Manatee School District to pay Rick Mills more than $130,000 for time not worked

BRADENTON -- Although he was officially relieved of his superintendent duties on May 12, Rick Mills will be paid by the Manatee County School District until Sept. 29 -- a surprising total of $134,586.71 for time he was not employed by the school district and no longer serving as superintendent.

In response to the Bradenton Herald's public records request, the district's payroll department released the amount Mills will be paid until the end of September. He'll collect his last paycheck on Oct. 10.

In late April, Mills announced he was seeking an early retirement from the school district, saying he had lost the support of the school board after the November elections and could no longer perform effectively as a superintendent. Mills' contract had run until 2017.

In a May 12 meeting, the board and Mills agreed to relieve Mills of his duties immediately and pay him for 20 more weeks of work, the longest amount of time the district can pay him under state statute. The vote was unanimous, but board chair Bob Gause did start to question the move's cost before the vote.

When Gause questioned the move, Mills said he would not agree to less than the 20 weeks' pay. Mills originally estimated he would take about $73,000 in base salary from the deal, plus vacation and sick payout.

The actual numbers are higher. The $134,000 figure includes his salary payout for May 13 to Sept. 29 at $104,000, accrued sick time to the tune of $10,000 and accrued vacation time for $20,000. Mills was making approximately $183,500 annually in a base salary.

Ultimately, it was more important to have the district move forward, Gause said Monday. Gause said he had estimated the district would have to pay about $90,000 in Mill's salary, but that it's hard to estimate numbers on the fly.

"I felt like we'd be going backward if we didn't make that move," Gause said. "It was more important to move forward."

Gause said he stands by the board's decision.

Board member Charlie Kennedy said he was also surprised by the final number, thinking the total payout would have been less than $100,000.

"I don't think anyone would want a lame duck superintendent for three months," Kennedy said Monday. "I thought it was in the best interest of the district in preparation for next year to start fresh, so to speak."

At the board meeting on Tuesday, the board will look at a new superintendent contract for Mills' replacement, Diana Greene. The board agreed to a one-year contract, which has the potential for a three-year extension if the board is satisfied with Greene's work in the upcoming year.

In a draft of the contract, Greene is proposing to make $180,000 for the year, less than what Mills was taking in.

Meghin Delaney, education reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7081. Follow her on Twitter@MeghinDelaney.

This story was originally published June 8, 2015 at 10:28 AM with the headline "Manatee School District to pay Rick Mills more than $130,000 for time not worked ."