CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE TOWNSHIP OF LITTLE EGG HARBOR This Employment Contract is by and between the TOWNSHIP BOARD OF EDUCATION ("BOARD") and MELISSA A. MCCOOLEY, ED. D ("SUPERINTENDENT") on the following terms and conditions: ARTICLE I. TERM The Superintendent shall be employed for the period commencing, July 1, 2017 and ending June 30, 2022. The parties acknowledge that this Contract must be approved by the Ocean County Executive Superintendent in accordance with applicable law and regulation. ARTICLE II. DUTIES The Superintendent shall serve as and perform the duties of the chief school administrator for the Little Egg Harbor Township Public Schools as prescribed by the laws of the State of New Jersey. The Superintendent shall perform all functions and complete all responsibilities as set forth in the job description of Superintendent. The Superintendent shall observe the rules and regulations of the State Board of Education and the rules, regulations and policies of the Board. The Superintendent shall devote her full time, skill, labor and attention to said employment. However, the Superintendent may, with the Board's consent, participate in outside activities so long as they do not conflict with the normal school day and/or the interest of the school district. ARTICLE III. PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION The Superintendent shall maintain, at all times during the course of her employment, a valid School Administrator's Certificate issued by 1he New Jersey Department of Education, as required by N.J.A.C. 6A:9-12.3. In the event that the School Administrator's Certificate is revoked this contract is considered null and void. ARTICLE IV. SALARY The Superintendent s salary shall be $169,689 for the period of July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018. In subsequent years the Superintendent s salary shall be increased by the rate of two percent (2%) in each year of this contract. The Superintendent s salary shall be payable in accordance with the salary schedule applicable to all certified employees of the Board. School Year: 2017-2018 $169,689 2018-2019 $173,083 2019-2020 $176,544 2020-2021 $180,075 2021-2022 $183,677
Merit Increases. The Superintendent may receive a merit bonus in addition to her annual base salary. The merit bonus will be based upon his/her achievement of quantitative merit criteria and/or qualitative merit criteria. The Board and Superintendent shall select 2 quantitative merit criteria and 2 qualitative merit criteria per contract year. The Executive County Superintendent shall approve or disapprove the selection of quantitative merit and/or qualitative merit criteria and the data that forms the basis of measuring the achievement of quantitative merit and/or qualitative merit criteria. The Superintendent shall receive a merit bonus in amount up to 3.33% of her annual base salary for each quantitative merit criterion achieved, and/or a merit bonus in amount of up to 2.5% of annual base salary for each qualitative merit criterion achieved. The Board shall submit a resolution to the Executive County Superintendent certifying that the quantitative merit and/or qualitative merit criterion have been satisfied and shall await a confirmation of the satisfaction of that criterion from the Executive County Superintendent prior to payment of the merit bonus. The Board shall pay the merit bonus within thirty days (30) of the Executive County Superintendent s confirmation that the merit criteria have been satisfied. The Superintendent's salary and/or benefits shall not be reduced during the term of this contract or any extension thereof except as otherwise provided by law. ARTICLE V. PROFESSIONAL GROWTH The Board encourages the continuing professional growth of the Superintendent through her participation in: 1. The operations, programs and other activities conducted or sponsored by local, state and national school administrator and school board associations (e.g., AASA Conventions, National Academy for School Executive seminars, National Administrator Conventions.) The Superintendent, at her option, is entitled to attend at least one State and National Convention annually; 2. Seminars and courses offered by public or private educational institutions; 3. The Board shall pay all costs and fees associated with any state-mandated continuing education for Superintendents. 4. Informational meetings with other persons whose particular skills or backgrounds would serve to improve the capacity of the Superintendent to perform professional responsibilities for the District; and 5. Visits to other institutions. In its encouragement, the Board shall permit release time for the Superintendent, as deemed appropriate by the Board, to attend to such matters and to pay for the necessary and reasonable fees for travel and subsistence expenses. All travel reimbursement must be consistent with N.J.S.A. 18:11-12, and the OMB circular, where applicable, and approved by the Board of Education prior to the trip. Reimbursement or payment for such expenses shall be made in accordance with P.L. 2007, c.53, The School District Accountability Act and affiliated regulations, and Board policies. ARTICLE VI. VACATION BENEFITS The Superintendent shall be entitled to 20 vacation days each year. Unused vacation, up to a total of 10 days, may only be carried over into the next year. If the vacation days are not used in that next year, they
