Schools chief's pact extended

Pulaski County Special board adds year to Guess contract

The School Board for the Pulaski County Special School District has extended Superintendent Jerry Guess' employment contract by one year so that he now has a two-year agreement that will expire June 30, 2019.

The unanimous vote late Tuesday is the first action taken by an elected board on Guess' employment -- despite his being the district's chief executive since July 2011. His previous contracts were with the state.

School Board President Linda Remele said the board wants to continue the stability that Guess, 66, has established in the 12,000-student district.

"Guess has righted the fiscal ship," Remele said. "He has dealt with issues like the successful separation of the Jacksonville/North Pulaski School District from PCSSD and has made major strides toward resolving the longstanding desegregation court case. The board wanted to ensure stability at this critical time."

Guess noted that the district is in the midst of building two new schools -- Robinson Middle and Mills High School -- that will open in August 2018. The district also is asking voters at a special June 13 election to extend an existing property tax levy to generate money to replace most of the Sylvan Hills High School building by 2019.

"I have the pleasure of working with an outstanding leadership team in addition to talented teachers and support staff," Guess said. "Part of this contract means we can continue the successes we have begun. The district is positioned to enjoy a long period of growth, and I'm excited to be part of that."

Guess was initially hired for the superintendent's job by then-Arkansas Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrell in the aftermath of a state takeover of the district because of overspending and financial mismanagement. The takeover resulted in the dismissal of the district's superintendent and its School Board.

The Arkansas Board of Education determined last year that the district had corrected its financial problems. The state board voted to return the district to local control. Seven School Board members were elected last November.

By Arkansas law, superintendents can have contracts of up to three years in length with their districts. School boards often vote to extend those contracts after the completion of each work year so the chief executives have the security of an ongoing multiyear contract.

Failure by a board to annually extend a superintendent's contract -- absent some extenuating circumstances such as a planned retirement -- is typically viewed as a sign of board dissatisfaction with the chief executive officer.

Guess' annual salary of $215,000 is unchanged by the contract extension, district spokesman Deborah Roush said.

Metro on 04/13/2017

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