HAVERHILL — School Superintendent Raleigh Buchanan is staying here for at least another three years.
The School Committee last night unanimously approved a new contract for him that immediately increases his annual salary from $130,000 to $140,675.
School Committee President Kerry Fitzgerald and Joseph Bevilacqua were the only members to comment on the new agreement.
"All parties are in agreement," Bevilacqua said. "This confirms to the public that the superintendent will be with us for a number of years to come."
Fitzgerald said the $10,000 raise was overdue.
"His contract said he would get a 2 percent raise with a good review and a 3 percent raise for good MCAS scores," she said. "He received a good review last year but no raise. This raise should have been sooner."
Mayor James Fiorentini, also the School Committee chairman, did not attend the meeting and therefore did not vote on the contract. He said previously that he supports the agreement.
Buchanan's deal includes an option for a fourth year that will kick in by approval of the School Committee between the 18th and 24th month of the agreement.
The agreement includes opportunities for additional pay raises to be negotiated at the start of the second and third years of the contract. 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.
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.
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 MCAS scores a priority.
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.
Buchanan will 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; and $189,000 for Lawrence's Wilfredo Laboy.
