Posted: 6/4/03

3-year deal for Steenblock

Cliff Buchan
News Editor

A three-year contract for ISD 831 Superintendent of Schools Lynn Steenblock has won approval from the school board.

By way of a 4-2 vote Monday, the board OKíd terms of the new deal that will pay Steenblock $122,000, $125,000 and $128,000 in each of the next three school years starting this July 1. The superintendent is earning $120,000 this year.

Steenblock, who is completing his first three-year contract in ISD 831, has been in negotiations with the board for several months. Mondayís board review and approval followed a May 19 board discussion of a proposed contract.

The ratification Monday, however, did not win full board support. Members Karen Morehead and Jody Krebs were opposed to the new deal.

Morehead was the most vocal of the two, saying she had questions regarding the increase in severance day that will be credited to the superintendent each year and the districtís obligation to pay medical, dental and life insurance premiums up to a maximum of 12 years following Steenblockís early retirement or resignation.

Krebs said she could not support the 12-year insurance premium and felt the severance provision was too high.

But the deal was approved behind votes from President Bill Bresin, Susan Novak, Joe Graft and Robert Raphael. Member Dean Barr was absent.

Salary details

In stating his support, Grafft said he believed a $122,000 salary for ìlowî based on Steenblockís performance and responsibilities for metro-area superintendents.

ìIím really glad heís here,î Grafft said of Steenblock.

In terms of salary increase, the new contract is a 1.6 percent increase in the first year, 2.45 percent in the second year and 2.4 percent in the third year.

The three-year salary hike totals 6.45 percent while the cost is 4.05 percent in the first two years, the same time frame when the district will negotiate contracts for most labor groups.

Questions

During discussion Monday, Morehead deflected criticism away from Steenblock personally, but said she was ìdisappointedî the settlement did not curtail insurance benefits nor restrain the level of increase in severance days the superintendent will earn.

In his first three years of employment here, Steenblock has earned 11 days a year in each of the three-year deal. By law, the number of severance days can build to a maximum of 111.5 days.

The 111.5 days is the maximum number of days the superintendent can collect upon early retirement based on his daily rate of pay at the time of severance or early retirement.

Steenblock is also allowed to collect his daily rate of pay for a maximum of 100 accrued unused sick leave days at the time of severance or early retirement.

During the May 19 session, the contract before the board would have increased the number of severance days from 11 to 26, 26.5 and 26.5 in each of the next three years. Under that proposal, Steenblock would have reached the 111.5 days at the end of the three-year deal.

Mondayís compromise reduced the number to 22 days in each year of the contract.

Morehead also expressed disappointment over the districtís cost obligation to cover 12 years of medical, dental and life insurance premiums beyond Steenblockís retirement or resignation.

While board members said they felt assured Steenblock would stay on for another contract beyond this three-year deal, Morehead said the provision could be used in negotiations with some other employer in the future.

Other terms

Here are some other highlights of the new contract.

Steenblock is eligible for a pay for performance bonus based on the staff welfare committeeís annual evaluation of established goals for the chief. He is currently eligible for a $3000 pay for performance bonus which is approved by the full board.

Under the new contract, the pay for performance bonus would increase to a maximum $5500, $7000 and $8500 in the three respective years of the contract.

Steenblockís new contract will pay a monthly car expense allowance of $550 or $6600 in the 2003-2004 school year. The current car allowance is $500 a month.

In the second and third years of the contract, the car expense allowance will increase by 3 percent a year.

The contract also calls for an $1100 district contribution to a health care reimbursement plan for the superintendent.

The district will pay the full cost of a $150,000 group term life insurance policy, long-term disability insurance, health and hospitalization and dental coverage for the superintendent and his dependents.

Under the current contract, the district is paying the annual cost of health and hospitalization at $10,035 and dental insurance at $1074. New rates for 2003-2004 have yet to be factored.

Other benefits

The superintendent is also available for other benefits under the contract. They are:

ï12 paid holidays each year including three days during the Christmas holiday season.

ï20 days of paid sick leave for each working year which may accumulate to a maximum of 150 days. For early retirement and severance, the contract allows the superintendent to accrue a maximum of 100 sick leave days.

ï25 working days of annual paid vacation. A maximum of 50 days of unused vacation may be carried over to the next contract year. Upon leaving the district, Steenblock would be compensated for vacation days in the contract year and days carried over from the previous years.

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