Springdale board OKs contract of superintendent

Replacing Rollins, Cleveland to earn $240,000 in first year plus stipend

SPRINGDALE — The School Board has approved a three- year contract for Superintendent Jared Cleveland paying him $240,000 for his first year, plus an annual stipend of $19,500.

The contract stipulates Cleveland will receive a salary increase of at least 2% per year beginning July 1, 2021. The board approved the agreement after an executive session at its meeting Tuesday.

Cleveland began as the School District’s superintendent July 1. He replaced Jim Rollins, who spent 38 years as superintendent before resigning to become president of Northwest Technical Institute.

Rollins was earning $ 243,000 with an annual stipend of $ 13,500, a total $3,000 less than Cleveland’s combined salary and stipend.

Rollins’ contract, however, included several benefits Cleveland’s contract doesn’t. Rollins received a longevity bonus of $10,000 per year; the district also annually paid premiums of $ 20,500 for Rollins’ life insurance policy and $ 950 for his disability insurance policy, according to district General Counsel Kendra Clay.

Clay was uncertain as to why a stipend was included in Cleveland’s contract in addition to a salary. Rollins had the stipend, so the board carried that forward for Cleveland, she wrote in an email.

“I don’t know of a benefit to either party by having it listed separately,” she wrote.

Rollins’ contract also included a physical examination clause, which required him to undergo semiannual physical examinations by a doctor of his choice. The district paid all costs of those physicals not covered by his health insurance. There is no such requirement in Cleveland’s contract.

Cleveland gets 20 days of vacation and use of a district-provided vehicle, costs of which the district is supposed to pay, according to his contract. Rollins received these benefits as well.

Rollins’ contract was set to expire at the end of 2021. The board agreed to pay him the money he would have made under that contract if he had stayed — a total of $404,750 to be paid in monthly installments for 60 months, starting this month.

Michelle Cook, board president, said the board was unanimous in its decision on that payout to Rollins. It came about from negotiating his separation agreement, she said.

Cleveland, 48, was the district’s deputy superintendent for seven years before the board chose him to succeed Rollins. He previously served as superintendent of the Magazine and Lavaca school districts. He has a doctorate in education from Harding University.

Cleveland