York school board boss guaranteed a job for life
Controversial clause built into deal gives director a top-salary superintendent job down the road
The director of the York Region District School Board has what amounts to a job for life there once his unprecedented 10year contract expires, the Star has learned.
In an unusual clause in his employment contract — a copy of which was obtained by the Star — if the board decides not to renew J. Philip Parappally’s tenure after his decade at the helm, “the director shall automatically be placed in the position of supervisory officer (at maximum supervisory officer salary and benefits . . .).”
Using access to information requests, the Star obtained the contracts of other education directors in Peel, Halton and Toronto, as well Parappally’s predecessor. None has such a guarantee.
Joel Hertz, a trustee when the controversial Parappally was hired in 2014, said he remembers the clause clearly and “it seemed kind of unusual at the time.”
“Generally, if your job doesn’t work out, you get some severance, and it’s nice knowing you,” said Hertz, whose support helped Parappally secure the director role, which was initially only for four years.
“When you think about it, why would you put a person not doing his job well back into a senior role in the organization, and then working for another director? It doesn’t make sense.”
He recalls some discussion about it at the boardroom table, but most people were so upset about the contentious hiring process and Parappally’s selection in general that the details of the contract seemed like “the least of (their) worries.”
But now with a 10-year contract — and the guarantee of a job after that —“this is just ridiculous,” Hertz said.
Parappally was vaulted to the position of director from field superintendent in a process that caused an uproar in the York school board. He was initially given a four-year contract; a year and a half later, it was inexplicably renegotiated and bumped up to 10 years, which is unheard of in Ontario education circles.
The contract came amid questions about how Parappally was hired after not being endorsed by the very consultant hired by the board to find a new leader; according to Hertz, there were concerns Parappally was the only candidate to bring notes to his interview and didn’t have “strong references.”
In a previous email to the Star, Parappally said he was “humbled” to be chosen as director. He said he couldn’t discuss specifics of his contract since it was a personnel matter.
“In accordance with the Education Act, I am qualified to hold the position of director of education in Ontario,” added Parappally, who earned $268,267 in 2015, according to the provincial Sunshine List.
Since being named director, dozens of staff, insiders and parents have spoken to the Star about a worsening climate at the board and others have expressed concern about the unusually high number of senior administrators leaving.
Responding on behalf of the board, chair Anna DeBartolo — who has known Parappally for 16 years, first meeting him when he was an administrator at her child’s school — said via email that “the director’s contract is based on a standard template used for all supervisory officers. We do not discuss personnel matters publicly, nor do we engage in speculation.”
When the board’s communications manager was asked why Parappally’s predecessor, Ken Thurston, had no such provision in his contract, DeBartolo amended her statement to clarify that it is used for supervisory officers “promoted from within the board.” She has previously told the Star the board needed the stability of the 10-year contract as Parappally implements a long-term plan.
According to education insiders, almost two decades ago, a handful of education directors might have negotiated similar clauses in their contracts for protection as the government of the day began amalgamating boards. But it is not considered a current practice.
In Halton Region, the contract of recently hired Stuart Miller, who was promoted from within, states that “in the event the board does not elect to renew the contract, or the parties are unable to agree to the terms, the contract herein will expire at the end of the term.”
And if the Peel District School Board decides not to keep veteran director Tony Pontes when his contract ends in 2018, the agreement also simply expires. He, too, was a longtime employee of the board he now runs.
The York contract is troubling on several fronts, said Charles Pascal, a former deputy education minister.
“The notion of a 10-year contract itself, especially for someone of that level of experience, and adding on the superintendent job after the 10 years has several problems,” he said.
“It’s basically guaranteeing a job for life; as well, there’s no thought put into the notion that a new director may not want that particular individual as a superintendent” on the senior team, said Pascal, a governance expert who is now with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto.
“This has nothing to do with what would be best for the York board,” added Pascal. “Governance is about what is in the best interest of the students and the staff . . . It appears as though, with the length of the contract and a job-for-life condition, that question wasn’t raised.”
A spokes person for Education Minister Liz Sandals said school boards are responsible for how contracts are structured.
“We continue to monitor issues to ensure the good governance of school boards across the province as they continue to support the success and well-being of all members of all its school communities,” Nicole McInerney said in an email. Noor Javed covers York Region for the Star and can be reached at njaved@thestar.ca Kristin Rushowy is an education reporter and can be reached at krushowy@thestar.ca
“This has nothing to do with what would be best for the York board.” CHARLES PASCAL FORMER DEPUTY EDUCATION MINISTER