Elgin Area U-46 School District awarded a contract to its new superintendent Monday evening.

Jose Torres, the soon-to-be superintendent, was rewarded a contract in the amount of $269,299 with added benefits. The current Chicago Public Schools official will assume his new position July 1.

The contract includes $12,000 in moving and temporary housing expenses. Though he is a Chicago resident, the position requires he live within district boundaries.

Torres will also receive 15 paid sick days and 25 vacation days per year. It also allows him $650 per month for automobile expenses.

After being publicly criticized for decisions made regarding the last contract extended to outgoing superintendent Connie Neale, the School Board added more provisions to this contract.

If Torres leaves within the first two years of his four-year contact, he will pay $25,000 to cover expenses to find his replacement. If the School Board decides to terminate Torres, five members must vote in support, rather than the majority of the seven-member board.

“Of course, it must be a disruptive and compelling reason to do that,” said School Board President Ken Kaczynski.

The U-46 School Board began its search for a new superintendent last fall after Neale took sick leave while remaining on the payroll until February. Neale’s retirement package ballooned to more than $400,000 by the time she left the district.

Torres, a Puerto Rican native, is currently a regional superintendent for Area 14 in the Chicago Public Schools, where he oversees 25 schools with over 14,000 students.

Before joining Chicago Public Schools, Torres was terminated while serving as superintendent at the San Ysidro School District near San Diego County. He said reasons stem from intentions to terminate legal counsel to decisions made over a looming teacher’s strike.

“It was a hard lesson to learn,” he said.