Panel in McDonald proposes part-time school superintendent

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McDONALD

The McDonald Schools state finance and planning commission will submit an amendment to the schools recovery plan, reinstating a full-time elementary principal and cutting the superintendent’s post to part-time.

The commission approved the plan recently after discussing changes with the school board.

The amendment changes the original plan to combine the superintendent and elementary school principal’s jobs for a post to pay a salary of $80,755.

The proposed change will still save $113,000 for the two posts, the projected savings under the original recovery-plan proposal. But the full-time principal, Maggie Kowach, will earn $68,295 plus benefits for 203 days and the part-time superintendent will work 80 days at a salary of $24,000, roughly $300 a day.

The state superintendent has approved $875,045 in cuts for the district’s recovery plan. It was approved by the commission last month.

Kowach had originally been notified her post would be eliminated for the combined superintendent/elementary post. Schools Superintendent Michael Wasser has resigned from the district effective July 31, and is now making $80,755 a year. Kowach had been named to replace retiring principal Anthony Russo starting in 2010 at an annual salary of $61,657.

Schools treasurer Brian Stidham said the local board of education can be expected to consider a resolution for the change at its April meeting.

He added that in the future, the commission and district may look into finding a superintendent who can be shared with another district.