Goodrich – After a year as the interim superintendent, Larry Allen, 64, has accepted a contract from the board of education.
The 1-year, $140,000 superintendent contract includes an option to extend, no health or retirement benefits.
Board President Michael Tripp said the board is actually offering approximately $6,000 less than the contract was for former superintendent Kim Hart.
‘We are paying Allen differently than Kim Hart, but the savings are still there,? said Tripp. ‘Larry isn’t concerned that his contract is under scale. He is more concerned about taking care of the district. It isn’t about personal gain to him.?
The board appointed Larry Allen as interim superin-tendent on July 27, 2007 after placing Hart on administrative leave. As the interim superintendent, Allen did not receive benefits and was paid the same salary as Kim Hart 119,000 per year, or about $2,288 per week.
On Sept. 4, Hart entered into a written employment contract with the Whitmore Lake Public Schools to serve as superintendent through June 30, 2010. When Hart officially accepted employment with Whitmore Lake Schools her contract with Goodrich Schools remained in place, however, she went from being on a paid administrative leave to an unpaid status. Hart’s contract didn’t officially expire until June 30, 2008.
Tripp said even though the district has not been able to settle with Hart, the district felt as though there was nothing holding them back from giving Allen a contract.
Tripp said they have made every effort to settle with Hart.
‘We approached Kim’s lawyer and offered to settle by paying what we thought was due and an appropriate allowance. Everything ended at the time she accepted employment at Whitmore,? said Tripp. ‘Her counsel will not return our phone calls… Last month our counsel went back to them to discuss what we believe is fair up to the point where she accepted employment with Whitmore, and basically we got no response. At one point we even tendered a check to her. They kept it and never cashed it.?
Although there is some frustration concerning Hart’s exit from the district, board members say they are happy to be giving Allen a contract.
‘The most important thing here is that Larry has been in education for over 40 years and we aren’t having to pay him more than previous superintendents,? said Board Trustee Jim Bertrand. ‘We are getting the most bang for our dollar.?