A week after Johnny Rowland Jr. accepted the job as Webster Parish Schools superintendent; the Webster Parish School Board approved a three-year contract.
Rowland will receive an annual salary of $120,000, a sum he agreed to last week. His contract also includes a car allowance of $500 per month and $25 per month cellphone allowance.
Rowland will be reimbursed for any expenses related to traveling outside of the parish for official business. He will also receive 20 vacation and 13 sick days per year and be evaluated once a year.
The contract expires June 30, 2020. The contract originally was set to expire Dec. 31, 2020, however, board member John Madden moved to change to date to fall in line with the end of a school year.
The board approved the contract by an 8-1 vote during Monday’s board meeting. Board member Ronnie Broughton voted against. Brandon Eden, Linda Kinsey and Jerri O’Neal were absent.
The board also voted to advertise for Rowland’s previous position, with some changes. He previously held the title of personnel director and middle school supervisor.
Secondary Supervisor Linda Hudson will assume the title of middle school supervisor.
“What we are going to do at the district level is to combine the middle school and secondary supervisors,” Rowland said. “There will be no change in pay.”
Additional duties will be added to the position of personnel director such as special events, quiz bowl, student, teacher and principal of the year, retirement receptions, literary rally and some job duties Hudson had as secondary supervisor, Rowland said.
“You said the personnel director would be responsible for quiz bowl,” board member Frankie Mitchell asked. “It seems like that is out of character for that position, I’m just saying to me.”
Rowland explained the personnel director would oversee the quiz bowl as a whole for the district and mainly work on the logistics of it.
The board also talked about changing the name of personnel director to human resources director, but the board never voted on the measure.
Advertising for the job is expected to start Tuesday and end July 10.