Superintendent Joe Gothard got a favorable performance review but no pay raise after his first year leading St. Paul Public Schools.
“Overall, the board is pleased with the work of the superintendent and has confidence in his leadership,” school board chairwoman Zuki Ellis said.
Gothard, whose salary is $232,000, does not have automatic pay raises in his three-year contract.
He told board members during his review that he was not seeking a raise this year, citing the district’s financial woes.
“He took it off the table and we honored that,” board member Jon Schumacher said.
Among Gothard’s missteps last year, he opted not to call off school ahead of a midday snowstorm in January. Thirty buses crashed or got stuck in the snow that day and more than 300 students arrived home after 10 p.m., district officials said.
Ellis said Tuesday that Gothard’s response to criticism that week “demonstrated his ability to accept responsibility and learn how to incorporate lessons learned into future planning.”
The next month, Gothard fended off a threatened strike by the teachers union, reaching a contract agreement without exceeding the district’s tight spending target.
As part of that agreement, he agreed to consider a property tax referendum, which the board later approved. Voters will decide in November whether to raise taxes by $18.6 million for the school district’s benefit.
That vote will take place weeks before the details of Gothard’s districtwide strategic plan are due. Board members in June expressed frustration with the plan’s timeline.
Schumacher on Tuesday acknowledged the board’s impatience but said Gothard is building a foundation for making improvement in the district.
The board rated Gothard “fair” in the areas of vision, operations and accountability, and “accomplished” in advocacy, unity and relations with the board.
“I think you’re building a school district that’s going to rock and roll because you’re in charge,” board member Mary Vanderwert told him.
Gothard joined St. Paul last summer after four years leading Burnsville-Eagan-Savage. He put his Burnsville home on the market last week and said he intends to move to St. Paul. He’ll get up to $4,000 for moving expenses if he does so by Oct. 1.