Forest Hills board discusses addendum to permit payout of superintendent’s unused vacation days

At a May 28 special meeting, the Forest Hills Board of Education discussed adding a contract provision to allow the superintendent to receive payment for unused vacation days when her term ends. Unidentified Speaker 1, who called the meeting to order as the presiding officer, introduced the item and argued the superintendent should not be penalized for a contract omission.

The presiding officer said the district’s superintendent "has done an amazing job and she should probably not be penalized" by the current contract language and argued that the payout would align the superintendent’s treatment with that of other administrators. The presiding officer also said the board wanted to avoid a scenario in which the superintendent would take a full month of June off because of an expectation of unused vacation days, citing ongoing district work including contract negotiations and principal and assistant principal searches.

The record shows the addendum was discussed but no formal motion or vote on the contract change was recorded during the meeting. Earlier in the agenda the board approved the minutes from its May 20 regular meeting by voice vote after a motion and second were recorded. The meeting concluded after a motion to adjourn.

Why it matters: Contract language that governs leave payout can affect district personnel costs and the terms under which senior administrators leave office. The board’s discussion indicates intent to align the superintendent’s contract with standard administrative practice, but no formal action was finalized at this session.

What happened next: The board recorded no vote on the proposed superintendent contract addendum during this meeting. The minutes approval and the motion to adjourn were recorded as passed by voice vote. The transcript does not show a subsequent meeting date to resume or finalize the contract item.

Quotes from the meeting:
"She has done an amazing job and she should probably not be penalized for something that any other administrator would get," the presiding officer said when introducing the addendum proposal.

Votes at a glance:
- Motion to approve minutes from the May 20 regular meeting: motion made and seconded; voice vote called and the presiding officer declared the motion passed.
- Motion to adjourn (May 28 special meeting): motion made and seconded; meeting was adjourned.

Meeting context: The special meeting was brief and procedural, with most time spent on the minutes, discussion of the proposed superintendent contract addendum, and adjournment. No public-comment statements that affected the addendum debate are recorded in the transcript.