By Shawn Regan
Staff Writer
May 08, 2008 12:16 am HAVERHILL — Tonight, the community will find out whether Superintendent Raleigh Buchanan, a favorite of parents, will remain in charge of Haverhill schools for the next three years. The School Committee will vote on a new contract that would keep him here for that period of time and give him an immediate $10,000 pay raise. The proposed deal also features an option for a fourth year that would kick in by approval of the School Committee between the 18th and 24th month of the agreement, according to an overview of the agreement approved by the School Committee in a secret meeting April 25. Tonight, committee members will make their official public votes and comments on the agreement, committee President Kerry Fitzgerald said. The meeting is at 7 p.m. at City Hall. Mayor James Fiorentini said he supports the new deal for Buchanan, but that he is unsure whether he will make it back to Haverhill in time to vote on the agreement. He said he will be in Chatham on Cape Cod this afternoon to attend the Massachusetts Conference of Mayors. "I'm comfortable with the contract and I'll vote for it if I make it back in time," the mayor said yesterday. The contract would boost Buchanan's annual salary to $140,675 and include opportunities for additional pay raises to be negotiated at the start of the second and third years of the agreement. It also includes $16,500 in annual perks, including: $6,000 payments into a retirement account; $5,000 for professional development training; and a $3,000 personal vehicle allowance. Parents have supported Buchanan in past meetings where he came under fire by some committee members. In an interview last week, Buchanan said he felt like the School Committee treated him fairly in the negotiations despite his interest in a longer deal. "I made a request for more years, but it wasn't a demand," he said. "I get the feeling people here don't like long-term contracts. ... I'd like more money, but this a labor of love. My goal is to build a school system that is in good shape for the next guy who takes over after me." Even with a $10,000 pay raise, Buchanan would still be the lowest paid school chief in the area. Local superintendent salaries include: $148,000 for Methuen's Jeanne Whitten; $152,000 for Andover's Claudia Bach; $180,000 for North Andover's James Marini; $189,000 for Lawrence's Wilfredo Laboy. Buchanan wanted a clause in his deal that would require a two-thirds majority of the School Committee, or five votes, to fire him. That proposal failed by a vote of 4-3, however, according to the School Committee's contract overview. Typically, it takes a simple majority of School Committee members to hire or fire a superintendent, and it will remain that way in Haverhill. Buchanan's new deal allows him to carry over 15 unused vacation days through the end of this calendar year, and it increases his annual payment toward retirement from $5,000 to $6,000. Buchanan was superintendent of Seekonk public schools in southeastern Massachusetts for 12 years before taking the Haverhill job Jan. 17, 2006. His current contract expires on Jan. 17, 2009. Both he and School Committee members have said they wanted to work out a new deal before then. Buchanan's salary increase consists of a 2 percent pay raise for a good performance review last year, a 3 percent pay raise for a good performance review earlier this year, and a 3 percent pay raise as a reward for the district improving MCAS scores. When Buchanan was hired, he was told to make improving slumping MCAS scores one of his top priorities. Potential pay raises for the superintendent in years two and three of the new contract will be determined by performance measures and goals that are to be worked out later, according to the contract overview.
Annual salaries of area superintendents Community Superintendent Salary Haverhill Raleigh Buchanan $140,675* Lawrence Wilfredo Laboy $189,000 Methuen Jeanne Whitten $148,000 Andover Claudia Bach $152,000 North Andover James Marini $180,000 *Includes 8 percent pay raise to be voted tonight by Haverhill School Committee NOTE: Not including perks such as travel and professional development reimbursement
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