Board initiates pay discussion for acting superintendent; county must approve final stipend

The Pleasantville Board of Education signaled on May 5 that it will finalize compensation for acting superintendent Dr. Felicia Jaime Medley after private deliberation and a subsequent public vote.

Attorney Phil Stern, representing the board, said the customary procedure allows the board to appoint an acting superintendent while leaving the stipend amount blank in the initial motion so the superintendent and board can negotiate a mutually agreeable number. "Once that negotiation is finished, we would then go to the county for approval of that, and that blank would be filled in," Stern said.

Stern told the public the county and then the commissioner of education must approve the appointment and any compensation retroactive to the start date (the acting superintendent's service began 04/28/2026). He emphasized the need for the board to explain the purpose of any executive session under the Open Public Meetings Act and said personnel negotiation is an appropriate reason for a closed session.

Board members moved to executive session and later reconvened. Stern said details of the executive session deliberations would be made public once the board votes publicly on the appointment, most likely at the next Tuesday meeting. He also recommended the board begin a collaborative negotiation process and transmit the agreed stipend to the county for approval.

The board did not publicly adopt a final stipend at the May 5 meeting; members approved taking the personnel discussion to executive session and signaled they would take public action on the appointment and compensation at an upcoming meeting, after completing the negotiation and necessary County approvals.

Ending: Board staff will prepare the negotiated stipend and submit it to the county for approval; the board expects to report details publicly at the next meeting.