School & District Management

Pittsburgh School Board Locks In Superintendent Roosevelt

By Dakarai I. Aarons — October 22, 2009 1 min read
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We told you last month that the Pittsburgh school board was looking for a way to lock Superintendent Mark Roosevelt into a longer contract. Board members have said he’s done great work and wanted to ensure no other district looking for a superintendent would snap him up.

Under his leadership, the district is one of five finalists for the $500 million the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation plans to dole out to help improve teacher effectiveness in urban schools.

The board has succeeded on its first goal, signing Roosevelt to a new contract last night that lasts through August 2014. It brings his $225,000 salary to $285,000 by the 2013-14 school year if he meets performance goals in his contract, the district said.

Pennsylvania law sets a six-year limit on superintendent contracts in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, so the board had to break Roosevelt’s contract last night and then reappoint him to a new contract, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

For more on Pittsburgh, read Lesli’s story in our Leading for Learning report on school governance about a group called Board Watch that has gotten residents involved in grading the school board. The group’s CEO will join us at 3 PM EST today for a live chat on school boards. You should, too!

A version of this news article first appeared in the District Dossier blog.