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Yonkers Schools Extend Superintendent's Contract

YONKERS, N.Y. – Citing a need for long term stability within the district, the Yonkers Board of Education voted to approve a contract extension for its superintendent.

Bernard Pierorazio was given an additional two years Wednesday, a deal that extends his contract with the district into 2017. The deal will not increase the superintendent’s $260,000 salary and will not change his benefits.

“This is an extension of a contract of a nationally recognized leader who has held our district together through good times and bad and it could be one of most important actions this board may ever make,” Trustee Christine Balko said at the board meeting.

The vote was necessary because the board of education had rescinded an earlier three-year extension after Yonkers Inspector General Kitley Covill said it had failed to comply with open meetings rules.

Covill also chastised the board for the June 20 vote that would have extended the superintendent’s contract, which has three years remaining, because it constituted a six-year agreement. By exceeding the state’s five-year limit, the contract “violated the spirit, if not the letter, of New York State Educational Law,” Covill said in a report.

After revising the extension to two years, trustees passed the measure Wednesday by a vote of 6-2, with trustees John Jacono and Nader Sayegh voting against. Vice President Trevor Bennett was absent from the meeting.  

Before the vote, Sayegh urged the board to table the resolution until further evaluations of the superintendent's performance were reviewed by the board.

“I believe Bernard Pierorazio has many outstanding qualities, which we should all be proud of,” he said. “Nevertheless I urge the board proceed with proper evaluation procedures and table the vote.”

In response, Board President Paresh Patel assured trustees the vote followed all guidelines set forth by the state and the city.  

After, Pierorazio, who was named the 2011 New York State Schools Superintendent of the Year, said the extension was not about a contract or money.  Instead, he said, it was about creating stability in the district.

“Time and again we see change for change sake, not thinking about continuity and not thinking about the children,” he said. “So I will remain in this position as long as I am doing good things and good things for the children.”

 

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