must be forfeited. Upon separation of service and/or retirement, the Superintendent may be reimbursed for any accrued vacation days at the per diem rate which shall be 1/260 of the Superintendent's annual salary. Upon death the Superintendent's unused vacation time shall be paid to the Superintendent's defined beneficiary or estate. The Superintendent must notify the Board President when she will be taking vacation time and who will be in charge during the Superintendent's absence. ARTICLE VII. PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP The Board shall pay the Superintendent's membership fees to the American, the New Jersey, the Ocean County Associations of School Administrators, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Sustainable NJ, and Phi Delta Kappa. At its discretion, the Board may also pay for the Superintendent's membership to other professional groups in which the Superintendent feels is necessary to maintain and improve professional standards. The Superintendent s participation in such groups must be reasonable and not interfere with the operation of the District. Recognizing the importance of a strong working relationship between the schools and the community, the Board, at its discretion, shall pay dues, membership fees and related expenses for the Superintendent's membership in service and civic associations. All travel reimbursement must be consistent With NJS.A. 18A:ll-12 and the OMB circular, where applicable. Computer. The Board shall supply the Superintendent with the use of a new laptop (with Internet access) which is the property of the Board and shall be returned to the District at the end of the Superintendent s employment with the District. The Board shall be responsible for all maintenance and software updates associated with the laptop computer. The laptop shall be replaced as necessary. ARTICLE VIII. MILEAGE The Superintendent may receive mileage reimbursement for school business in the amount specified by the OMB circular or as otherwise permitted by law. Mileage will be reimbursed for out of district travel only upon submission of documented receipts and Board approval. ARTICLE IX. FRINGE BENEFITS 1. The Board shall provide the Superintendent with individual or family health benefits coverage with major medical and prescription coverage, at the Superintendent s option. The Superintendent shall pay the portion of the premium costs for all such coverages set forth in Tier Four Chapter 78, P.L. 2011 (passed as Senate No. 2937) and implementing regulations. At no time shall the Superintendent contribute less than 1.5% of her annual salary toward benefits. 2. The Superintendent may waive coverage in any of the health benefits plans if covered through a spouse, civil union or domestic partner s health plan, and in accordance with procedures established by the Board. The Superintendent will be paid the same stipend for waiving coverage as is received by other teaching and administrative staff members employed by the Board. 3. The Superintendent and her family will receive District s dental insurance plan at the same rate all Central Office employees receive.
4. The Superintendent shall receive sick leave pay out at a per diem rate of 1/260 of the Superintendent's annual salary, capped at $15,000.00. The Superintendent may receive payment of accrued sick leave only upon retirement. 5. The per diem rate shall be 1/260 of the Superintendent s annual salary. 6. The Superintendent shall receive 12 sick days annually, which are accumulated from year to year. 7. Temporary Leave of absences shall be granted for the following incidents: a. Death in the family- five (5) days, unlimited annual occurrences; b. Critical illness in the family- two (2) days, unlimited annual occurrences; c. Personal leave- four (4) days, any unused portion shall be converted to sick leave at the end of the year. ARTICLE X. LIABILITY INSURANCE The Board will indemnify the Superintendent as part of its administrative staff in com1ection with the Board's general liability, legal liability, and/or umbrella insurance policies in effect. The parties recognize, however, that the Board's liability insurance coverages do not cover punitive damages. In the event any litigant against the Board and/or Superintendent is successful in sustaining a punitive damage claim against the Superintendent in her personal capacity, then the Superintendent may petition the Board indemnify the Superintendent against said punitive damage award. Provided, however, the Board shall not be required to indemnify the Superintendent against any punitive award of claim. If the Board elects to so indemnify the Superintendent against punitive damages that have been imposed, then the Board does so in its sole and exclusive discretion. Disability Insurance