Schools

Superintendent to Earn Half Current Salary

In addition, the district plans to spend about $85,000 — based on an annual salary — for an interim superintendent

 

Superintendent Lynne Celli is scheduled to earn $85,000, or half her current $170,000 salary, in her new position as executive superintendent for special projects.

The superintendent announced her new role at Wednesday's School Committee meeting. The superintendent said the change was initiated by the School Committee but she was amenable to it since it is consistent with her future plans.

Find out what's happening in Swampscottwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

After the meeting, when asked why the change was taking place, both the superintendent and the chairman of the School Committee, Larry Beaupre, declined to say any more than what was presented in the superintendent's statement.

The School Committee released a statement of its own on Thursday.

Find out what's happening in Swampscottwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

You will find it at the bottom of this post.

Also, you will find the contract, which is public information, attached to this

post as a pdf.

The superintendent's special projects work starts July 1, 2013. Responsibilities will include the following:

  • work on the district's elementary school building needs project
  • pursuing Chapter 70 and other state and federal funding 
  • pursuing grant funding
  • alignment of curriculum including STEM programs

The superintendent plans to retire from the Swampscott School District on or before the contract's end date, June 30, 2014.

School Committee members said they hope to hire an interim superintendent without spending any more money than the district would have spent had no changes been made.

" ...  we will keep the combined cost of both the interim Superintendent and Dr. Celli’s new position very close to the current year’s cost of a single full-time Superintendent," the committee said in a statement released by the chairman, Larry Beaupre.

On Wednesday Business Manager Ed Cronin presented the School Committee a list of proposed cuts — of slightly more than $1 million —  to level fund schools in the coming 2013-14 school year.

If the district does not receive additional Chapter 70 funding, as has been proposed under the governor's budget, and they must go forward with a balanced budget, than the district plans to reduce staff and increase class sizes.

 

School Committee Statement:

The Swampscott School Committee and Superintendent Dr. Lynne Celli have developed a process to provide for an orderly transition in the Swampscott School Superintendency.  As announced by Dr. Celli on Wednesday, she and the Committee have reached an agreement that she will assume the role of Executive Superintendent for Special Projects on July 1 2013.  The School Committee will immediately be conducting a search for an Interim Superintendent to begin on July 1, 2013.  This will provide an opportunity to develop a more extensive search and recruitment process for a permanent Superintendent.

The draft budget presented to the School Committee last night by the Superintendent and Budget Director included cuts that would be necessary if the town funded the schools next year with the same dollar amount they provided this year (“level-funding”).  While we hope that additional funding (whether from an increased Chapter70 allocation or elsewhere) will materialize and make these cuts unnecessary, we must also plan for the worst case, which is no increase in funding of the schools.

The draft budget presented last night was prepared before the arrangement for Dr. Celli to move to a new, half-time, position was in place, and none of the cuts proposed in that budget are a result of the change in Dr. Celli’s position.  (The budget presented presumes paying the Superintendent a similar salary to what is being paid this year.)  While we are still very early in the budget process, and many uncertainties remain, it is the Committee’s expectation that by employing a part-time and/or retired former superintendent as an interim, we will keep the combined cost of both the interim Superintendent and Dr. Celli’s new position very close to the current year’s cost of a single full-time Superintendent.  

The School Committee looks forward to working with Dr. Celli as Superintendent through this school year and as she continues her efforts to continue to benefit the school system.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here