“I think we’re very pleased of the job he has done for the district,” she said. “And he’s reaching the end of his career. He could retire and go somewhere else and double dip, which lots of districts do. We don’t do that. We don’t let somebody retire and then rehire them. So we wanted to keep him as long as we can.”
The contract approved last week kicks in Aug. 1 and follows a December evaluation that gave Vail high marks across the board, noting “we are extremely lucky to have him as our superintendent.”
“Dr. Vail does an excellent job communicating district topics, both within the district and in the community” according to the evaluation. “His ability to connect and effectively present….information to the community in a manner which can be easily (understood) is greatly appreciated.
“Instruction is a strong (suit) for David. He has a passion for teaching which is evident to our staff,” it states. Vail “is constantly seeking knowledge and sets an excellent standard for staff.”
Among the few areas for improvement: “needs to work closer with the classified staff to build respect and trust.”
Vail thinks his job is “a good fit with good people. We’re making a lot of progress and continue to move forward, so I’m happy with the way things are going both with me and with the district – personally and professionally.”
The new deal calls for 2 percent raises next year, 2018 and 2020, and a 5 percent hike in 2019 contingent upon a “satisfactory” rating.
The 2 percent rate increases, according to the contract, are consistent with those in the Miamisburg Classroom Teachers’ Association, whose three-year deal runs through June 30, 2018. The one-year, 5 percentage bump is similar to the MCTA’s step increases, Angel said.
Specific hikes were not enumerated in Vail’s contract when he was hired in 2012 from the Versailles Exempted Village Schools, where he worked for more than four years before replacing the retiring Gregory Whitehead. The current contract vaguely notes the board retains “the right to increase the annual salary….during the term of the contract.”
In more recent years, there has been a tendency for Ohio school boards to be more specific and consistent with superintendent contracts, said Tom Ash, director of governmental relations with the Buckeye Association of School Administrators.
“We’re seeing more and more increases during the course of a contract, and probably that makes sense because that’s how a teacher salary schedule would work,” he said.
“So to see the percentages during the course of a contract – those automatic increases – it’s not unlike a teachers’ salary schedule,” Ash added. “We’re seeing more and more of those.”
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