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Poway Unified Board approves Dr. Ben Churchill as superintendent, OKs three-year contract at $360,000
Summary
The Poway Unified School District Board voted unanimously to employ Dr. Ben Churchill and approved a three-year employment agreement that begins Dec. 2, 2024, with an annual base salary of $360,000 and standard district benefits and severance provisions.
The Poway Unified School District Board of Education on Oct. 10 voted unanimously to appoint Dr. Ben Churchill as the district's next superintendent and to approve the three-year employment agreement that will begin on Dec. 2, 2024, and terminate on Dec. 2, 2027, unless extended or ended earlier.
Board President O'Connor Ratcliffe provided an oral summary of the proposed financial terms before the vote, as required by government code. The contract sets Dr. Churchill's annual base salary at $360,000, defines him as a 12-month employee with 244 workdays, provides 26 vacation days per year (with a 52-day accrual cap), district-paid health and welfare benefits for him and dependents, a $250,000 life insurance policy, and a $1,000 monthly district contribution to a tax-sheltered annuity for up to 60 months. The agreement also includes a defense and indemnification provision and a severance clause that, if terminated without cause, provides up to 12 months of salary or the remainder of the term (whichever is less) consistent with the government code citation provided in the meeting summary.
Dr. Churchill, who said he had served as a superintendent in nearby Carlsbad for more than eight years, told the board, "I could not be more excited to join team PUSD," and pledged to "listen and learn" from students, staff and community partners. Board members thanked a community process that yielded about 1,100 survey responses and participation in 10 meetings to inform leadership qualifications used in the search.
A majority of board speakers praised the contract as "clean," noting the absence of costly extras such as vehicles or other perquisites. The motion to approve the employment agreement was made and seconded on the floor; the board recorded the vote as unanimous (the president recorded the outcome as unanimous with a possible student preferential vote noted).
The board said it will sign the final contract after the meeting. The personnel appointments and closed-session vote earlier in the evening also reflected board approval of Dr. Churchill's employment.
