Monday May 17, 2010

ARLINGTON -- The search is on for the next Battenkill Valley Supervisory Union superintendent, after Superintendent Charles Sweetman announced earlier this month his intention to retire in August.

The opening is posted on the education job search Website, School Spring, seeking "either apart-time interim superintendent for one or two years or a superintendenttobe offered a two-year contract," with a competitive compensation package.

BVSU Chairwoman Jeanne Zoppel said that whether the board hires an interim superintendent or a permanent superintendent will depend on the candidate who is hired, but either way the position will be a 0.5 position, working 112 days a year.

The BVSU board expects to review applications and conduct initial interviews from May 25 through June 10 and appoint a superintendent by June 23 to begin in mid-July.

The half-time position is less than what Sweetman is employed to work, which Zoppel said was determined because "there's not as much on our to-do list."

Zoppel said one of the first duties of the incoming superintendent will be helping the board that serves the districts of Arlington and Sandgate study different governance options, althoughthe board is looking for a candidatewitha complete array ofqualifications and experiences.

Zoppel said that along with theboard, Sweetman, who recently agreed to a buyout and will leave the district about 10 months before his current three-year

contract expires in June 2011, will also be involved in finding his replacement.

The board negotiated Sweetman's buyout and will pay the remainder of his salary including the 10 months after he retires in increments over the next three years.

Zoppel said she had no comment when asked why the BVSU board believed it would be more beneficial to buy out the last 10 months of Sweetman's contract instead of waiting until his contract expired to search for a new superintendent.

At an Arlington public meeting May 10, Arlington school board chairman and BVSU board member Todd Wilkins said he had received multiple calls asking for the district to change superintendents, but said Sweetman would have stayed if the board asked him to.

Sweetman, who is employed on a part-time basis, has a salary of $68,234 this school year.

Sweetman has been superintendent of BVSU for seven years, longer than any former superintendent in the district, and Zoppel said board members have always gotten along well with him.

"He did an excellent job. Our curriculum is much better than it was," Zoppel said. "He got along well with the boards."

Sweetmanwillremain employed by the district approximately a month after it plans to hire his replacement, which will allow Sweetman time to finish any of this fiscal year's paperwork and help make the transition for his replacement a smooth one, Zoppel said.

Contact Dawson Raspuzzi at draspuzzi@benningtonbanner.com