BREWER, Maine — The School Department’s new superintendent, who started in late October, was given a 2 percent raise and had her contract extended by an additional two years on Monday in a 4-1 school board vote, Chairman Mark Farley said Tuesday.
Coming amid a reduction in teacher positions because of a tight budget, Superintendent Cheri Towle said she knew just what to do with the increase in her paycheck.
“While I appreciate their kindness and recognition of my efforts, I will be donating this raise to the Brewer’s Children Fund,” Towle said in an email Tuesday. “This fund helps students in need of clothing, athletic equipment, and school supplies. As this has been a challenging budget season, I did not feel it was right for me to take a raise when we needed to reduce teaching positions.”
Towle’s original three-year contract gave her an annual salary of $108,500 and her new contract is for $110,670.
Towle’s donation came after her raise drew opposition from at least one member of the school board.
“To be giving the superintendent a raise as the department is laying off faculty sends the wrong message,” school board member Tammy Smith, who cast the lone dissenting vote against the raise and contract extension for Towle, said Tuesday in an email.
Towle said she did not mention the donation during Monday’s meeting, which ended with an executive session for her evaluation, and then a return to public session for the vote on her contract. Farley said Towle had mentioned it at previous gatherings.
“All five of us agreed she’s doing a fantastic job,” Farley said of the Brewer School Committee.
Six teachers have decided to retire in the last month, which will save other teachers’ jobs, but two staffers are still losing their jobs and contracts for two others will not be renewed, it was announced during Monday’s school board meeting.
Smith said Tuesday afternoon that she has no problems with Towle’s performance. She said her concerns were about extending the new superintendent’s contract after such a short amount of time on the job and five months before Towle’s first annual performance review.
“If she required a five-year contract to accept the job, that should have been negotiated seven months ago,” Smith said. “I am also uncomfortable with the raise.”
Farley said the evaluation was Towle’s six-month review.
Towle worked as principal of Wiscasset High School, a post she took in May 2014, before arriving in Brewer in the fall. Before that, she was principal at Mount View High School in Thorndike, a post she held for three years.
Towle replaced former superintendent Jay McIntire, who left the district in the summer of 2015, several months after the school board made a controversial 3-2 vote not to renew his contract. Allan Snell, who served as Brewer’s superintendent from 1996 to 2001, filled in as interim superintendent until Towle was hired.
“I appreciate all of the support from every school committee member, the Brewer Community, teachers and students,” Towle said in the email. “I am proud to be their leader and look forward to moving my family to the Brewer School Community.”