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The Pleasanton Unified School District Board of Trustees is set to present and possibly approve Interim Superintendent Maurice Ghysels’ new employment agreement on Thursday after previously asking Ghysels to come out of retirement.
The new contract is contemplated because retirees like Ghysels have a financial cap of how much he can make. He was slated to hit that cap on Oct. 1, which is why he needed to unretire temporarily so that his pension plan isn’t greatly affected.
Ghysels was first appointed as the interim superintendent in early June. His first day was on July 1.
During these past few months, he was working between three and four days per week for a per diem rate of $1,500 every day to not exceed a total of $74,733. But during the Aug. 22 meeting, Board President Mary Jo Carreon explained how because Ghysels is technically retired, he has a limited amount of days that he can work for the district before he loses his pension benefits.
That’s why the board voted on Sept. 12 to ask Ghysels to come out of retirement in order to continue in his position as interim superintendent, while also keeping his retirement plan intact for when he goes back to retirement after the district finds his permanent replacement.
During a special closed session meeting on Sept. 18, the board met to discuss Ghysels’ updated contract following concerns some board members had regarding the financial impact his new contract would have on the budget.
According to Thursday’s staff report Ghysels’ new full time contract, if approved as is, will maintain his per diem rate of $1,500 for every full day of work but will also include a few changes.
That includes raising his monthly expense reimbursement allowance from the original $1,000 a month to $2,500 per month.
He will also be paid a $1,000 monthly automobile allowance and will be “eligible for the same master’s degree and doctoral degree stipends that are paid to other certificated management employees.”
The agreement also states that both Ghysels and the district recognize that the job might require him to work more than eight hours a day and to work on more than five days per week.
While Ghysels will not be entitled to overtime pay or vacation pay for non-workday, he will be able to accrue sick leave.
One thing that didn’t change from the original agreement was health care.
If approved, the agreement states that the district will not make a contribution toward Ghysels’ health benefits. However, he will still be able to participate in the district sponsored health benefits “at his own expense.”
According to the staff report, the total cost of the interim superintendent’s new contract is estimated at $283,340, which would come out of the district’s general fund.Â
But the report goes on to say that the district would be saving $114,375 from July 1, 2024 to May 31, 2025 because of the money already budgeted for former Superintendent David Haglund’s contract.
According to Transparent California — a website that compiles employee salaries and benefits — Haglund’s total pay in 2022 was roughly $364,000, before benefits. With benefits added, it was equivalent to nearly $441,000.
After presenting the financial terms to the public, the board will vote during a separate agenda item on approving the new employment agreement.
If approved, the contract will start on Oct. 21 and will continue for the duration of the school year unless the board terminates it — which is allowed per the agreement — either on the first day the new permanent superintendent starts, or with a 45 day notice of termination.
The board’s open-session meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Thursday (Sept. 26). Read the full agenda here.
In other business
* The board will be looking to approve a resolution that confirms the district’s commitment to fiscal solvency amidst continuing budget challenges that led the Alameda County Office of Education to recently approve the district’s 2024-25 budget on a conditional basis.
“This resolution committing to fiscal solvency and realignments for this purpose, is being brought to the Board of Trustees at this time as a condition to enable the Alameda County Office of Education to approve our 2024/25 budget,” according to the staff report.
The staff report states that lower revenues and increased costs mean the district needs to make reductions and identify new revenue sources in order to maintain its budget reserves and remain fiscally solvent. And according to the proposed resolution, PUSD has some tough road ahead.
“The multi-year projections as updated at unaudited actuals indicate that the district will need to identify further expenditure reductions and/or revenue enhancements of at least $905,204 in 2024-2025 which will be updated at first interim,” the resolution states. “The District will also need to make ongoing expenditure reductions and/or revenue enhancements of nearly $8,660,000 in 2025-2026.”
* District staff will be seeking the board’s approval of a $2,388,500 design agreement with Finney Architects for the roofing and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) project at the Hart Middle School gym and locker room buildings.
The scope of the project — which is being funded by the $270 million Measure I1 bond that was passed in 2016 — includes “installation of new rooftop HVAC units at the gymnasium (inclusive of air conditioning) and acoustical improvements at the gymnasium.” According to the staff report, it also includes roof improvements to not just the gym, but the locker room buildings as well.
The project is slated to be completed in early 2025, according to the report.
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No one figured out the financials for an interim superintendent before he was hired? WTH. And $2500/month for expenses, in addition to healthcare and mileage? Gosh golly, that’s a lot of $$ that could assist actual students in actual classrooms (and that no one else gets) instead of fattening the retirement of someone who already has earned a state pension. Time to clean house and vote in a new board of trustees.