Board ratifies four-year employment agreement for district superintendent

The Jefferson Elementary School District Board of Trustees unanimously ratified a new four-year employment agreement for the district superintendent during the public meeting. Trustees voted to ratify the contract after the Board President provided the required oral summary of the economic and contract terms.

Under the terms summarized for the public, the agreement runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2030, and sets the superintendent's annual base salary at $285,000 for the 2026–27 school year. The board also approved a regular 2% salary step increase effective July 1, 2027, and a cost-of-living adjustment tied to the California CPI-U capped at 3% annually, pending an evaluation that meets or exceeds expectations. The agreement includes a 5% longevity increase commencing in the superintendent's 11th year of service; district-paid health, dental and vision benefits with premium contributions capped at the employee-plus-one Kaiser high-plan rate; and a district-funded term life insurance policy on the same terms as other certificated management employees. The position requires 220 work days per year.

Board members spoke in support of retaining the superintendent and cited leadership during the year. The superintendent thanked the board for the vote, saying she was "very proud to be part of this district." The board's oral summary contained a typographical error in the transcript listing the contract termination year as "202030;" the board's announced intent during the meeting described a four-year term ending in mid-2030, and the article reports the corrected four-year span as stated aloud at the meeting.

The motion to ratify the agreement passed on a unanimous voice vote. No public speakers addressed this item prior to the vote.

What happens next: the district clerk will make the finalized written agreement a public record as noted during the oral summary.