1220 - EMPLOYMENT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT
The School Board vests the primary responsibility for administration of the School Corporation in the Superintendent. The appointment of the Superintendent is, therefore, one of the most important functions the Board can perform.
Whenever the position of Superintendent becomes vacant, the Board shall appoint a Superintendent and fix their salary and term of employment, which shall be for a term of at least one (1) year and not more than three (3) years. However, a contract may be extended for not more than an additional five (5) years beyond the term of the original contract.
If the contract contains a provision that establishes an amount the Board must pay to the Superintendent to buy out the contract, the amount may not be more than an amount equal to the lesser of:
the Superintendent‘s salary for any one (1) year under the contract; or
$250,000.
A Superintendent’s salary under clause (A) does not include benefits or any other forms of compensation that the Superintendent receives as payment under the contract other than the Superintendent’s salary.
The contract between the Board and the Superintendent shall not provide for the awarding of a monetary bonus or other incentive that is based on the approval of a public question under I.C. 6-1.1-20 or I.C. 20-46 (referendum).
The Board shall actively seek the best-qualified and most capable candidate for the position of Superintendent.
It may be aided in this task by:
a committee of Board members;
the services of professional consultants;
- the participation of members of the community.
Recruitment procedures will be prepared in advance of the search and will include:
preparation of a written job specification for the position of Superintendent;
preparation of written specifications of qualification in addition to proper State certification;
preparation of informative material describing this Corporation and its educational goals;
where feasible, the opportunity for applicants to visit the schools of this Corporation;
consideration of all applicants fairly without discrimination on the basis of race, gender, age, religion, ethnic background, disability, or other condition unrelated to the position of Superintendent.
No person may be employed as Superintendent of this Corporation unless they have signed an employment contract with the Board.
At least seven (7) days before a contract for employment is entered into between the Board and the Superintendent, the Board shall hold a public meeting on the proposed contract to hear objections to and support for and discuss the proposed contract.
The Board Secretary shall submit notice of the hearing on the proposed contract for publication in a newspaper serving the Corporation in compliance with I.C. 5-3-1 and for posting on the newspaper's Internet website in compliance with I.C. 5-3-1-1.5 at least once no less than ten (10) days before the date of the hearing. The Board Secretary also shall direct that the published notice be posted on the Corporation's Internet website.
The notice shall:
state that on a given day, time, and place, the Board will meet to discuss and hear objections to and support for the proposed contract; and
set forth the details of the proposed contract, including the actual monetary value of the contract, benefits, and any additional forms of compensation for each year of the contract.
The name of the candidate for the position of Superintendent shall not be included in the notices or discussion of the proposed contract.
Such contract shall be in the basic form of the regular teacher's contract if the Superintendent holds a license under I.C. 20-28-5 and shall include:
the term for which employment is contracted, including beginning and ending dates;
the salary which the Superintendent will be paid and the intervals at which s/he will be paid.
See also Policy 8311 - Public Access to Employee Contracts for further posting requirements following the approval of an employment contract with the Superintendent.
Anti-Nepotism:
"Relatives" include: children, stepchildren, siblings, half-siblings, step-siblings, spouse, domestic partner, parents, stepparents, in-laws, or bona fide dependents of a Board member or the Superintendent.
Relatives of Board members may be employed by the Corporation as Superintendent, provided the member of the Board involved does not participate in any way in the discussion or vote on the relative's employment. Should the Corporation choose to employ a relative as herein defined, both the relative and the Board member must file a conflict of interest statement.
Corporation employees may not date, develop romantic relationships with or have sexual relations with individuals who are the employee's supervisor or those that they supervise.
Corporation employees may date and develop friendships and relationships with other employees - both inside and outside of the workplace - as long as the relationships do not have a negative impact on their work or the work of others.
Adverse workplace behavior - or behavior that affects the workplace that arises because of personal relationships - will not be tolerated. Corporation employees who disregard this policy will be subject to discipline, up to and including termination.
The Superintendent so appointed shall devote themselves to the duties of their office.
Any candidate's intentional misstatement of fact material to their qualification for employment or the determination of their salary shall be considered by this Board to constitute grounds for their dismissal.
The person selected for the position of Superintendent shall be required to undergo a physical examination reasonably related to the duties they will be required to perform, the cost of which will be borne by the Corporation.
The contract may be altered or rescinded for a new one at any time by mutual consent of the governing body and the superintendent. The consent of both parties must be in writing and must be expressed in a manner consistent with I.C.-20-28-8-6, -7, and -8. If the Superintendent holds a license under I.C. 20-28-5, the rights of a Superintendent as a teacher under any other law are not affected by the contract unless those rights conflict with the terms of I.C. 20-28-8-6(b), in which case the provisions of I.C. 20-28-8-6(b) govern.
Revised 1/14/03
Revised 10/10/06
Revised 8/2/14
Revised 12/12/17
Revised 1/12/21
Revised 10/12/21
Revised 1/11/22
Revised 11/12/24
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