Reimbursement. To the extent the Board does not provide group disability insurance to the staff of the District, the Board shall reimburse the Superintendent, annually in an amount up to two thousand dollars ($2,000.00) for her payment of premiums towards a disability insurance policy. The Superintendent shall submit proof of the premiums paid prior to receiving reimbursement. ARTICLE XI. CONSULTATION WITH SOLICITOR The Superintendent shall be authorized, without prior permission or consultation with the Board, to consult with the Board Solicitor on matters affecting the School District. ARTICLE XII. EVALUATION The Board shall evaluate the performance of the Superintendent at least once a year on or before June 30th, in accordance with statutes, regulations and Board policy relating to Superintendent evaluation. Each annual evaluation shall be in writing and shall represent a consensus of the Board. A copy of the evaluation shall be provided to the Superintendent prior to meeting with the full Board of committee of the Board. After having had an opportunity to review the evaluation, the Superintendent and the Board shall meet to discuss the contents of the evaluation. The final signed evaluation and any written response by the Superintendent is to be included in the Superintendent's personnel file. At the conclusion of each evaluation period, both the Superintendent and the Board shall prepare goals and objectives for the Superintendent that shall be applicable during the forthcoming school year. After
consulting with the Superintendent and considering her proposed goals and objectives, the Board shall identify those goals and objectives that the Superintendent should address during the forthcoming evaluation period. The Board and the Superintendent shall mutually agree on the evaluation format, and shall do so every year thereafter on or before September 1. ARTICLE XIII. TERMINATION The Agreement may be terminated by: 1. Mutual agreement of the parties; 2. Resignation of the Superintendent with sixty (60) days written notice to the Board; 3. Dismissal in accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:6-10; 4. Written notice of non-renewal given by the Board at least one hundred fifty days prior to the expiration of this Agreement. ARTICLE XIV. RENEWAL Upon the expiration of this Agreement, and in the absence of either party's election of any options for termination set forth in Article XIII, the Superintendent shall be deemed reappointed for another contract term of the same duration, unless the Board reappoints the Superintendent to a different term, which shall not be less than three nor more than five years. Any new employment contract must first be submitted to the Executive County Superintendent of Schools for review and written approval prior to Board action. ARTICLE XV. MISCELLANEOUS a. If the Superintendent is out of District for any reason, professional day, sick day, vacation day, etc. the Superintendent will notify the Board President and/or his/her designee who the Administrator on Call will be in the Superintendent s absence. b. In the event the Superintendent is arrested and charged with a criminal offense, which could result in forfeiture under N.J.S.A. 2C: 51-2, the Board reserves the right to suspend her pending resolution of the criminal charges. Such suspension shall be with pay prior to indictment, and may be with or without pay, at the Board's discretion, subsequent to indictment, unless the Board certifies contractual tenure charges. c. The Superintendent shall have the right, upon request, to review the contents of her personnel file and to receive copies of any documents contained therein. She shall be entitled to have a representative accompany her during such review. No material derogatory to the Superintendent s conduct, service, character or personality shall be placed in her personnel file unless she has had an opportunity to review the material. The Superintendent shall acknowledge that she has had the opportunity to review such material by affixing her signature to the copy to be filed with the express understanding that such signature in no way indicates agreement with the contents thereof. The Superintendent shall also have the right to submit a written answer to such material. d. This Agreement contains the entire understanding between the parties. It is to be interpreted in accordance with New Jersey law. This Agreement may be modified only upon the express written consent of the parties. Any modification or change to this contract must first be submitted to the
Executive County Superintendent of Schools for review and approval prior to any board of education action. e. If during the terms of this Employment Contract, it is found that a specific clause of the contract is illegal in federal or state law, the remainder of this Employment Contract shall not be affected by such a ruling and shall remain in full force and effect. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have hereunto set their hand and seals this day of, 2017. Date:, Board President Date:, Superintendent Date: Business Administrator/Board Secretary