Community Unit School District 201 officials have finally released Superintendent Steven Baule’s contract, revealing he received a series of salary increases, including one that was not documented properly.

The district released the employment contract to the Westmont Progress last week after nearly two years of withholding it from public scrutiny, prompted by an Illinois Supreme Court ruling last month. The contract revealed the previous School Board had approved two salary increases for Baule since his five-year contract was awarded in 2007.

The raises, approved last spring and again this April, amount to an 8.9 percent increase in two years, boosting Baule’s base salary to almost $185,000. Baule’s total compensation for the coming school year will be $218,000.

The Westmont Progress reported on the board’s recent decision to award Baule a 3.9 percent raise, however, the 2008 increase was not previously reported. The board approved Baule’s 2008-09 raise after returning from a closed session meeting at about 10 p.m. June 17, 2008.

According to meeting minutes, board members approved the motion “to approve the

non-bargained salary recommendations for the 2008-2009 school year.”

The School Board did not follow the procedure mandated in Baule’s employment contract, which calls for the increase to be spelled out in an amendment document that would become part of his contract.

When the Progress requested the amendments detailing the salary increases, Business Manager Maureen Jones said none existed from 2008. In an e-mail, Jones said the board “likely merely forgot to sign an addendum to his contract (in 2008); therefore, no signed addendum exists.”

Release of the contract also shed new light on the superintendent’s goals, which the district refused to make public until now. The goals are significant because by law, a superintendent’s contract cannot be extended or rolled over prior to its scheduled expiration date unless all the goals therein have been met.

The School Board awarded Baule his current five-year contract in 2007, a year before his previous deal was set to expire. Then-board president Elizabeth Durrani said the early renewal was merited because Baule had met the performance goals stipulated in the contract.

Former School Board member Kathy Forzley, the only board member who said she did not support Baule's April raise, said the goals in the contract were “Mickey Mouse goals.” She also said the process of approving Baule’s current contract was done “very secretively and quickly.”

“We only got to see the contract for about 10 minutes, and I never had a chance to read through it,” she said. “We were told everything in it had been gone through by the district’s law firm, so it was all in line with state laws.”

Board member Linda Kelly disagreed. She said the contract and the performance goals were approved after a lengthy process throughout three different sessions.

“This was a very thorough process, that was approved by a consensus of the board,” she said, adding the performance goals outlined in the contact were drawn up by the board based on the district’s strategic plan.

When asked for specifics of how his goals were achieved, Baule gave several examples: The Westmont High School college matriculation rate is up significantly, there is better access to advanced placement courses than five years ago, and the Westmont Junior High School test scores are up significantly, and were recognized by state Board of Education, Baule said.

While the wording of the goals might sound vague, Baule said his evaluations would provide more specificity.

“I think if you review many superintendent contracts, you would find these goals are much less vague than most,” Baule said.

Last week, Suburban Life Publications, this newspaper’s parent-publication, filed FOIA requests to obtain the superintendent goals for 30 school districts it covers in the western suburbs. The Wheaton Leader, also a Suburban Life newspaper, FOIA’d the contract and goals of Wheaton-based Community Unit School District 200’s superintendent the same day as the Westmont Progress.

District 200’s contract include goals such as “Successful completion of Hubble Middle school construction project” and “to successfully negotiate agreements with both the WWEA and CEA by June 2, 2009, that provide financial stability and predictability to the district.”

Superintendent’s Goals of Steven Baule (from the 2007-2012 contract)
1. Develop and maintain district facilities that serve the school district’s student
community and also provide the necessary infrastructure to meet the needs of students of this
century.

• The Superintendent will make recommendations to the Board concerning facility needs. At least annually, the Superintendent will provide the Board of Education a report of the buildings and grounds of the district.

2. Ensure that teachers, administrators, and staff meet the qualifications for their
positions as qualified teachers, administrators and staff have a direct impact on student
performance.

• The Superintendent will continue to administer the human resources programs and report to the Board any State mandated modifications related to certified and support staff
  certification requirements.

3. Develop and recommend strategies designed to maximize and effectively manage the
school district’s resources.

• The Superintendent will make recommendations to the Board regarding resources to manage the district. At least annually, the Superintendent will provide the Board of
  Education a report on the status of district resources and make recommendations
  accordingly.

4. Develop and manage a process for the continuous improvement, alignment and review
of the CUSD 201 curriculum.

• The Superintendent will facilitate the work, and regularly update the Board on the progress of the Curriculum Advisory Council work in regard to ongoing curricular revision within the district.

•  The Superintendent shall keep the Board informed of the school improvement plans of each building. The Superintendent shall keep the Board informed of any statutory or
  regulatory changes mandated by the State regarding school improvement planning.

5. Work with the Board of Education and other district stakeholders to implement the
recommendations of the district’s strategic plan. The Board believes that to operate efficiently
and effectively, it must make unified and well thought out decisions pursuant to the goals
articulated within the district’s strategic plan.

• The Superintendent shall monitor, and direct as necessary, the implementation of the recommendations of the strategic plan within the guidelines set forth by the Board of
  Education or where the Board decides not to implement a specific recommendation.

6. Continue the relationships with the various District 201 constituencies and proactively
market the successes of CUSD 201. It is important that all stakeholders become familiar with the
variety of services and the levels of success offered to students through CUSD 201.

• The Superintendent will develop positive working relationships with community stakeholders and develop and implement a marketing program for CUSD 201. He will
  continue to make himself a visible presence at school events and within the wider
  community.

7. Improve instructional practices in the District in order to facilitate student achievement.

• The Superintendent will ensure that principals and assistant principals conduct timely evaluations of teachers.
•  The Superintendent will integrate the appropriate and essential use of technology across the curriculum, increasing student and staff access and use of technology in task -appropriate ways.
•  The Superintendent will provide training and support for staff in implementing district instructional and assessment programs.