With a bare majority of three members present, the Mineola Board of Education voted Monday to extend the contract of Mineola Superintendent of Schools Michael Nagler for four years through the 2015-16 school year with all three board members in agreement at a special meeting on Monday night
Nagler, who had one year remaining on his present contract, will accept a wage freeze on his current annual salary of $210,912 through the first two years of his new deal. He will receive 2 percent salary increases in the final two years of the contract, with a one-time increase of $20,000 to be added to his compensation in the final year of the agreement.
In other changes from his current contract, Nagler will be paid for as many as 10 sick days not taken each year. When he retires or leaves the job, he would also be eligible to receive compensation for a maximum of 75 sick days, based on 1/220th of his salary.
Nagler will pay 20 percent of health insurance premiums, up from 15 percent in his current contract.
School board president Terence Hale said the board convened the meeting because the board was “concerned” about a bill pending in the state Legislature that would limit district school superintendents’ salaries based on the student population in the district. That legislation would have capped the superintendent’s salary in Mineola at $155,000 – and raised the prospect of Nagler leaving the job.
John McGrath, who had publicly criticized Nagler over school consolidation plans prior to a second bond vote, said the strong support given the district’s 2011-2012 school budget had convinced him that Nagler should be given the chance to realize his vision for the school district.
“The recent election overwhelmingly supported reconfiguration to which you all remember I was opposed,” McGrath said. “The district needs some stability now. We now look forward to the future with reconfiguration.”
The school budget included $2.6 million to expand the Hampton Street and Meadow Drive Schools as part of the school consolidation plan. The money will be used to convert the two schools to accommodate K through grade 2 for the district.
Hale, who had won re-election to the board handily in last month’s election after staunchly supporting the current consolidation plan in the campaign, expressed unqualified support for Nagler.
“I believe he is the man to be at the helm right now. I truly believe in his vision,” Hale said.
That vision includes leasing the Cross Street School to the Solomon Schechter Day School of Glen Cove next fall, with at least a partial lease of the Willis Avenue School the following year. “To bring somebody new into this process at this point would be inviting trouble down the road,” board Vice President Christine Napolitano said.
District resident Eric Treibman said the $20,000 payment in the fourth year raises the cost of the contract significantly.
“It’s not really a 2 percent increase. It’s closer to 12 percent,” Treibman said.
Nagler said he is currently the third lowest paid school district superintendent on Long Island, and said he expected to remain in that relative position.
“I’ll still be one of the lowest paid superintendents,” Nagler said.
Nagler’s current compensation also includes $46,000 in annual benefits, a source said.
Meanwhile, a state Legislature source said on Tuesday the bill Gov. Andrew Cuomo had pushed to cap school superintendents’ salaries statewide was unlikely to reach the state Senate floor for a vote. State Sen. Jack Martins (R-Mineola) had expressed his opposition to the bill, a spokesman for Martins said.
A few people at the sparsely attended special meeting at the Willis Avenue School, expressed concern about the timing on a night when people were attending awards dinners at district schools rather than just holding off action until Thursday night’s regular meeting.
“The appearance of impropriety doesn’t look good,” one woman said.
Another woman said the board’s approach suggested it was trying to “back-door” the superintendent’s contract extension.
“We’re not back-dooring anything,” Hale said, adding that the board members had understood the bill to limit superintendent’s salaries might be voted on this week.”
Napolitano said the board simply didn’t want to take any chances on the legislature tying the board’s hands.
“It’s not the way we wanted to do it. Circumstances forced our hand,” she said.
Board member Will Hornberger’s work responsibilities prevented him from making the meeting, according to Hale, who said board member Irene Parrino had a family obligation.
Asked whether he thought his new deal would make negotiations with the school district unions more difficult, Nagler said no and defended the deal again.
“The superintendent’s salary doesn’t dictate what the unions are going to make. There are zeros involved in this contract,” Nagler said.
After the meeting, Nagler said he was satisfied with the contract, which he expected would take him to the end of his educational career.
“I want to end my career in the Mineola district,” he said.
