Dr. Timm Mackley will vacate his offices in the Peters Township School District by the end of April - smack dab in the middle of his four-year contract. While his departure is a delight to many residents, it does not come without consequences.
To cut ties with Mackley, the school board has agreed to pay him $170,000, which includes his full salary until the end of July and reimbursement for up to $5,000 in legal fees. It also allows him to expunge any negative references from his personnel file.
Those who have opposed Mackley since his 2006 hiring are breathing a collective sigh of relief that the cost to get rid of him wasn't as high as they had anticipated. Without argument, the fit between this man and the school district has not been without controversy but should the district have agreed to any settlement at all?
Mackley would have been a fool not to have recognized that this was not the job for him. He had never moved to Peters Township or Pennsylvania, although his contract allows for a $5,000 moving expense. He chose instead to commute between here and his family in Ohio.
Months ago, rumors began swirling that Mackley was looking for a new job. In reviewing Mackley's contract it might have been more fiscally responsible to gamble on him securing a new job instead of jumping the gun to reach a settlement.
According to that contract, if Mackley resigns his position more than six months before the contract ends, he owes the district five percent of his base salary. With a salary of $130,000, that's a payback to the district of $6,500. Failing to give a 60-day notice not to renew the contract or resign his job results in the loss of payment for unused vacation, sick and personal days. He will receive more than $6,000 for these with the current separation agreement.
According to his 2006 contract, if it is terminated by mutual consent before the Aug. 6, 2010 expiration date, "the school district shall have no further responsibility or liability of any nature whatsoever to the Superintendent...."
We recognize the discord that permeates any organization when there is little or no confidence in its leader. We understand the immediacy in wanting to move on and create a more stable environment, especially where the education of our children is at stake. We question, though, why this has to be done at such a high financial cost.
Peters Township is not alone in its "let's just be done with him/her" method of resolution. A few years ago, Mt. Lebanon got rid of its superintendent after only one year into a five-year contract by paying her $500,000.
With a confidentiality clause in the separation agreement, we may never know exactly what finally sparked the Peters Township school board to end its association with Mackley. We may never know if there were performance issues or just pressure to have a superintendent who can lead the district in a way that is better suited to all.
We do know, when dealing with anyone who is paid by tax dollars, there are better ways to handle a problem than by just throwing lots of money at in an effort to make it to go away. We hope all elected officials would remember this, especially during the hiring process.