Manatee County School Board OKs $180,000 contract for Superintendent Diana Greene

BRADENTON -- Diana Greene will be paid an annual salary of $180,000 -- less than her predecessor Rick Mills -- according to a contract approved Tuesday by the Manatee County School Board.

The contract will run until June 30, 2016, and is retroactive to June 1. The end date was extended to coincide with the end of the fiscal year and most other contract end dates.

The board approved the contract by 4-to-1 vote with Dave Miner dissenting. He said he wanted to hold off on approving the contract for a week to allow more time to discuss it and possibly make changes.

Board members pointed out the proposed contract had been on the district website for a week.

"I'm ready to move forward," board member Charlie Kennedy said.

The contract officially makes Greene the superintendent. She was appointed interim superintendent two weeks ago after a steady stream of public speakers supported naming her superintendent.

During a workshop, the board discussed the contract, which included suggested changes by board attorney Jim Dye and Greene. The original draft set Greene's pay at $183,500, but Greene suggested lowering it to $180,000.

"I don't want this contract to be a distraction to what we do," Greene said. "I tried to change items I had control over."

Greene also said the reduction was in solidarity with other district employees who have had their pay reduced in the last few years.

The board approved Greene's salary suggestion, but Kennedy

said she should be paid the same as Mills.

"I admire that and the symbolism of that. In the interest of equal pay for equal work, I think she should receive the same salary as Mr. Mills," Kennedy said.

The board discussed at length how to handle a section of the contract dealing with terminating Greene without cause. In Mills' contract and in previous contracts, a superintendent could be terminated without cause by a majority vote of the board.

Board member Karen Carpenter said she wanted to change it out of respect.

"It's not a fair employment practice. It's not done in business and it's not done in professionally managed organizations. I want to underscore how strongly I feel about that," Carpenter said.

The board ultimately stayed with the simple majority vote.

The board will take action on whether to extend Greene's contract by the first meeting in May. The board will evaluate Greene's performance in December and April with the expectation board members will bring any issues to Greene before including them in an evaluation.

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

This story was originally published June 10, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Manatee County School Board OKs $180,000 contract for Superintendent Diana Greene ."