. There are no

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other inducements, promises, terms, conditions or obligations made or entered into by
either party other than those contained herein. This Contract may not be changed
except by a writing signed by the party against whom enforcement thereof is sought.

20.0 WAIVER

The parties agree that any waiver of any term or provision of this Agreement, by either
party, shall not be binding upon the parties unless said waiver is in writing and signed
by both parties.

21.0 INVALIDITY

If any paragraph or part of this Agreement is invalid, it shall not affect the remainder of
said Agreement, but said remainder shall be binding and effective against all parties.

22.0 CONSTRUCTION OF AGREEMENT
This Agreement shall be executed in triplicate, each of which shall constitute an original

and shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonweaith of
Massachusetts as they are in effect on the date of execution.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have hereunto signed and sealed this Agreement
in triplicate this 8th day of May, 2015.

FOR THE CANTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE by:               Assented to by:

Robert Golledige

airperson of the Committee   \ J Jennifer Henderson

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