Highland School District signs new deals with top administrators

The Highland School District has inked new contracts with all its top administrators.

The School Board on May 21 approved deals with Superintendent Mike Sutton, Assistant Superintendent Derek Hacke, Business Manager Tim Bair and Special Education Director Pamela Tyler.

"We've got a good team, and we are glad to have them all for another four years," said Highland School Board president Jim Gallatin.

Sutton's contract will keep him as superintendent through at least June 30, 2022.

"I'm very excited about continuing on working in the district," Sutton said. "Having been here 10 years, they not always been the smoothest, but I think we've got some exciting times ahead of us."

Sutton received his bachelor's degree in education from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and his master's in education administration from Eastern Illinois University.

This summer will mark Sutton's 10-year anniversary with the district. He came to Highland in July 2008 after having served as superintendent in Lawrenceville, Illinois for four years. He was superintendent in Grayville, Illinois, prior to that.

Sutton has guided the district through lean financial times due to the state's chronic budget woes. He was also there for the only teachers' strike in the history of the district.

But those times seem, at least for now, to be in the rear view mirror. The state recently passed a new funding formula that will mean $146,478 in extra state aid for the district. Last March, a new four-year labor deal was struck with the teachers' union.

Sutton said his goal now is to complete a long-term strategic plan for the district.

Next school year, Sutton will be compensated $156,130. The contract calls for 2 percent raises in each of the three subsequent years, meaning his salary in the final year will be about $165,687.

But that's only if teachers receive at least the same percentage raise. There's a clause in Sutton's contract that calls for the 2 percent raise "unless the average increase of professional staff is less than 2 percent."

"In this case the superintendent shall receive the average increase of all other professional staff," the contract says.

It's a stipulation Sutton, himself, asked the board to include in his last several contracts.

The clause may come into play in the final year of Sutton's deal, since that would be the only overlap time not covered with the current teachers' contract.

Bair and Hacke's deals are for the same length as Sutton's. Bair's salary next year will be $145,395. Hacke's compensation will be $128,235 for the 2018-2019 school year.

Tyler received a three-year contract, through 2021. Her salary will be $89,850 next school year.

The board also approved the hiring of Matthew Scheibel as the new assistant principal and athletic director for Highland Middle School and gave him a three-year contract. Scheibel will make $68,000 in salary next year.

This story was originally published May 24, 2018 at 10:44 AM with the headline "Highland School District signs new deals with top administrators."