Devon Horton, named the new superintendent of Evanston District 65 schools last week, will earn a starting salary of $250,000 a year.
The pay rate was disclosed in a copy of the superintendent’s contract provided by the district in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by Evanston Now.
Horton’s base pay will be the same as that earned by the man he’s replacing, Paul Goren, during Goren’s first year as superintendent in the 2014-15 school year.
Like Goren, Horton will also receive board-paid contributions of what would normally be the employee-paid contributions to the state Teachers’ Retirement System and certain other fringe benefits.
The contract sets five goals for evaluating the superintendent’s performance but does not provide any specific numeric targets.
The goals include:
- Increasing achievement for black and Hispanic students and reducing the achievement gap in college and career readiness.
- Ensuring cognitively rigorous and culturally responsive instruction and assessments.
- Implementing restorative practices to create intellectually and socially safe learning environments.
- Creating a culture of collaboration and trust with all district stakeholders.
- Improving organizational systems and engaging in long-term financial planning to ensure quality programming and improve school facilities.
The three-year contract bars the board from unilateraly terminating Horton’s contract without cause before the end if its second year and would obligate the board to pay him for the third year of the agreement if it did so.
It also obligates Horton to pay the board $15,000 to $25,000 if he decides to leave before the end of the contract, depending on how much advance notice he provides.
Board members had expressed disappointment with declines in student test scores in the months leading up to their decision to part ways with Goren.
Related stories
District 65 names new superintendent (12/16/19)
Goren severance terms revealed (6/22/19)
Goren out as D65 superintendent (6/14/19)
Goren to earn $250K in first year (5/6/14)
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