Rockville Centre superintendent's new contract contains salary freeze

In a surprise statement that came at the end of the Board of Education organizational meeting on July 5, school board President Liz Dion announced that the board and Superintendent Dr. William Johnson have reached agreement on a new four-year contract for him that includes no salary increases over its term and increases his contributions toward health care benefits. In a departure from previous contracts, the new contract does not contain a so-called “evergreen” clause that causes it to automatically renew at the end of each year.

In a written statement, the school district said the new contract with Johnson will save it more than $187,000 over the length of its term — more than $45,000 a year, on the average. These savings, it said, result from the unchanged salary, Johnson’s increased health care contributions and a rescission of his ability to buy back unused vacation days. In comparison, the previous contract provided a guarantee of annual salary increases of not less than 4 percent — which Johnson did not exercise every year.

The board has agreed to provide Johnson with early access to $300,000 in funds due from his previous contract. During the term of that contract, the district budgeted and accrued those funds. As such, it says there is no additional taxpayer expense associated with that obligation. In addition, those funds do not accrue to Dr. Johnson’s pension.

The current contract was negotiated during a time of increased awareness and concern regarding superintendent compensation and other benefits.

A highly respected educational leader, Johnson has been the superintendent of Rockville Centre’s schools for 25 years.

“In light of the state’s newly enacted property tax cap, the school district has to find ways to flatten our expenses,” said Dion. “I think that Dr. Johnson recognized that and he put the district above his personal interests. It impresses me that he was willing to renegotiate in the middle of a contract, when he didn’t have to.

“In light of the fact that every contract we’ve negotiated in the past two years has contained givebacks including some period without any salary increase, and increased employee contributions toward health care, it became apparent that the superintendent’s contract had to be renegotiated.”

“His contributions to our district have had an enormous impact on the lives of thousands of Rockville Centre students,” said Dion. “The board looks forward to his continued service and leadership in enhancing the district’s outstanding reputation.

“The board believes this new agreement is good for our district, our students and our community,” the written statement added. “Current economic and political circumstances demand an experienced and proven chief executive dedicated to educating our children. The board thanks Dr. Johnson for his leadership, wisdom and continued service to the district.”

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